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One of the biggest differences between the 4a and the older 4 and 4 XL is that the 4a has a rear fingerprint reader, whereas the 4 and 4 XL want you to use face

One of the biggest differences between the 4a and the older 4 and 4 XL is that the 4a has a rear fingerprint reader, whereas the 4 and 4 XL want you to use face unlock. So strange that this isn't emphasized (or even mentioned) on the comparison page. This was actually the primary thing that kept me on a Pixel 2 for so long, since it also has a similar rear fingerprint sensor design (and I just pre-ordered the Pixel 4a today). I can't be the only one who greatly prefers a rear fingerprint sensor to face unlock, especially in our new world order with widespread mask wearing -- but, even before! It's so much faster and less finicky. (The new model's fingerprint sensor is also so subtle on the chassis on the phone that you can just barely make it out in the photograph of the phone's back shown on the comparison page. But if you squint, you'll see it. It's also discussed in many of the reviews.)

utopcell 6y ago
Pixel 3 also has a fingerprint reader in the back.
- tracker1 6y ago
  While that's fair, very few people are (nor should they) swapping out their devices every year.
  - dgacmu 6y ago
    I agree, but in this case, the delays in releasing the 4a mean that the pixel 3 was released 22 months ago. (Mine is starting to die, between a bad screen crack and a battery that dies by 2pm.)
dangus 6y ago
I recently went back to an iPhone 6s while my iPhone XS was in for repairs. Boy, did I miss FaceID (though some of the pain was also due to the change in certain key combinations and gestures between home button and notch iPhones, I had to go back in time and re-learn some old habits). Why did I miss it? Because FaceID will unlock the notification area and its associated actions before I perform any action or even touch the phone. Let’s say I get a text, my phone is on the night stand. I just look at it and it already unlocks, no reaching. It lets you skip a step and start interacting with the screen before the phone has unlocked. Perhaps less of a big deal with the back-mounted fingerprint sensor, in that case I could interact with the thumb simultaneous to unlocking the back. Using password managers was another big one. Instead of tapping the auto fill button, then tapping the fingerprint sensor, it was all one click. Opening bank apps, same thing. FaceID is always one less finger motion. Mask wearing has thrown a wrench into it but Apple has added logic to quickly bring up the pin pad when it detects a face mask. Also, sometimes it seems to learn my masked face, but that’s less reliable. I don’t know how this compares to Pixel face unlocking at all, admittedly. And I never understood why Apple didn’t use the rear mounted fingerprint sensor. But I do understand why they think the benefits of face unlocking outweigh the drawbacks. Some examples not related to the action of unlocking: when your alarm goes off, the noise gets quiet when you look at the phone. Also, the screen won’t time out and turn off while your eyes are looking at it.
- pixelmonkey 6y ago
  The nice part of rear fingerprint sensor is that it's super natural to grab your phone out of your pocket and unlock it in one simple (blind) motion. So you are quite literally never waiting for the phone to unlock, it's always unlocked by the time you lift it from your pocket.
  - dangus 6y ago
    So, as my original comment pointed out, the two “unlock” phases are: 1. Phone standby to phone on (as you describe) 2. In-phone software actions, typically, password manager or locked/private apps (banking, etc) For case #2, I greatly prefer FaceID. For case #1, it’s a toss up for me.
    - pixelmonkey 6y ago
      Oh, I see. But I suppose on a Pixel 4a you could configure both face unlock and the fingerprint scanner and thus get best of both worlds. I personally don't find touching the scanner to be a nuisance for case #2 since its location on a Pixel 2 or 4a's chassis is such that you can do it without fiddling with how you hold your phone (your index finger tends to be near the scanner during phone use, whether one- or two-handed, anyway).
    - jessriedel 6y ago
      Ok, but interactions of type #2 are probably a hundred time rarer. Personally, I rather like that I have to actively decide to authorize the use of a password.
      - panpanna 6y ago
        Yeah, #2 could probably be abused by a malicious app.
- ksec 6y ago
  My Opinion is that I want that "One More" Action. It tells / reminds me that I am doing something which requires authentication. And that is with my Touch ID.
caymanjim 6y ago
I didn't know they'd removed the fingerprint sensor. I have a Pixel 2 and I'm happy with it. I don't have any compelling reason to upgrade, except that the screen has a small crack. I would have been disappointed if I'd splurged on a new one and had to use facial recognition to unlock it. I don't like having cameras on me. It's unsettling to interact with my devices that way. I also find that the ones I have used don't work as quickly or reliably as a fingerprint. The fingerprint motion is automatic as I pull it out of my pocket, and the majority of the time I'm glancing down at my hip to check for notifications; something like that wouldn't even work with facial recognition. Now I'm definitely holding out to see what the 5 has, because if I can get 5G connectivity, I'm willing to switch, but I won't be jumping at it if there's no fingerprint sensor.
- jackson1442 6y ago
  They'll also be producing a 4a with 5G connectivity, so there's always that option.
PascLeRasc 6y ago
Same with the new iPhone SE. It's a front fingerprint reader, but it still felt like a big usability upgrade from the XS I had before. It's so easy to take your phone out and already have it unlocked, or even activate Apple Pay without looking. I'm sure the Pixel's fingerprint reader is the same story. Face ID was incredibly inconvenient when I was driving with someone else and they wanted to change the music playing on my phone, but with a fingerprint reader I don't have to take my eyes off the road.
on_and_off 6y ago
I have a pixel 2 and a pixel 4xl (don't judge me, I am a mobile dev ). Face unlock is pretty nice ... unless you are wearing a mask. Very infuriating to type my long password then. On the other side of the coin, fingerprint sensor is kind of neat (well I made a deep cut on my index yesterday so there are also situations where it fails haha). I wish there were both front and back sensors though. In the screen itself for the front one, otherwise the chin would get comically large. Also when I am baking, I just want to use face unlock. Ideally we would have both (or something better than both I guess)
boring_twenties 6y ago
Relevant username... Face unlock is complete BS, no disagreement there. However... has anyone actually looked into how secure those phone fingerprint readers are? Could very well be that the reason they're pushing face unlock so hard is they know their fingerprint tech is even worse.
- mandelbrotwurst 6y ago
  I'm not sure which ones you mean by "those", but there have definitely been issues with phone fingerprint readers in general, e.g. when Samsung's Galaxy S10 would allow any fingerprint to unlock the phone when it had a screen protector on it (https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50080586 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50080586).
  - boring_twenties 6y ago
    That would definitely qualify as a those. And that is much worse than I expected. Recent phones I've had come close to mitigating lesser concerns for me, but decide to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the last minute. Basically, if the password has not been entered in X time, then you must enter the password to unlock, fingerprint not accepted. Perfect. Except instead of letting me set X to my preferred interval (30 minutes), it seems to be hardcoded to 3 days.
- alpaca128 6y ago
  A fingerprint sensor is more secure than "swipe to unlock". And that already makes it a great feature for the many consumers who don't want to enter a pin or password every time.
robocat 6y ago
Fingerprint totally fails me on Nexus 5X if I have been working in garden: abrasion, small cuts or dirt prevents the recognition of either of my index fingers. (Temporary using old phone because broke newer phone).
Pxtl 6y ago
I'm suspicious of fingerprint readers since they seem another point of failure. I'm on a moto z play that seems to have silently forgotten its fingerprint reader exists.
- sullyj3 6y ago
  The fingerprint reader on my Pixel 2 XL is still going strong.
eloisant 6y ago
It's not just "they want you to use face unlock", but it has the hardware to a a secure face unlock (with a 3D scan) just like the iPhone. Nothing like OnePlus' face unlock that just uses the selfie camera. Except during this pandemic where you have to wear a mask everywhere, I actually like face unlock. It's even more seamless than the finger print reader.

utopcell 6y ago

Pixel 3 also has a fingerprint reader in the back.

tracker1 6y ago
While that's fair, very few people are (nor should they) swapping out their devices every year.
- dgacmu 6y ago
  I agree, but in this case, the delays in releasing the 4a mean that the pixel 3 was released 22 months ago. (Mine is starting to die, between a bad screen crack and a battery that dies by 2pm.)

dangus 6y ago

I recently went back to an iPhone 6s while my iPhone XS was in for repairs. Boy, did I miss FaceID (though some of the pain was also due to the change in certain key combinations and gestures between home button and notch iPhones, I had to go back in time and re-learn some old habits). Why did I miss it? Because FaceID will unlock the notification area and its associated actions before I perform any action or even touch the phone. Let’s say I get a text, my phone is on the night stand. I just look at it and it already unlocks, no reaching. It lets you skip a step and start interacting with the screen before the phone has unlocked. Perhaps less of a big deal with the back-mounted fingerprint sensor, in that case I could interact with the thumb simultaneous to unlocking the back. Using password managers was another big one. Instead of tapping the auto fill button, then tapping the fingerprint sensor, it was all one click. Opening bank apps, same thing. FaceID is always one less finger motion. Mask wearing has thrown a wrench into it but Apple has added logic to quickly bring up the pin pad when it detects a face mask. Also, sometimes it seems to learn my masked face, but that’s less reliable. I don’t know how this compares to Pixel face unlocking at all, admittedly. And I never understood why Apple didn’t use the rear mounted fingerprint sensor. But I do understand why they think the benefits of face unlocking outweigh the drawbacks. Some examples not related to the action of unlocking: when your alarm goes off, the noise gets quiet when you look at the phone. Also, the screen won’t time out and turn off while your eyes are looking at it.

pixelmonkey 6y ago
The nice part of rear fingerprint sensor is that it's super natural to grab your phone out of your pocket and unlock it in one simple (blind) motion. So you are quite literally never waiting for the phone to unlock, it's always unlocked by the time you lift it from your pocket.
- dangus 6y ago
  So, as my original comment pointed out, the two “unlock” phases are: 1. Phone standby to phone on (as you describe) 2. In-phone software actions, typically, password manager or locked/private apps (banking, etc) For case #2, I greatly prefer FaceID. For case #1, it’s a toss up for me.
  - pixelmonkey 6y ago
    Oh, I see. But I suppose on a Pixel 4a you could configure both face unlock and the fingerprint scanner and thus get best of both worlds. I personally don't find touching the scanner to be a nuisance for case #2 since its location on a Pixel 2 or 4a's chassis is such that you can do it without fiddling with how you hold your phone (your index finger tends to be near the scanner during phone use, whether one- or two-handed, anyway).
  - jessriedel 6y ago
    Ok, but interactions of type #2 are probably a hundred time rarer. Personally, I rather like that I have to actively decide to authorize the use of a password.
    - panpanna 6y ago
      Yeah, #2 could probably be abused by a malicious app.
ksec 6y ago
My Opinion is that I want that "One More" Action. It tells / reminds me that I am doing something which requires authentication. And that is with my Touch ID.

caymanjim 6y ago

I didn't know they'd removed the fingerprint sensor. I have a Pixel 2 and I'm happy with it. I don't have any compelling reason to upgrade, except that the screen has a small crack. I would have been disappointed if I'd splurged on a new one and had to use facial recognition to unlock it. I don't like having cameras on me. It's unsettling to interact with my devices that way. I also find that the ones I have used don't work as quickly or reliably as a fingerprint. The fingerprint motion is automatic as I pull it out of my pocket, and the majority of the time I'm glancing down at my hip to check for notifications; something like that wouldn't even work with facial recognition. Now I'm definitely holding out to see what the 5 has, because if I can get 5G connectivity, I'm willing to switch, but I won't be jumping at it if there's no fingerprint sensor.

jackson1442 6y ago
They'll also be producing a 4a with 5G connectivity, so there's always that option.

PascLeRasc 6y ago

Same with the new iPhone SE. It's a front fingerprint reader, but it still felt like a big usability upgrade from the XS I had before. It's so easy to take your phone out and already have it unlocked, or even activate Apple Pay without looking. I'm sure the Pixel's fingerprint reader is the same story. Face ID was incredibly inconvenient when I was driving with someone else and they wanted to change the music playing on my phone, but with a fingerprint reader I don't have to take my eyes off the road.

on_and_off 6y ago

I have a pixel 2 and a pixel 4xl (don't judge me, I am a mobile dev ). Face unlock is pretty nice ... unless you are wearing a mask. Very infuriating to type my long password then. On the other side of the coin, fingerprint sensor is kind of neat (well I made a deep cut on my index yesterday so there are also situations where it fails haha). I wish there were both front and back sensors though. In the screen itself for the front one, otherwise the chin would get comically large. Also when I am baking, I just want to use face unlock. Ideally we would have both (or something better than both I guess)

boring_twenties 6y ago

Relevant username... Face unlock is complete BS, no disagreement there. However... has anyone actually looked into how secure those phone fingerprint readers are? Could very well be that the reason they're pushing face unlock so hard is they know their fingerprint tech is even worse.

mandelbrotwurst 6y ago
I'm not sure which ones you mean by "those", but there have definitely been issues with phone fingerprint readers in general, e.g. when Samsung's Galaxy S10 would allow any fingerprint to unlock the phone when it had a screen protector on it (https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50080586 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-50080586).
- boring_twenties 6y ago
  That would definitely qualify as a those. And that is much worse than I expected. Recent phones I've had come close to mitigating lesser concerns for me, but decide to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at the last minute. Basically, if the password has not been entered in X time, then you must enter the password to unlock, fingerprint not accepted. Perfect. Except instead of letting me set X to my preferred interval (30 minutes), it seems to be hardcoded to 3 days.
alpaca128 6y ago
A fingerprint sensor is more secure than "swipe to unlock". And that already makes it a great feature for the many consumers who don't want to enter a pin or password every time.

robocat 6y ago

Fingerprint totally fails me on Nexus 5X if I have been working in garden: abrasion, small cuts or dirt prevents the recognition of either of my index fingers. (Temporary using old phone because broke newer phone).

Pxtl 6y ago

I'm suspicious of fingerprint readers since they seem another point of failure. I'm on a moto z play that seems to have silently forgotten its fingerprint reader exists.

sullyj3 6y ago
The fingerprint reader on my Pixel 2 XL is still going strong.

eloisant 6y ago

It's not just "they want you to use face unlock", but it has the hardware to a a secure face unlock (with a 3D scan) just like the iPhone. Nothing like OnePlus' face unlock that just uses the selfie camera. Except during this pandemic where you have to wear a mask everywhere, I actually like face unlock. It's even more seamless than the finger print reader.