Google Pixel 4 XL - Just Black - 64GB - Unlocked (Renewed)

My Pixel 4 finally had enough and I needed to replace it. I didn't want to go too crazy - I use the phone for very little. I decided to go with the refurbished Pixel 4 XL (keep in mind, you can easily flash a new ROM to these to get rid of the bloatware and they run quite nicely). This one addresses the only real issue I had with the standard Pixel 4 - the screen was a little too small for my stubby thumbs.Battery life is an improvement (it wasn't a problem with my old phone, but this is still better). With the installation of a custom ROM and the elimination of bloatware, it has the resources I need to do what I want without the need for a newer, far more expensive phone. The camera has also worked well for me (although I don't use it much, it's still nice to be able to take good quality photos and video when the situation calls for it).

I got one renewed and the only two defects are a scratch on the volume rocker and a battery with only 86% capacity according to AccuBattery. Since the batteries aren't cheap or easy to replace that's kind of a bummer but it's enough to last until the next set of Pixels come down in price on the used market. I still get about 5 hours of screen time. Not good but not horrible.There is no fingerprint reader so it's not very convenient with a mask but it's not a huge deal.Battery life is fine but I do have to recharge at least twice a day as a heavy user (I don't let it drop below 25% and I unplug at 90% and I don't charge overnight). Screen is good, the forehead is big but there's no camera cut out. Speakers are good, nice and loud.The camera is amazing and why I keep buying Pixels. It's fast and consistently takes great photos and video but the lens gets filthy almost immediately so I constantly have to wipe it off. Running stock Android is nice and fast too, and Pixels usually get four major OS upgrades so with two under the belt there's two more to go so this phone will last a long time. You'll have to replace the battery before it runs out of official software support.

I typically buy all my electronics brand new because I've been burned in the past, but I decided to take a chance, save a bit of money and purchase a refurbished Pixel 4 Xl. I will *never* be doing that again and I encourage the rest of you to spend the extra few hundred on a new device, for the following reasons.1: The phone arrived with a known Pixel 4 defect where the battery percentage doesn't display any more or less than 50% charge capacity, regardless of what the actual charge level is. The phone was in perfect working order otherwise, so I decided to keep it. The phone lasted a month before crashing and becoming unresponsive to boot commands, both normally and in safe mode.2: Upon contacting the seller via email, they informed me (in broken English) that the phone was still under warranty through Google (I checked and it wasn't) and that I should send it in for replacement. I then had spend $150 out of pocket to order a new battery and pay a third party to do the work, a fix that they admitted "might work, because we don't actually know how to fix your problem".3: After a week of waiting, I got the phone back and it worked just fine, no issues of any kind whatsoever. That was a month ago now and the phone is back to crashing, now at the slightest bump or pressure. Sometimes it will boot right away after the crash, other times it will need to sit on a charger for a bit and think about it's bad behavior before it decides to boot. Either way, it will require additional repair. At this rate, I'll need to buy a burner phone to have on hand for how unreliable this thing is.Moral of the story here? Don't be a cheap POS. The idea of buying a flagship superphone like the Pixel 4 XL for half the original price is appealing, sure, but it simply isn't worth the risk that comes with buying refurbished.

The face recognition works most of the time. There is no fingerprint reader. The battery life is sufficient, it isn't spectacular, but it definitely will get me through the day...so it works great for me. The phone has fast charging included with the wall adapter that comes in the box so it tends to charge quickly if you need to top off the battery through our the day if need be.For the price, this is an amazing phone. It is WAY better than any current entry level or even most mid level devices that are currently for sale.The original price of this phone when released was $899 but I got mine from Amazon for $209.99 and at that price, you CANNOT BEAT THE DEAL .Phone was "renewed" and came in a brown unlabeled box but the device literally looked brand new. Not a single scratch or scuff of any kind. It looked literally like a brand new unused phone. I would definitely buy again. Highly recommend. Shipping was fast too. It said it would take 5-7 days and I got it in 3 days and I just selected the free shipping that said would take longer. Very happy with my purchase.