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

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.

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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…