Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL review: Function over form

Annually since 2016, Google has released a pair of flagship Pixel smartphones designed to showcase the very best of Android. This year was like any other with the debut of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, which ship running Android 10. But what's unusual this time around is that the newest duo's hardware is perhaps just as compelling as their software. Gone is the two-tone rear cover that featured prominently on the original Pixel, Pixel 2, and Pixel 3 series, replaced with polished and grippy Corning Gorilla Glass 5. It's easier to grasp ahold of than that of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, and it's more resistant to oily fingers and pocket lint. The Pixel 4 series is IP68 certified to withstand up to five feet of water for half an hour, which puts it on par with the outgoing Pixel 3 series. But both the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL are a good deal heavier than the Pixel 3 (5.71 The Pixel 4 series' frame is coated with a soft-touch material that's jet black on all three of the colorways -- Clearly White, Just Black, and the limited edition Oh So Orange. The haptics, which Google characterizes as "sharp and textured," feel great.