Pixel 4 vs. Galaxy Note 10: Biggest letdowns and best killer features right now

The Galaxy Note is one of the best phones you can buy right now. Is it time to switch allegiance?

A few weeks ago, I gave the Galaxy Note 10 a CNET Editors’ Choice award, calling it out as one of the best phones for most people. It’s sleek, powerful, has excellent battery life and — while it’s missing a headphone jack and a microSD card slot — the benefits far outweigh the trade-offs, especially for the $950 price. But here comes Google’s Pixel 4 ($800), which ups the ante with impressive camera claims and innovative new motion-control software that helps make the brand-new face unlock feature work.

If you’ll be shopping for a phone before 2019 is out, these two are absolutely in the running, along with the standard and extra-large models (the Note 10 Plus and Pixel 4 XL). 

The Pixel isn’t as stunning to look at as the Note 10, but in many ways, it has an edge on Samsung’s formidable competition. Now that the Pixel 4 will sell across all major US carriers, Google has a chance to get the word out about its less expensive, feature-packed phone.

We’re still testing the Pixel 4, so while we don’t have a final determination yet, we do have a good idea of how these two phones match up.

The Note 10 is far easier on the eye

There’s no way around it: The Pixel 4 looks like a brick compared to the slick Note 10. Google’s phone lacks a fancy design, but compared to the Pixel 3, it’s a major redesign that loses a signature glass panel bisecting the back.

While the matte backing in white, black and orange looks dull alongside the Note 10’s deep, glossy finish, the Pixel 4 is less of a fingerprint magnet without its case. The camera cluster on the back stands out more, but also looks less original, mimicking the iPhone 11 Pro and Huawei Mate 30. 

I’m not a fan of the slightly textured coating along the frame, but if you’re putting a case on your phone anyway, eye candy design matters much less.The Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL embrace that industrial chic look25 PHOTOS

Screen vs. screen: How important is a 90Hz display?

The Note 10’s 6.3-inch display dwarfs the Pixel 4’s 5.7-inch screen, even though it’s slightly thinner. But Google includes a software setting to refresh the screen rate at 90Hz, which makes scrolling, transitions and gaming smoother. This screen feature wouldn’t be a reason to buy the phone, though it might make you like using it a tad better.

A 90Hz refresh rate also is also known to drain the battery faster, but you can always turn this off in the settings, or turn it on again when and if you want it. Some devices, like the ROG Phone II gaming phone and  OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7T, also have a 90Hz screen. Samsung phones don’t — at least not yet.

Pixel 4’s face unlock beats the Note’s in-screen fingerprint scanner

Google’s secure face unlock feature is important because it totally does away with the fingerprint scanner and helps create a momentum around face unlock that hasn’t existed in Android phones. Sure, the Android OS includes face unlock by default, but that flavor of it isn’t secure enough for mobile payments. On the Pixel 4, it is.

Unlocking the Pixel 4 this way is fast and you don’t have to lay a finger on the device to use it, which can take some of the pressure off your digits if you find yourself unlocking the phone scores of times a day. It’s also (so far) more accurate than the Note 10’s in-screen fingerprint reader, which needs you to deliberately place your print on the screen, further gumming up the glass.

Read more: cnet