This time last year I wrote a column titled, “If you got a Pixel 4 for Christmas, you should probably return it.� I didn’t want to write it. Ever since the Pixel launched in 2016, I’ve rooted for Google’s phone to succeed. No other company is in such a position to bring an iPhone-like level of hardware/software integration and an experience unsurpassed on any other Android phone.
Unfortunately Google never quite nailed it. The pieces were all there—flagship processor, fantastic camera, regular Android updates—but the design always left much to be desired, the features were gimmicky, and the battery was merely good-enough. On the Pixel 4, the compromises became too much to bear.