The Google Pixel 4 XL Review: Stuck In The Past In 2019

Camera - Low Light Evaluation

Night-time photography was starting with the Pixel 3 and the introduction of Night Sight, one of Google’s fortes. The new Pixel 4 is able to improve in this aspect through a few different means: A new and improved camera sensor, a larger lens aperture to capture more light, and a new Night Sight algorithm that promises to improve and iterate upon the existing implementation.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ S10+ (S) ] - [ S10+ (E) ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P30 Pro ] - [ G8X ] - [ Xperia 1 ]

Starting off with the first sample, the differences to the Pixel 3 are quite minor. Besides the different colour of the lighting, the overall composition of the scene and details are pretty much the same between both phones. There is a difference in noise levels between the two, but it’s hard to conclude any one is better than the other.

The Pixels still lead Samsung’s devices, but Apple and Huawei are ahead of the Pixel 4 in terms of detail retention.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ S10+ (S) ] - [ S10+ (E) ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P30 Pro ] - [ G8X ]

In the next shot the differences between the Pixel 4 and 3 are more evident. The new phone has better dynamic range and thus is able to resolve more information in the darker shadows of the scene, such as the main buildings facades.

Apple’s night mode didn’t trigger here which leaves Huawei’s devices as the contenders.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ S10+ (S) ] - [ S10+ (E) ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P30 Pro ] - [ G8X ]
[ Xperia 1 ]

We’re only seeing minor differences in the P3 <> P4 comparison here. The P4 has slightly better shadow detail and noise handling. Google, Samsung and Huawei all produce great results as Apple falls behind here as again Night Mode doesn’t trigger.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ Galaxy S10+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S10+ (E) ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P30 Pro ] - [ G8X ] - [ Xperia 1 ]

The darker it gets, the more evident the improvements of the Pixel 4. The new phone here holds a clear edge over the Pixel 3. The result is actually not that far off from the Exynos S10, with the Pixel having slightly better noise handling. The Snapdragon S10’s night mode seems to continue to be algorithmically inferior. The iPhone 11 is able to get a lot of detail out of the visible areas, but algorithmically isn’t able to extract much light out of the shadows which remain pitch black. Of course, Huawei’s large RYYB sensor is able to capture a stupid amount of light.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ] - [ Galaxy S10+ (S) ]
[ Galaxy S10+ (E) ] - [ iPhone 11 Pro ]
[ Mate 30 Pro ] - [ P30 Pro ]
[ G8X ] - [ Xperia 1 ]

The phones here are quite in line. The Pixel 4 has an edge in detail which it shares with the Huawei phones, with Apple and Samsung closely behind.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ Galaxy S10+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S10+ (E) ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P30 Pro ] - [ G8X ] - [ Xperia 1 ]

The Pixel 4 is able to get a little bit more light than the P3 but it’s not too much a major upgrade. Google lags behind Apple in terms of detail here as the iPhone is able to get a much sharper picture, although lacking details in the darker areas where the sensor just doesn’t pick up any light.

[ Pixel 4 ] - [ Pixel 3 ]
[ Galaxy S10+ (S) ] - [ Galaxy S10+ (E) ]
[ iPhone 11 Pro ] - [ Mate 30 Pro ]
[ P30 Pro ] - [ G8X ] - [ Xperia 1 ]

This last shot again showcases the Pixel 4’s better light capture ability as it’s able to notably turn down the ISO levels compared to the Pixel 3, with the resulting shot being significantly sharper. The Pixel 4 is far ahead Samsung and Apple, only trading blows with Huawei.

Low-Light Conclusion – Excellent Upgrades

Overall, the low-light ability of the Pixel 4 is closely tied to how Night Sight performs. Google’s camera here is excellent and the algorithm tweaks are augmented by new main sensor which is able to reduce noise levels more significantly. The differences between the Pixel 4 and Pixel 3 grow the darker it gets as the latter’s sensor just isn’t able to capture enough light.

Google and Apple are battling with each other over their implementations. Sometimes Apple gets the better and sharper shots, however this only ever rarely happens as Night Sight generally provides the better results and isn’t limited by an uncontrollable automatic activation such as on the iPhone 11. Samsung Exynos devices are closely following the Pixel 4 in terms of quality. Huawei generally still has the low-light leadership amongst current flagships.

One aspect that I didn’t test in this review was astrophotography. The reason for this was pretty stupid but also very revealing of the feature’s real-world usability: I wasn’t able to get out of my city’s light pollution area and 90% of the nights since I’ve had the phone were under cloud cover. Whilst I’m sure there’s other people who’ll be able to take advantage of the feature for some good shots, it’s also pretty much a gimmick given its very limited usability.