Google Pixel 5a Review, Price, Specs, Camera, Battery, Colors, Design, Display, Performance
Few improvements but still a solid mid-range camera phone
Google Pixel 5a Full Blog Review
- Google Pixel 5a Review
- Google Pixel 5a Price
- Google Pixel 5a Display
- Google Pixel 5a Camera
- Google Pixel 5a Specs
- Google Pixel 5a Performance
- Google Pixel 5a Battery
- Google Pixel 5a Camera
- Google Pixel 5a Design
The Google Pixel 5a isn't much different than its predecessor aside from a bigger battery and ratings for water and dust resistance, which make it a tremendous upgrade, but still a solid mid-range phone with great cameras. If you don't mind going without the Pixel 5's zoom camera, this is a good option.
GOOD
- Great cameras and software
- Good specs for the price
- Big battery
BAD
- Few improvements over the predecessor
- No zoom camera
- Low-powered in-box battery charger
Google Pixel 5a Review
The Google Pixel 5a is finally here, and it's… like the Google Pixel 4a 5G that came before it, both in looks and internal specs. There are a few upgrades this time around, but it feels like a slight refresh of last year's model.
At least the Pixel 5a price hasn't increased from the 4a 5G, and for owners of last year's Google Pixel 4a (without 5G) - and even more so if you have an older Pixel phone - there's plenty to pick from. There are reasons. New Pixel 5a. This is a great mid-range phone at a reasonable price.
The Pixel 5a has the same Snapdragon 765G chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage as the Pixel 4a 5G, so no progress has been made in its specs. The Pixel 5a also has the same cameras as its predecessor: a 12MP main camera and a 16MP ultra-wide shooter on the back, along with an 8MP front-facing camera.
What's different? Battery, for one: The Pixel 5a has more capacity (4,680mAh) than the Pixel 4a (3,140mAh) or Pixel 4a 5G (4,080mAh) in the power pack. The phone is also slightly larger, with a 6.34-inch Full HD Plus OLED display (compared to the 4a 5G's 6.2-inch screen), and - for Google's cheaper 'a'-series phones - it holds dust and water. -Resistant rating (IP67, so your phone will be safely submerged in one meter of water for 30 minutes).
In short, the phone brings some improvements over its predecessor, but it is still one of the best mid-range devices you can buy. It's unlikely to impress anyone who's looking for true innovation, but Google is probably holding back the big upgrade for the upcoming Tensor chipset-powered Google Pixel 6 later this year.
Google Pixel 5a Price and Release date
Google Pixel 5a was launched on August 17, 2021, and is available for pre-order now, while the release date of Google Pixel 5a will be August 26 in the US and Japan. At the moment there is no reason to think that this phone will be coming to the UK or Australia.
The phone comes in a single configuration - 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage - and costs $449 (about £325 / AU$610).
It's actually a little cheaper than the $499 / £499 / AU$799 price of the Google Pixel 4a 5G. And given that we've been hearing rumors that the Google Pixel 6 will be a more premium phone, you might not find the company's next flagship as cheap as the Google Pixel 5's $699 / £599 / AU$999 - Which means the Pixel 5a may fade in comparison when it launches.
The Pixel 5a comes in a single color: mostly black, with a 'forest green undertone' as the promotional material describes it - and that's a pretty accurate description, with green only emitting under certain lighting.
Google Pixel 5a Design
If you're thinking that the design of the Google Pixel 5a hasn't changed from the Google Pixel 4a, you'd be mostly right. The new phone looks almost the same as the old one; Technically, it's a little taller and a little narrower, and a little thicker, but no difference between the models other than the aforementioned new color and the Pixel 5a's gray, ridged lock button (the 4a 5G only comes in a solid black). Won't be able to tell. color with a flat gray lock button).
The phone has a punch-hole in the top-left corner with a glass front. The back is a matte-textured plastic that wraps around the sides, top and bottom. It feels fine to the touch - not cheap but not premium either, with a simple style that hasn't changed since the Pixel 3a. On the back, the glossy glass-covered camera block at the top-left stands out, and there's a circular indent in the back-center for the fingerprint sensor, which is a bit deeper than the Pixel 4a 5G's - otherwise, both aspects are available from last year. Feels similar to a phone.
On the right is the lock button above, with a volume rocker below it. There's a SIM slot down the left side, while the top of the phone houses the microphone on the right and the 3.5mm headphone jack on the left - just like where they are on the Pixel 4a. The USB-C port is in the middle at the bottom, with speaker grills on either side.
For the first time in an A-series phone, the Pixel 5a has dust and water resistance with an IP67 rating, which means it can stay submerged in a meter of water for up to half an hour. It's a small improvement but will reassure those who are concerned about resistance to the elements.
Google Pixel 5a Display
The Google Pixel 5a features a 6.34-inch Full HD Plus (2400 x 1080) OLED display, which is quite a bit larger than the Pixel 4a 5G (6.2-inch, 2340 x 1080).
The display is bright and vibrant, and it's good for watching media and playing games. It doesn't have the fast refresh rates (over 60Hz) of some of the faster phones, but since some mid-range handsets have 90Hz or 120Hz displays, this isn't a particular weakness.
The display has the aforementioned punch-hole in the top-left corner, which is slightly smaller than that of the Pixel 4a 5G, although the noticeable but minimal bezels around the display remain more or less unchanged.
Google Pixel 5a Camera
The Pixel 5a has the same cameras as the Pixel 4a 5G: a 12.2MP f/1.7 dual-pixel main camera with autofocus and optical and electronic image stabilization, and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera.
There's no telephoto lens (the main camera is capable of up to 7x digital zoom), but other than that, the Pixel 5a's camera setup is as good as its predecessor and the rest of the Pixel line, taking shots that have stunning clarity and realistic colors. And thanks to Google's Near-Magic photo software, even in complete darkness, you can capture decently-lit images without much noise. The Pixel 5a keeps the crown of its predecessor as one of the most affordable phones with a great night camera.
There's also an 8MP selfie camera, which takes pictures quite detailed for a front-facing camera, possibly also thanks to Google's exemplary image software.
Google Pixel 5a Specs and Performance
The Pixel 5a has respectable specs, led by last year's Snapdragon 765G chipset - although it's the same silicon that powered the Google Pixel 5 and Google Pixel 4a 5G. In other words, it can't rival flagship phones with the latest Snapdragon 888 chipset, but with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, you'll have no trouble browsing, playing games, watching videos, and more.
The Pixel 5a runs Android 11 out of the box, and as a Google phone, it has the most limited bloatware you'll find on any Android phone — just the suite of Google apps, as you'd expect. This makes the phone clean and easy to use, without any frills. Best of all, like the Pixel phones, the Pixel 5a will be one of the first phones to receive Android 12, which is expected to arrive in September or October.
The phone has sub-6 5G connectivity, and that is – there's no mmWave 5G capability, unlike some versions of the Pixel 4a 5G. This won't affect many consumers outside the US, and only Verizon and T-Mobile customers will be affected, although they will still get higher speeds on each carrier's sub-6 5G network – not just the blindingly-fast mmWave theoretical. Practically (but not always practically) capable.
Google Pixel 5a Battery
One of the most noticeable improvements in the Pixel 5a is its 4,680mAh battery, which has a much larger capacity than the batteries on the Pixel 4a 5G (3,885mAh) and Pixel 4a (3,140mAh). Larger capacity usually translates into longer battery life, and the same is true here.
In practice, the Pixel 5a lasted more than a day. Gaming or watching media drains the battery at a typical rate for a phone - playing a 10-minute match of the Wild Rift drains 4% of the charge, while a 30-minute Netflix show consumes just 3%.
The phone comes with an 18W fast charging adapter in the box, which isn't particularly impressive, recharging 33% in 30 minutes - this may be less of a problem considering the large capacity, but it's still the most affordable of the phones. There is no fast charging. a long shot. Like its predecessor, the Pixel 5a doesn't offer wireless charging, let alone reverse wireless charging.
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