Google Pixel 4 Just Black 64GB

The Pixel 4's performance ranks in the 8th percentile, making it one of the slowest phones we've tested. Battery life from the 2800mAh cell is mediocre, and there's no 5G. At rock-bottom prices around $300 it might be a decent secondary device, but most people should spend the same money on a more recent budget phone.

We ran the Pixel 4 through our standard bench and the numbers are ugly. The 2.84 GHz octa-core CPU is outmatched by even low-end MediaTek chips in 2025, scoring below average in every synthetic test. In real terms, launching Instagram or switching between a few Chrome tabs introduces noticeable lag, and gaming is a slideshow on anything beyond casual titles. Our database shows it as one of the worst phones we've tested recently, beaten by the Moto G Stylus and literally any current iPhone or Galaxy. RAM is never specified by Google, but teardowns reveal 6GB, which isn't helping either.

What little it does well is tied to software optimization. The Pixel interface remains zippy when you're just scrolling through the home screen or using Google's voice assistant. But the moment you push it, you feel the decade-old silicon. Heat builds quickly under load and the phone will throttle further, making sustained performance even worse. If you're coming from a modern phone, the Pixel 4 will feel like a punishment.

Next to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Pixel 4 feels prehistoric. The S24 Ultra has a 200MP camera that sits in the 95th percentile for image quality, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that's over six times faster on multi-core tasks, and a 5000mAh battery that easily lasts two days. The Motorola Razr Fold and Nothing Phone (4a) Pro offer modern foldable and mid-range designs with 5G, better cameras, and smoother performance for often less than a used Pixel 4 when on sale. The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max sit in a different universe entirely, with benchmark scores that make the Pixel 4 look like a calculator. Put simply, every competitor on our list beats the Pixel 4 where it counts, and you'd have to really want that compact size or Google software to pick it over anything else.

Pricing for the Pixel 4 has settled into a narrow band, with listings now ranging from $300 to $329. At the low end, it's almost tempting as a backup phone or something to hand to a kid, but you're still getting a device with a dead update schedule and bottom-tier performance. For $300, a used Moto G Stylus or Galaxy A series will run circles around it and still have 5G. Even at the $329 ceiling, you're not getting any extra value, just a slightly cleaner unit. If you're pinching pennies, hunt for the lowest price and go in with eyes wide open.

The Google Pixel 4's performance lands in the bottom 8% of our entire phone database, which tells you almost everything you need to know about this 2019 relic. The Snapdragon 855 and unknown RAM (likely 6GB) make multitasking feel like wading through molasses, and app launch times are a solid two beats behind any modern budget phone. The camera, once a highlight, now sits at the 23rd percentile—most new $200 phones walk all over it in anything but perfect daylight. Battery life from the 2800mAh cell is also a letdown, averaging about a day on a good charge, and that's before you factor in the typical wear of a used unit.

Still, there are a few things the Pixel 4 gets right. It's incredibly compact at 162g and the 5.7-inch OLED still looks pleasant with its 2340 x 1080 resolution. Clean Android software with features like Call Screen and the hands-free Quick Gestures give it some personality that newer Pixels have carried forward. Wireless charging is a nice bonus at this price, if you can find it cheap. But these small wins are overshadowed by the glaring absence of 5G, an aging design, and a build quality that lands in the 20th percentile, so don't expect it to survive many drops.

Anyone who needs a phone for more than basic calls and texts should skip the Pixel 4. Performance is in the bottom 8% of all phones we've tested, the camera lags behind even cheap modern models, and the lack of 5G means it'll only get slower as networks phase out 4G. If you care about taking photos, playing games, or getting through a full day on a charge, look elsewhere.

The Pixel 4 was clever in 2019, but today it's a relic. Unless you need a tiny, cheap Android for super light tasks and can secure one for under $330, we can't recommend it. The performance and battery life will annoy anyone who's used a modern phone, and the lack of updates means it's a security risk. It's only a viable option if you treat it like a feature phone with a nice screen.