Google unveils the new Pixel 4 smartphone

Google's latest smartphone responds to more than just touch and audio commands.

The company unveiled its next-generation smartphone, the Pixel 4, at a big product launch event in New York on Tuesday. The device, which comes in standard and XL sizes, features a Soli radar chip to enable more secure, faster facial recognition and gesture controls. With the new phone, for example, you can wave to an image of Pikachu and have it wave back, CNN reports.

The Pixel 4 also trades in its one rear camera for two -- a move in line with most smartphones on the market but still one short of the iPhone 11 Pro's three rear-camera offering. The cameras are tucked into a square-like fixture on the top left of the device, closely resembling Apple (AAPL)'s new camera structure. And it features a new auto-transcribing app that uses artificial intelligence to translate audio into text in near real-time.

The phone starts at $799, or $100 more than the baseline iPhone 11 model. It ships October 24.