SHANGHAI, CHINA - 2019/09/23: In this photo illustration the triple camera design on the back of an ... [+]
A friend messaged me yesterday to say that he was starting to believe the Pixel 4 XL was “an all round dud” because of the poor battery life and “cold” pictures.
I don’t agree about the camera - although I recognise colour accuracy can be an issue of taste. He’s not wrong about the battery life, though - it’s shockingly bad. The longer I use the Pixel 4 XL, swapping to other devices intermittently for review purposes, the more I realise how badly Google dropped the ball.
It seemed a bit harsh of my friend to write off a phone because of two concerns. Is a phone a “dud” because of a personal preference when it comes to pictures and poor battery life? In the grand scheme of things, not really. But when the competition is so tight, when every error and misstep is amplified because your rivals basically don’t make any, then yes the “dud” theory becomes a lot more understandable.
The space for error tightened when Apple released its iPhone 11, which increased battery capacity across all of its size variants. After years of iPhone owners complaining about comparatively small batteries - usually scarified for slimmer phones - Apple listened and broke its design rules. Now, in 2019, we have an iPhone with a battery that’s nearly 4000mAh.
Both the small and large models of the iPhone 11 top the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL in battery size. Of course, dimensions of the battery isn’t the only story - software optimisation plays a large part too. But my experience is - and that of reviewers across the board - that the iPhone 11 Pro Max has outstanding battery life. Perhaps the best ever on an iPhone.
This is where Google has to start from for the Pixel 4A and Pixel 5. Because if the search company can’t compete on basics - such as lasting power - then you inevitably have to ask: what is the point of the Pixel? If the camera has been topped by Huawei, Apple, Samsung and Xaomi, and battery life has been to beaten by Apple and Samsung - then why buy a Pixel over devices from those other companies?
Yes, Google’s AI tech is a unique draw but I don’t think it’s advanced enough (yet) to solely justify a purchase. Also, you can’t ask Duplex to book a restaurant table for you if the phone is dead. The margin for mistakes has shrunk and in a market full of alternatives, the costs are high for those mistakes.
Surveys have repeatedly shown over the years that battery life is the single most important factor when it comes to either purchasing a phone or deciding, after purchase, whether it was worth the money. Whilst the promise of a futuristic lifestyle might draw potential buyers in, after the magic of a shiny new feature fades - and the immovable grub has settled in to the speaker hole - people's needs revert back to basics: does my phone work how I want it to work?
My friend is the perfect case study of this. He went from being dazzled by the speed of the Pixel 4’s facial recognition to considering switching to a Samsung because the battery life is so poor. Needs must.
If Google has designs on being guzzling up Apple and Samsung sales, then it can’t just rely on its AI services. It has to get the basics right, because ultimately that’s what matters most to consumers. In a time when Apple - a company not known for the long battery life of its phones - is easily out-competing you, it’s time to take stock.
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