Google Pixel 4 XL Vs Samsung Note 10 Plus: Which One to Buy?

Estimated read time 13 min read

In this article, I am comparing the Google Pixel 4 XL with Samsung Note 10 Plus. In the first part of the post is specifications of the both the phones. And after I reviewed both the phones side by side. And if you are in confusion, then this article might help you.

Pixel 4 XLNote 10 Plus
BUY NOWBUY NOW
PROSPROS
90Hz display is butter smooth. Outstanding cameras. Matte glass back. Face unlock is ridiculously fast. Guaranteed software updates.Gorgeous, bezel-free AMOLED display. Four rear cameras. Great battery life. Expandable storage via microSD. S Pen.
CONSCONS
Extremely weak battery life. No expandable storage. Many apps don’t work with face unlock.More expensive. Bad track record for software updates. Display is only 60Hz.

SPECIFICATIONS

NETWORKPIXEL 4 XLIPHONE 11
TechnologyGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTEGSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE
SpeedHSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (5CA) Cat18 1200/150 MbpsHSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 2000/150 Mbps
LAUNCHPIXEL 4 XLIPHONE 11
Announced2019, October2019, August
StatusAvailable. Released 2019, OctoberAvailable. Released 2019, August
BODYPIXEL 4 XLIPHONE 11
Dimensions160.4 x 75.1 x 8.2 mm (6.31 x 2.96 x 0.32 in)162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm (6.39 x 3.04 x 0.31 in)
Weight193 g (6.81 oz)196 g (6.91 oz)
SIMNano-SIM card & eSIMNano-SIM
DISPLAYPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
TypeP-OLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colorsDynamic AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size6.3 inches, 98.0 cm2 (~81.3% screen-to-body ratio)6.8 inches, 114.0 cm2 (~91.0% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~537 ppi density)1440 x 3040 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~498 ppi density)
PLATFORMPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
OSAndroid 10.0Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 10.0; One UI 2
ChipsetQualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855
CPUOcta-core (1×2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.78 GHz Kryo 485)Octa-core (1×2.8 GHz Kryo 485 & 3×2.4 GHz Kryo 485 & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 485)
GPUAdreno 640Adreno 640
MEMORYPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
Card slotNomicroSD, up to 1 TB (dedicated slot)
Internal64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM
MAIN CAMERAPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
Modules12.2 MP, f/1.7, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS

16 MP, f/2.4, 50mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom
12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS

12 MP, f/2.1, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom

16 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm, Super Steady video

0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth)
FeaturesDual-LED flash, Auto-HDR, panoramaLED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video2160p@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS)2160p@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, dual-video rec., stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS
SELFIE CAMERAPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
Modules8 MP, f/2.0, 22mm (wide), 1.22µm, no AF

TOF 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3″, 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
FeaturesAuto-HDRDual video call, Auto-HDR
Video1080p@30fps2160p@30fps
SOUNDPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
LoudspeakerYes, with stereo speakersYes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jackNoNo
COMMUNICATIONPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX
GPSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEOYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFCYesYes
Infrared portNo
USB3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector3.1, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
FEATURESPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
SensorsFace ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometerFingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Samsung DeX (desktop experience support)

ANT+

Bixby natural language commands and dictation
BATTERYPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
BatteryNon-removable Li-Po 3700 mAh batteryNon-removable Li-Ion 4300 mAh battery
MISCPIXEL 4 XLNOTE 10+
ColorsClearly White, Just Black, Oh So OrangeAura Glow, Aura White, Aura Black, Aura Blue

DESIGN

Google Pixel 4 XL:

This design you either love it or you don’t like it at all. I actually think it looks fine. The camera bump does look a little bit goofy. It’s just something that if you want dual cameras you may not like the arrangement but that’s what they’ve chosen to do.

Some people are concerned about the forehead and the chin of the phone, but after about 30 seconds of using it that just goes away and I really don’t care about that.

Google has made some pretty solid phones over the past few years and this is no exception. It’s a little bit different and then it’s glass front and back but it’s got a coating on the back, so it’s kind of rubbery. The sides are aluminum and they have sort of a rubbery feel to them as well. It feels very solid in the hand.

Note 10 Plus:

If there’s ever been a phone to compete with the iPhone XS in fit, finish, and luxury feel its the Note 10. Samsung finally got rid of the extra logos and text on the back casing and brought in some impressive color options.

The verticle camera arrangement looks and functions much better since you can avoid fingerprints while holding it horizontally and the one-sided button arrangement with the ultra-thin contoured frame and hidden earpiece speaker looks and feels top-notch.

DISPLAY

Google Pixel 4 XL:

The display on this has an 6.3 inch OLED with a 90 Hertz refresh rate and that 90 Hertz refresh rate really makes the whole experience super smooth.

When you’re scrolling through everything from the app drawer, may be going through some news on an app, or you’re just using it in general, it’s a great experience. It has good viewing angles and I don’t have any issues with the brightness. But I want to say that if you are in super bright area then you might have issues. Overall, I am pretty happy with the display.

Note 10 Plus:

I love how the curved display is more minimal now which in my experience reduced accidental touches and distracting reflections that plagues the OnePlus 7.

I personally love how boxy this phone is, with smaller curves on the screen corner and the flat top and bottom. Even though I was bummed the display wasn’t 90hz like the Samsung made screen in the 7 Pro, but if the higher refresh rate meant lower brightness and worst HDR than what the Note provides I would definitely take the 60hz compromise. Its gorgeous, especially when viewing 1440P HDR videos.

AUDIO

Google Pixel 4 XL:

Google shifted from dual front-facing speakers to a slightly different setup. The right channel is now a bottom facing speaker while the earpiece doubles as the left channel. They scored an excellent in our loudspeaker tests.

There on another note there’s no headphone jack here and Google didn’t bother to include an adapter or earbuds in the box.

Note 10 Plus:

The speakers are top-notch as well, besting the competition but being slightly worse than the S10 likely because of the hidden earpiece. This $1100 device has no headphone jack and I will recommend you to buy Galaxy Buds.

SOFTWARE & PERFORMANCE

Google Pixel 4 XL:

The phone comes with Android 10 out of the box and the most apparent change is android’s new gesture controls which behave and feel a lot like the iPhones gestures and they’re great.

There’s also the new dark mode that blacks out the entire interface and even some supported apps, so it’s easier on the eye at night.

I do kind of wish there was an option to automatically switch between light and dark modes between day and nighttime like Samsung has it.

I like that now you have more control over which apps are using location and whether they’re allowed to access it in the background. There are also more comprehensive controls over notifications and you can limit the ones that blow up your phone the most.

Android on the pixel is maturing more and more with every new pixel but I feel like other OEM’s are doing an even better job of interpreting Android than Google.

They also seem to be doing better in performance because competitors consistently scored a little better in graphics benchmark tests. That’s not to say performance is bad, it’s very good, but if Google had kept a more consistent 90 Hertz throughout the UI, it might feel as fast as this year’s oneplus phone’s.

Note 10 Plus:

In the US performance is similar to the S10 but in other countries Samsungs updated Exynos 9825 provides slightly better performance and improved battery life.

Speaking of Software I have to mention Dex. It’s now also and App that should be able to link your Note to your PC and allow you to do a bunch of stuff like texting, transferring images, and a bunch more. Its not only limited to windows as it seemed at the launch event but also for Mac’s.

No onto the last bit which is the whole point of the Note, the S-Pen. Samsung has made it even better this year with a bunch of new software features which many people would call gimmicks, but there are definitely worthy updates like handwriting to text recognition. If you love to have powerful pen support with a ton of software features there’s really only one major phone on the market which automatically makes the note 10 a winner. If we compare the Note 10 to the S10 it’s not a massive update but if we look back just a year to the Note 9 it’s impressive how much of a jump Samsung has made in just a single year.

CAMERA

Google Pixel 4 XL:

We finally get a dual camera setup on a pixel but while Samsung and Apple are fitting their phones with ultra-wide cameras, Google instead opted a 2x telephoto.

The camera Hardware this year is a 12.2 megapixel main camera with F/1.7 aperture and the second camera is a 16 megapixel F/2.4 telephoto camera. Both of which are electronically and optically stabilized.

I like the camera square on the back of the pixel. It’s a new look for Google but some will argue that it resembles another certain competitors camera. This year Google has added a few new camera features like Live HDR+ lets you see what the image will look like after HDR processing before you shoot it and honestly this is long overdue. There are also individual exposure sliders for extra control over the look of your shot, so you can individually set shadows and highlights. Finally, there’s a new Astrophotography mode for shooting starry night escapes with very long exposure times.

• Main Camera

In the main camera Google has cleaned up some of the noise, when compared to pixel 3. Colors are true-to-life and white balance leans a little bit cool, as part of the pixel signature high contrast look. In very demanding HDR situations the pixel can sometimes overcompensate in shadows resulting in dull colors and noise.

• Telephoto Camera

The telephoto camera does take really good shots and the exposure, colors, contrast, and the details are all consistent with the main cameras. Although the sensor is 16 megapixels, shots still output in 12.2 MP like the main camera.

• Portrait Mode

Portrait mode has really improved with the main camera. The resulting image is very smooth and convincing. It doesn’t just synthesize a blur around the subject but it shows smooth bokeh with actual depth that may be mistaken for a DSLR.

• Selfie Camera

There’s an 8 megapixel selfie camera with a rather wide 90 degree field of view. The selfies look good with lots of contrast, nice skin tones, great details, and everything in the background is always well exposed.

• Astrophotography

There’s an impressive astrophotography mode that kicks in with nite site enabled, all you need to do is stabilize the phone against something or on a tripod and you’ll see the banner pop up. Shots can take anywhere from 1-4 minutes to finish capturing. I have to admit that the shots I got are quite impressive coming from a smartphone but if you live in a city with a lot of light pollution you need to drive or take a train outside to somewhere with less light. I don’t think many people will actually use or even be able to use this feature.

• Video Mode

Videos shot with the pixel look pretty sweet. Stabilization is on point and you get a similar look to that of still shots. There’s not much noise and even when you switch to 60fps, we didn’t notice a dip in the amount of details.

Note 10 Plus:

Another area that unexpectedly really impressed me were the cameras. Samsung made a big jump from the Note 9 to S10 and it looks like they haven’t stopped since then.

We complained about exposure and white balance inconsistencies, ghosting with HDR, Panoramas, and other issues but most of that seems to have been fixed.

Not only do the images look fantastic but we now have a dedicated night shot button and you can use it with any lens, be it telephoto, ultra-wide, or even front-facing. Something you can’t do with the 7 Pro. You have lens choices for Panoramas and portraits and the defaulted beauty mode is now subtle.

Some of these things have been passed on to the S10 via firmware but not everything. For video Super steady is now better and allows standard lens use and we have life focus video for selfie video even though there’s no depth sensor. It looks fairly poor but this is a good first step for computational video blur. I think this is the best camera system available in any smartphone. It may not be the best in every shot or for every use case, but as a whole this system is a cut above.

SECURITY

Google Pixel 4 XL:

There’s no longer a fingerprint sensor, since Google introduced face unlock. It unlocks almost instantly and motion sends to text when you reach for the phone and fires up face unlock so you can get in quickly. It works fast and reliably but sometimes it’s too quick. It defaults to skip the lock screen as soon as it sees you.

It’s a radar based chip that can detect your presence and with it the phone will wake up when you reach towards it. You can silence alarms and phone calls by giving it a wave.

Note 10 Plus:

The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is inconsistent unlike the 7Pro. It’s usable but not where I’d like to see it. Sometimes it works perfetly, sometimes it’s bit slow, and sometims it takes multiple attempts. And I am hoping, that this issue will be fixed by the software in future. I also want to mention that the faceunlock in Pixel is far better than note 10 plus.

BATTERY

Google Pixel 4 XL:

The pixel 4 XL did okay in the battery endurance tests. It scored 73 hour endurance but with Samsung, Huawei, and even Apple’s flagships, now easily getting over a 1.5 day in real use.

You can probably turn off motion sense and the 90 Hertz display to squeeze some more hours out but this isn’t something we should have to do, and you will not be able to enjoy it’s main feature.

Note 10 Plus:

To power those CPU’s we have a massive 4300 MAH battery which gets about an extra 1.5 hours of screen on time compared to iPhone XS Max and if you need to juice up the Note 10 very impressive.

Wireless charging is now 15 watts but what’s more impressive is the 25W included charger can go from empty to 100% of the huge battery in just over 1 hour. That’s even faster than the proprietary 30-watt warp charger taking 1 hour 25 to charge 7 Pro’s smaller battery. This just shames Apples $1100 XS Max taking 3.5 hours for just 3174 Mah.

WHICH ONE YOU SHOULD BUY?

Both the phones have advantages and disadvantages, but I will say that Google Pixel 4 has more downsides at a price of $900.

I personally love to spend extra $200 to get all the advantages that pixel 4 dosen’t have.

Overall winner is Note 10 Plus. But If you love to click photos or you want to do vlogging with a phone then I will recommend you to buy Google Pixel 4. 

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