Google has officially unveiled the Pixel 5 and we're stunned by what we've seen so far, even though the new smartphone lacks a key feature of the Pixel 4, which is Motion Sense gesture controls. According to Google, this is not gone forever. Speaking to The Verge, Google's chief hardware officer, Rick Osterloh, said that Motion Sense and the Project Soli radar technology that powers it "will be used in the future," so we can start the rumors right away. the Pixel 6. The main reason for the omission of Project Soli and Motion Sense this time around is obvious: cost. Google wanted to hit average pricing with the Pixel 5, which meant sacrificing some of the high-end features of the Pixel 4. We could also see Project Soli appear on other Google devices besides phones; we've already heard noises from a gesture-controlled Nest thermostat that would let you turn the temperature up or down just by shaking it.
Radar power
Project Soli, implemented as Motion Sense in the Pixel 4, lets you control your phone with certain gestures: swipe left or right on the screen to skip forward or backward through a playlist when in a music app , For example. It can also detect how close your hand is to the screen, which means alarms and incoming call alerts get quieter when you pick up the phone. The same detection technology can also wake up the face unlock camera system more quickly. None of these features are available on Google's new phone, but the Pixel 5 starts at $699 / £599 / AU$999, while the Pixel 4 was originally on sale for £799 / £669 / AU€1.049. The Pixel 4 has also been joined by the Pixel 4 XL (starting at $899 / £829 / AU$1,279), though there's no Pixel 5 XL (which is a shame). We'll have to wait and see if Google's mid-range focus for 2020 turns into more sales of its phones, but Project Soli is expected to return at some point.