Google Pixel 4 series launched, but not coming to India

Search engine giant Google, earlier today launched the new Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL in New York City.

The new Pixel 4 comes with a lot of upgrades both in terms of design and internal hardware over the predecessor. Both the Pixel 4 and the 4 XL have pretty much the same features, except for the display and the battery.

The Pixel 4 comes with 5.7-inch full HD+ (2280 x 1080p) screen with 2800mAh battery, whereas the Pixel 4 XL sports a 6.3-inch QHD+ (2960 x 1440p) display with 3,700mAh cell. Both the devices will support the 90Hz refresh rate similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro and 7T series. The rest of the specifications remains the same.

They come with Aluminum frame with hybrid coating and Active Edge feature to trigger Google Assistant. They have a soft-touch polished glass with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the rear side and come with IP68 ratings.

Both the devices are powered by Android 10 OS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB RAM', 64GB/128GB storage and Titan M security chipset, which stores the password, Face data and other sensitive information to protect from hackers and malware threats.

As far as the photography hardware is concerned, Pixel 4 series comes with dual-camera-- 12.2MP rear camera ( with 1.4μm pixel size, F1.7 aperture, 77-degree Field-Of-View, Dual PD autofocus, OIS, EIS)+ 16 MP Telephoto lens (with 1μm pixel size, F2.4 aperture) with LED flash, Spectral + flicker sensor, 4K video recording up to 30 fps, and HD 720p up to 240 fps.

On the front, it houses an 8MP autofocus camera with 1.22μm pixel size, F2.0 aperture, 90-degree FOV, full HD (1080p) at 30fps video recording. The company also added that the Pixel 4 series comes with dedicated Pixel Neural Core for enhancing photo quality. It enables the device to support Super Resolution Zoom and also improve Night Sight feature to capture the night sky with stars and Moon clearly than any other phone in the market.

Last but not least, the Motion Sense feature, which makes the Pixel 4 series the most unique phone in the market. It is powered by the Soli radar chip developed by Google's research team.

"For the past five years, our Advanced Technology and Projects team (ATAP) has been working on Soli, a motion-sensing radar. Radar, of course, is the same technology that has been used for decades to detect planes and other large objects. We've developed a miniature version located at the top of Pixel 4 that senses small motions around the phone, combining unique software algorithms with the advanced hardware sensor, so it can recognize gestures and detect when you’re nearby," Google said.

With this, Google Pixel 4 can detect hand gestures to skip songs, snooze alarms, and silence phone calls. These capabilities are just the start, and the company claims the Pixel phone's Motion Sense will get better over time.

Furthermore, Soli radar chip also enables the Face ID to work in all directions, meaning it can detect the human face even in acute angles. Unlike the iPhones, which the sensors need to be focused on the face in a straight line.

Here's why Pixel 4 series won't be coming to India

Google hasn't explicitly given a reason why it is not releasing Pixel 4 in India, but reports are indicating that the Soli Radar chip's frequency range is the major factor.

The Soli Radar chip-powered Motion Sense feature works only on 60GHz mmWave frequency, which by the way is locked for the Indian military and government science projects. So, it is not open for civilian use and this is why the Pixel 4 series won't be made available in India. In other markets like the US and select regions of Europe and Asia, this frequency is not locked by the government agencies.

For now, people can pre-order a Pixel 4 for $799 and the Pixel 4 XL for $899, in the US and select global markets, and the phones will ship on October 24. The Pixel 4 comes in three colors, including Clearly White, Just Black, and a limited edition, Oh So Orange.

Word on the street is that Google might soon bring the low-end Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4a XL models without the Soli radar chip in India.

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