Google Pixel 5a

 

The Google Pixel 5a is finally here, and it’s… a lot like the Google Pixel 4a 5G that came before it, in both looks and internal specs. There are a few upgrades this time around, but it feels like the slightest refresh of last year’s model.

All in all, the Pixel 5a is like a slightly watered-down version of the Google Pixel 5 (or a beefed-up version of the Pixel 4a 5G, take your pick) with a bigger display, bigger battery, and better build quality. Sure, it’s missing a few major features of the Pixel 5 — including wireless charging and a high-refresh-rate display — but you still get a lot for what you’ll spend.

Design

The Google Pixel 5a 5G follows a very similar design to the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 rather than offering a redesign like the Pixel 6 devices. The means you have a familiar body shape with a square camera array top left on the rear and a rear fingerprint scanner.

The new phone looks nearly identical to the old; technically, it’s slightly taller and slightly narrower, and slightly thicker, but nobody would be able to tell the difference between the models aside from the aforementioned new color and the Pixel 5a’s gray, ridged lock button (the 4a 5G only comes in a solid black color with a flat gray lock button).

An interesting and premium addition is the IP67 waterproofing, which is less common on mid-range devices, so that certainly adds appeal to the Pixel 5a 5G offering. There's also a 3.5mm headphone socket.

Display

The Google Pixel 5a packs a 6.34-inch Full HD Plus (2400 x 1080) OLED display, which is pretty identical to, although slightly larger than, the one on the Pixel 4a 5G (6.2-inch, 2340 x 1080). The full-HD OLED screen on the Pixel 5a is vibrant and bright. It’s not the most impressive panel we’ve ever seen, but it’s very good all the same, especially at this price.

It doesn’t have the faster refresh rates (beyond 60Hz) of some speedier phones, but it's not a particular weakness since few mid-range handsets have 90Hz or 120hz displays.

However it's still an OLED display, so you can expect that rich coloration to make all your content look good. There's a punch hole for the front cameras, as on the other recent Pixel devices.

Camera

Google Pixel 5a 5G on the rear packs a 12.2-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.7 aperture and a 16-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The rear camera setup has autofocus. It sports an 8-megapixel camera on the front for selfies with an f/2.0 aperture.

There’s no telephoto lens (the main camera is capable of up to 7x digital zoom), but aside from that, the Pixel 5a’s camera setup is as good as its predecessor’s 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, in even complete darkness you can capture decently-lit images without much noise. The Pixel 5a keeps its predecessor’s crown as one of the most affordable phones with a great night camera out there.

The Pixel camera is popular and the 5a 5G will be no different, because it offers all those great features you expect from a Pixel, like Night Sight. The best thing about these cameras is you point, shoot, and get a decent result. 

This phone costs $449, but you’re going to get photos that look like they came from something much more expensive than that.

Specs and performance

Google Pixel 5a 5G is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. It comes with 6GB of RAM. The Google Pixel 5a 5G runs Android 11 and is powered by a 4680mAh battery. The Google Pixel 5a 5G supports proprietary fast charging. There is 128GB of storage, so overall, the performance is essentially going to be the same as the existing devices - except this model is cheaper than both.

The 765G isn’t a bad chip and it’s an improvement over the Pixel 4a’s Snapdragon 730G system-on-chip. But the Snapdragon 765G is not going to hold up well against the A13 Bionic in the iPhone SE. Apple’s silicon magic makes the $399 iPhone SE a little powerhouse that even the best Android phones struggle to match. At $449, though, the Pixel 5a is about as powerful as Android devices in this price category get.

However, in day-to-day tasks, this phone flies. Android 11 on the Pixel 5a feels buttery smooth, even with a display locked at 60Hz. Outside of gaming, this phone does slow down, whether I was rapidly scrolling on a big web page, switching between several apps and games on the fly, or taking multiple photos quickly.

Price

Google Pixel 5a 5G is priced at $449 for the sole 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model that is offered in a single color called Mostly Black. It is available for pre-order in the US and Japan, the only two countries where it will be sold. The phone will go on sale starting August 26.

For comparison, the Pixel 4a 5G is priced at $499 making the newer improved model $50 cheaper.