PIXEL 4XL in 2021 IS IT STILL WORTH BUYING ?! By DirectTech

Now, if there's one thing I like when it comes to tech, I like good value for money, which is why I always try and hunt an older flagship for a good price. As my android dual carry, I don't necessarily buy the latest and greatest, and one of the reasons I do that is because the silicon and the hardware in phones nowadays is so good. You don't need to buy the latest and greatest to have good performance. That's sustained over time. You don't need to buy the latest and greatest for a good camera, and I found a Pixel 4 XL for 170 pounds a month ago and for the last month I've been using it Monday to Friday as my work phone and my only phone during the hours of nine to five. So it's had plenty of views, and the question I want to ask today is: is the Pixel 4 XL a phone that you should buy in 2021, given how cheap it is and how much great hardware is packed into it? Let's find out guys thing I want to talk about on the Pixel 4 XL today is its performance and, let's quickly recap the silicon that you're going to find inside it in 2021 you're, going to get the snapdragon 855 with UFS, 2.1, 64 or 128 gigabytes of internal memory, which unfortunately isn't expandable, there's no micro SD card slot, so you might have to buy some google cloud storage. If you want to store more photos, videos or just anything, you need to store guys.

It is, however, ip68 rated, and it does come with 18 w fast charged by an USB, and it does come with an USB charger. Okay. So let's talk about the everyday performance. Now, in years, gone pixel has had issues with ram management and just overall sustaining a good level of performance over time. The pixel 3 is a good example of that and google caught quite a lot of criticism for the fact that, at a time when androids are launching with eight and up to 12 gigabytes of ram, they only put six gigabytes into the pixel 4 series, and a lot of people have asked me well.

Does that create issues with day-to-day performance and no, it hasn't because the software is so well optimized, I'm not getting any issues at all system. Animations are really smooth, apps, open and close really fast, just day-to-day the phone is incredibly responsive and a month later, I'm yet to have an experience with it where it's been slow or laggy or just anything, that's made me think it's showing its age, it's not showing its age whatsoever. The snapdragon 855 with the UFS 2.1, is holding up superbly and will continue to thanks to the good hardware, coupled with Google's great software, optimization. So in terms of performance guys, the Pixel 4 XL is a view and just to quickly cover gaming. You do have the arena 640 found in the Pixel 4 XL, and I like to play PUBG cranked up all the way to ultra HD, and it's always a great experience, guys, I'm not experiencing any dropped frames, freezing lag, absolutely anything.

It plays like a dream. So, if you're into a bit of mobile gaming on the go, whether it's Call of Duty or pub g guys its fantastic day-to-day performance on the Pixel 4 XL continues to be as good as the day it came out of the box. Now, how else do we interact with our phones other than through the screen? Which is why I want to talk about the screen on the Pixel 4 XL. A screen is an important part of any device, and the screen on the Pixel 4 XL is absolutely brilliant. I love this display.

I've had so many people say to me. Oh, what phone is that I really like the display. It's a 6.3 inch, 90 hertz OLED, with an always on display and a whopping 537 PPI, which means whether you're just looking at some photos, which you just took on that brilliant pixel camera they're, going to look really nice and crisp very detailed you're not going to lose any details when you pinch to zoom guys. It's superb same thing again. When it comes to YouTube guys, you can crank your YouTube videos up all the way up to 4k.

If that video supports it, and you're going to get some great colors honestly, your content is going to look so good, feel free to watch this in 4k guys if you've got a pixel, and it's going to crank out to 4k, and let me know in the comments how it looks. Let people know what you think of the display in the comments below now. One thing that you should know about the Pixel 4 XL is: it was the first version to come with the sole chip which we didn't see in the pixel 5, but it has got google's brilliant face ID and as soon as you pick up the device, it will sense that you've picked it up and start scanning for your face. So by the time you've brought the device up to your face. It's already seen you and unlocked, and it's also incredibly secure.

It is 3d face unlock, so you should know that, but the 6.3 inch OLED on this screen is by far the best we've seen on a pixel device to date and color calibration and the color accuracy are second to none only bested by the iPhone. So when it comes to display the pixel is an all-round winner, especially at the price point. You can pick up a pixel device that nowadays, the depreciation on them isn't the best they do depreciate heavily, but hey for you as someone looking for a good value device when a winner chicken dinner is what I say now. How am I going to create a review about the Pixel 4 XL here in 2021 and not talk about the camera? So, let's talk about the still photography, first and foremost, which is what pixel is the most famous for and in terms of daytime photography guys. The pictures you can take are absolutely phenomenal, you're going to capture loads of details or some really nice bright, punchy, colors and overall, the color science that you find with pixel devices.

It's very vivid, a little saturated, not too saturated, like you used to find on Samsung's, which is something Samsung has improved now. Overall daytime photography is great if you're going to take pictures that you're going to want to show off on social media or to your family and friends, you're going to become an overnight photographer. That's how good the still photography is, and one area where the daytime photography really shines for the Pixel 4 XL is portrait mode. The portrait mode on the 4xl is absolutely fantastic guys, and it doesn't matter if you're taking a picture of an individual yourself or some friends on a day out or if it's an object, as you can see in the pictures that I've taken the edge detection on these flowers and myself or my dogs has been absolutely great, it doesn't miss a beat one complaint would be. The blur is a little too much, but you can correct that in post edit, because the photo editor native within pixel OS is really great, guys, there's so much you can do so.

If you're someone who likes to edit your photos after you can do it all in the app now. One area where the pixel has always suffered and continues to suffer is video in terms of the front-facing camera you're only going to get 1080p 30 fps, and I took some front-facing camera video earlier today. So let me know what you think about the audio, the stabilization and the overall quality of the footage in the comments below. So let's take a quick look at that. Okay, so this is the front facing camera on the Pixel 4 XL.

It is limited to 1080p 30fps, but uh. Let me know what you think about the stabilization, the audio quality and just the overall quality of the video footage drop me a comment below and let me know what you think. Okay, so we've checked out the front-facing camera. Well, what about the rear-facing camera again guys it's a little disappointing, there's no 4k 60fps, and it isn't that the snapdragon 855 found in the Pixel 4 XL isn't capable of it. It's just that google chooses not to activate it for whatever reason, and they did actually get caught being quoted once saying that they think you don't need it.

I would disagree but hey what do I know, I'm just a customer right so in terms of the rear facing camera, guys, you're going to get a maximum of 4k, 30, fps and again. I've taken some footage earlier today of me just plodding along with the rear camera, and let me know what you think of the footage from the rear camera it's in 4k, 30 fps. Let me know what you think about the stabilization, the audio quality and the overall quality of the footage that you're seeing and let me know if you're, comparing it to any devices that you've used and what you think below in the comments. So, let's check out the rear camera. Okay, guys this is the rear-facing camera on the Pixel 4 XL.

I've got it set at the maximum resolution of 4k 30 fps. Let me know again what you think about the audio, the video quality and the stabilization and just the overall quality of the video footage that you're seeing so drop me a comment below, so we've talked about daytime photography, and we talked about the video, but one thing that came to the Pixel 4 XL, which was unique and at first and continues to be unique to the pixel series, is Castro photography guys. So, for those of you that don't know macrophotography is you can put your phone on a cheap little tripod, and it stabilizes it. You can take off up to a four-minute exposure of the stars or a nighttime scene guys and get a perfect picture with loads and loads of detail, and it would also be a crime for me to not talk about Google's fantastic night site, which continues to be one of the best, if not the best version of a low light camera system out there and here's. Some pictures that I took while driving around the Hampshire countryside, looking for some cool spots and cool things to take some pictures of- and let me know what you think of the macrophotography photos and the night side photos that I've taken here today.

I personally think that the pixel continues to be the best night sight photo that you can get, because it's simply point and shoot okay. So absolute last thing we're going to cover about the Pixel 4 XL is its software and updates so out of the box it launched with android 10 and on release date. It got android 11. Now, given that this device was released in 2019 on the back end, late 2019 you've got the three-year support period, taking the Pixel 4 XL, all the way through to pretty much the end of 2022, which means you're going to get android 12 this year and android 13 next year with the Pixel 4 XL. How much more can you ask for when it's device cost 170 pounds you're getting all of this superb hardware and a fantastic support period? Now, speaking of the software itself, I've tried Samsung's one UI.

I've tried oxygen OS, and I've tried pixel and out of all the flavors of android that I've tried I'm yet to find a software experience that is as fun as intelligent and as helpful as pixel is guys. This software is out of this world with how many incredible little features are baked into it and there's even things like Google Lens. You take a picture, and it's right there straight away at the bottom of the screen in case you need to copy and paste some numbers or details out of that picture, and it can even recognize straight away if it's a phone number, and it will offer you the option to call it, try doing that on an iPhone. You can't guy whilst iOS is good, it's no pixel OS and yes, I love apple, but I'm sorry, guys, iOS just isn't even anywhere near as good as pixel OS is, and it is pixel. Os is the reason I will always carry a pixel alongside my iPhone guys when it comes to software.

In my eyes, the pixel series are the cr?me de la cr?me of android, and in fact maybe even software, and also one thing I need to talk about- is Google Assistant. Now, Google Assistant is brilliant, as it is okay, but the Google Assistant found on the Pixel 4 XL is actually built into device it's on board, and it's helped by the fact that google added a neural engine into the pixel 4 series, meaning when you are dictating a message, or you're, giving an instruction to call someone I'm yet to have an experience where it picks up the wrong name, the wrong word or anything like that. It is superb at taking instructions, and it processes them equally fast. Okay, so, let's summarize here, the Pixel 4 XL in 2021, it's incredibly cheap to buy. You can pick them up for anywhere between 170 and 250 pounds one bay, Facebook marketplace places like music magpie, and you can pick them up for about 300 on Amazon renewed.

If you want all the assurances of customer service and warranty and for that money, this is what you get. You get one of the best 90 hertz displays around you get google's fantastic solely face unlock feature. You get one of the best camera systems around for photography, you're, getting superb build quality, guys it's a glass build or an aluminum side. Okay, you get 18 watt fast charging with wireless fast charging up to 15 watts guys. This thing is overall, superb now you've heard all the positives about the Pixel 4 XL.

So let me tell you a couple of caveats quickly about the Pixel 4 XL. Before you make a decision, I would say the biggest one is the battery life guys. It was poor at launch, and it has got better over time with software optimization. But there's still not a lot. You can do about the fact that the cell found in it is just too small for it.

There are extreme battery saver modes and things like that which can help. But why limit your experience? So, if you're, someone who likes to browse twitter all day long with your brilliant 90 hertz display okay buttery smooth scrolling. Unfortunately this isn't the phone for you. You will get annoyed with the battery life and my second complaint with the Pixel 4 XL, is that it only comes in 64 or 128 gigabytes of internal memory, with no option for expanding that with a micro SD card, so but other than that, I don't think that's a deal. Breaker uh, if you're like me, I'm always near a charger whether I'm at work or at home.

So it's not a big deal, but I have absolutely enjoyed using the Pixel 4 XL for the last month, and I'm almost kind of sad to see it go. So, let's see how the pixel 485 g stacks up against it over the next month. If I feel like I'm missing out or whatnot and guys listen. Last of all, if you've enjoyed today's video, I would massively appreciate it if you could hit that like button smash that subscribe button and ding that notification bell, so you get notified every time, there's a new episode of direct tech and if you guys could give it a retweet if you've enjoyed today and let your friends know about the channel. I would also really appreciate that my name is peter.

This is direct tech. It's been a pleasure, and I'll speak to you all soon.

Source : DirectTech