Interview with Google execs about Project Soli, the tech behind Pixel 4's Motion Sense radar, and why they think gesture-sensing is not just a gimmick
but Apple could still learn something from Google Tweets: @google : #NightSight already helps you take beautiful photos in the dark. Now you can use it for shots of the night sky.🌙✨ Coming to Pixel 3a and Pixel 3 as well as #pixel4. #madebygoogle pic.twitter.com/o4bORnPc6j Sean Byrnes / @sbyrnes : I had gesture sensing on a Motorola Android phone years ago and it was magical. It's not just cool to use, it's very helpful to be able to wake up your phone by waving at it. I still find myself trying to do that today. https://www.theverge.com/... @leostatic : I have been staying loyal to Android and Pixel so far but with Google deciding to skip Pixel 4 launch in India, it's time to switch to iPhone. And once you get sucked into that ecosystem, well, it's a point of no return. 👏 Google. Sigh https://techcrunch.com/... Ali / @themaholupper : Quick notes: 1. Pixel4 images consistently lowering exposure to avoid highlight blowout, iPhone more willing to overexpose them to brighten up image overall 2. iPhone pictures consistently warmer & more saturated than Pixel 3. iPhone detail in SOME instances more than Pixel https://twitter.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
Project Soli has been a long road to shipping silicon: Google first pitched radar-based gesture control for wearables back in 2015, demoed it on a watch and speaker in 2016, and only confirmed it would reach a phone when the Pixel 4's Motion Sense features were detailed in July. With the flagship now at launch, Google executives are doing press specifically to argue the tech is more than a gimmick — a defensive posture that itself signals how skeptical the reception has been.
The timing matters because the Pixel 4 rollout already carries mixed signals, including Google skipping the device's launch in India, so the company needs Motion Sense to land as a genuine differentiator rather than a demo-tray feature.
First-order effects
- Pixel 4 buyers get radar-powered hand gestures — skipping songs, snoozing alarms, waking the screen by waving — making Motion Sense one of the few hardware features unique to Google's flagship versus other Android phones.
Second-order effects
- If Motion Sense reviews come back positive, rival Android OEMs face pressure to source similar radar modules, turning a four-year Google research project into a component category; if reviews call it a gimmick, the execs' defense becomes the story of another gesture interface that failed to stick.
Third-order effects
- The pattern here — sensor tech incubated for wearables, then folded into a flagship phone — points toward phones accumulating always-on ambient sensing beyond the touchscreen, with each added sensor raising both the differentiation stakes and the privacy questions around devices that detect presence and motion continuously.
The trend: Smartphone makers are reaching for novel always-on sensors like radar to differentiate flagships as camera and spec advantages flatten across the market.