The Pixel 4 was Google's late-2019 attempt (alongside the Google Pixel 4 XL) at making a phone that shows off the very best of Android and offers up a cocktail of flagship photography features, including machine learning and other AI wizardry.
Since its release, we've also seen the Pixel 4a and 4a 5G, two very different interpretations of 'affordable Pixel 4', as well as the Google Pixel 5, the company's follow-up to this phone.

The Google Pixel 4 was undeniably one of the very best camera phones you could buy on release, taking on that mantle from Google Pixel 3, but the upgrades are minimal elsewhere. Google hasn't tried to break the mold with the Pixel 4, instead playing things safe with an incremental update.

The Pixel 4 remains novel amid smartphones, as it's a compact device that offers a unique design you won't see in other flagships. This uniqueness comes from its appearance, the materials it uses, and the fact that it's smaller than a lot of other top-end devices, which can sometimes be a little on the large side for the average user.

Google has boosted the screen with a 90Hz refresh rate that offers a smoother experience when scrolling through social media or playing video games, and there's plenty of power on tap, with a recent chipset paired with 6GB of RAM.

One area where you'll likely find the Pixel 4 frustrating is its battery life, which at best is mediocre and at worst can be infuriatingly quick to drain. The Pixel 5 has improved its battery so much (with a 4,000mAh capacity) that it bears mentioning, even if the phone doesn't inherit all of the Pixel 4's top-tier features.

This radar technology is called Soli, and it's designed to identify where you are in order to predict when you'll reach for your phone, so that the screen is on, and ready and waiting for you. It's an interesting idea, but so far it's limited.

The good news is that the Pixel 4's starting price is lower than that of the Pixel 3 in some countries, which could help to compensate for any perceived lack of overall innovation on Google's part. And it's bound to get even more affordable with sales leading up to Black Friday on November 27 and into Cyber ​​Monday thereafter.

The Google Pixel 4 was announced in early October 2019, and it was then put on sale on October 24 that same year. You can easily buy this device in the US, UK, Australia and a variety of other markets around the world.

For the first time, a Pixel phone is on sale at all major carriers in the US as often Google's phones are just available on Verizon. The Pixel 4 is also available on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Xfinity, Spectrum and Google Fi. In the UK it's available through Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three, as well as a selection of other smaller providers.
It's also available in Australia, where it's available on Telstra, Vodafone, Optus and other carriers.

Certain markets can only access some models though – for example, in the UK the orange variant is only available in 64GB, while both 64GB and 128GB are available in the US.

This all means the Pixel 4 has the same launch price as the Pixel 3 had in the US, while in the UK and Australia the new handsets actually have a lower launch price than their predecessors. It's unclear why it's cheaper in those two markets and not the US, but it's a nice bonus if you're interested in this phone.

If you find this price too expensive, you may be interested in the Google Pixel 4a that is rumored to be launching in the first half of 2020 and should offer a similar experience for a much lower price.

This phone feels a lot like the previous OnePlus 11 physically but is functionally more attached to the company's Open foldable phone because of the camera array. It's a combination that works wonders in presenting what the brand is capable of when the pieces start to come together the right way.

One thing about OnePlus is that it knows how to turn heads or raise eyebrows. Yet again, showing the OnePlus 12 to friends and acquaintances garnered awe and questions ranging from who the brand is, what the phone costs, and what it can do. I don't think it's a stretch to consider the 12 a beautiful phone, though I could do without the curved edges on the display. It's high time OnePlus flattened that out as Samsung did in the S24 Ultra, as it only helps with the ergonomics of taking photos.

I also much preferred the matte finish on the back with its crystalizing effect in bright light. The company based the design on the Flowy Emerald variant (Silky Black is the other) on the Dart River in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The glossy back of the OnePlus 11 was also nice, but this finish is an improvement in ways that count, especially for fingerprints. The rear camera module is bigger this time and it blends in more seamlessly with the rest of the scheme in the back panel.

The 6.8-inch QHD+ (3,168 x 1,440) AMOLED display with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate is also rated at 4,500 nits of peak brightness, though that last spec is a little misleading. Peak brightness comes in when viewing certain content on the screen, not necessarily covering the entire display on demand, so it's hard to quantify exactly how bright the whole screen gets. It is brighter than the previous OnePlus 11 for sure, including better Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. IP protection isn't a guessing game with this phone either since it carries an official IP65 rating. That means it has okay protection but is not quite as water-resistant as others are.

A performance boost comes courtesy of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, plus a brand new vapor chamber cooling system and improved GPU to make this phone a viable mobile gaming device. The company hasn't shied away from considering its phone-dependent content editing platforms and that re, which remains the focus starts at 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, with the option to go to a 16GB/512GB variant as well. A 1TB version also exists with limited availability.

The company also came to its senses to support wireless charging in this phone and still offers ridiculous wired charging speeds as well. In my tests, I got from 0% to 100% in just 32 minutes based on the 120V load in North America. From 0% to 50%, it was just 13 minutes. Get OnePlus' own AirVOOC wireless charging stand and you can fully charge the device wirelessly in 60 minutes.

The OnePlus 12 essentially runs the same rear camera setup as the Open, right down to the 50-megapixel Sony LYT-808 Type 1/1.4 image sensor (it was a 48-megapixel in the Open) with f/ 1.6 aperture. Pixel binning applies at all times to produce 12.5-megapixel images (23mm equivalent) unless you're shooting in Hi-Res mode. Yet again, OnePlus won't let you shoot in RAW at full resolution, so you have to accept the binned trade-off in that case as well.

The 64-megapixel OmniVision OVB64 telephoto is perhaps the shining star of the lineup, not just because of the 3x optical zoom (70mm equivalent), but also because OnePlus and Hasselblad worked to make it better. It has a periscope design that you can utilize in most available modes in the camera menu, including Action mode, which I'll get to further down.

Shot in RAW with the 3x optical zoom.
For the 48-megapixel ultra-wide (14mm equivalent), OnePlus chose to keep it familiar, sticking to Sony's IMX581 image sensor that goes back to the OnePlus 11. You still get the same 114-degree field of view and f/2.2 aperture, so the only changes here stem from how the onboard software handles the images you take. It's also where a macro mode can kick in once you get close to a subject, indicated by an icon that appears onscreen.
The 32-megapixel front camera with f/2.4 aperture uses a Sony IMX615 image sensor with fixed focus and electronic image stabilization.

Hasselblad's fingerprints are all over the color reproduction, and I detected the OnePlus 12 shooting a little warmer than its predecessor did. Apart from the Hasselblad filters available in most modes, there aren't specialized features to select branded with Hasselblad. The idea here is that you get similar treatment regardless of what you're capturing, mainly tweaking the output seen in the Open.

With the main wide lens, OnePlus lets you choose which default wide-angle focal length you want. By default, it's 23mm (1x), but there's also 28mm (1.2x) and 35mm (1.5x), both of which are in the sensor so digital zoom or software trickery isn't foisted on you. It's possible to get to these lengths by a slight pinch-to-zoom gesture that you'll see noted when the screen shows 1.2x or 1.5x — a nice touch previously introduced in the Open that shows the versatility of Sony's LYTA sensor.

Overall, the OnePlus 12 presents a more polished camera experience, even if there are some drawbacks, like iffy details along the edges. I would've preferred more neutral tones instead of the warmer ones showing here, but at least those are fairly easy to fix in the post.

The thing about the main camera is that it's as good as what you apply to it. For example, one of my favorites coming out of this phone is Action mode, which is available in the top menu between Exposure and Google Lens. mode doesn't t allow for switching default focal lengths on the fly, but does let you also take shots with the telephoto and ultra-wide lenses. It also lets you shoot in burst, which is huge for freezing the right action shot with minimal effort Optical image stabilization is also great for that as well, but my one gripe is that OnePlus doesn't offer Action mode in Master (formerly Pro) mode.

My feeling on this is partly a consequence of a camera that finds its groove better than previous models have. It was a pleasure taking photos with this phone because it opened the door to experiment a little. When you see results come in that look good, it raises only confidence the OnePlus 12 can get it done.

Hasselblad deserves praise for setting the tone — literally. Colors look great, with sharp details in daylight or low light. No question, zoom in to pixel peep, and the algorithms are exposed for messy pixels, but they're hardly noticeable when looking at the images on most screens. Results are better when using Hi-Res mode, although when the lighting is optimal.

I pushed the telephoto lens wherever I could to get more out of it and was fortunate to be in situations where I could try things out. Action mode works well with this lens, freezing action in ways competitors frankly struggle with — including Samsung and Apple Google's Action mode is different in that it uses a slower shutter speed, whereas this one uses a faster one (with a high ISO). As an example, the photo of NHL superstar Connor McDavid was taken at 1/2000 second and 2500 ISO. Not surprising that digging in to see the pixels up close reveals more noise.

In low-light conditions, action shots are tough, but with the right amount of light on the subject, results can still turn out better than expected. The beauty of this lens is that it feels versatile, meaning it's not just a matter of getting closer to a subject, but also about putting thought into framing and composition to get the best possible image. As much as I like the main lens and what it delivers, I keep going back to the telephoto to try new things.

6x zoom
OnePlus touts the hybrid zoom, with 6x in-sensor zoom as a good option — which it is — but beyond 10x, the results get steadily worse toward the horrible outcomes that come with 120x zoom.
There's not much to say about this lens because it's the same as the last two OnePlus flagships, save for the software-based improvements. Edge detail is still a problem, but at least the macro camera doesn't feel like a forgetful add-on

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the quintessential Apple product, one in which the sum of several small improvements adds up to a terrific upgrade. And that's especially true for those who waited three or four years—or more—to do so: Between its lighter body, smaller bezels, impressive Apple Silicon innards, full-featured camera system, configurable Action button, improved Dynamic Island, faster communications, and USB-C port, the new Pros are a big step forward for this mature smartphone family. And the iPhone 15 Pro Max is an even bigger step forward, thanks to an all-new telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom.

As a reviewer, I don't usually get to wait long enough to appreciate these things. But I inexplicably opted not to review any new iPhones last year, which is unusual. I had switched from the iPhone 13 Pro I had been using to the Pixel 7 Pro back in April, so my time apart from the iPhone was perhaps useful: While nothing is ever perfect, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes tantalizingly close. It addresses some of my previous key concerns, which is welcome. But it has also provided some unexpected and delightful moments that speak to Apple's relentless push for quality.

From a distance, the iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn't look all that different from the iPhone X that debuted in 2017, and the bug-eyed three-lens camera system design on its rear looks much like that on the iPhone 11 Pro Max from 2019. But get a bit closer, put your hands on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and you will immediately see and feel the difference.

First and most obviously, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is noticeably lighter than its curiously dense predecessors. That's thanks to the move to titanium instead of the heavier stainless steel used by the previous two generations of Pros, and it's a significant and welcome improvement. said, while the band that runs along the sides is subtly brushed for a bit of differentiation, the finish of the back of my “Natural Titanium” iPhone 15 Pro Max is a dull matte gray color. It is nothing like the sandstone beige shown in Apple's product shots, which was a bit disappointing, though I will never see it anyway, as I always protect this expensive device in a protective case.

But before doing that, I noticed the next major difference between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and its two immediate predecessors. Those iPhone Pros used the same iconic design as the iPhone 4, with sharp edges all around that made the devices painful to hold in the hand. Well, consider that complaint addressed too: The iPhone 15 Pro Max features subtle but smooth and contoured edges that eliminate the pain while retaining the iconic look. I'm not sure what took so long, but it's a great solution.