Google Pixel 4a 5G & Pixel 5: The Review After The Review

So the competition for great smartphone cameras is getting really close. Usually, this was an area that Google’s Pixel line defeated everyone w/ ease. Nowadays, everyone else is getting better or even matching their abilities, the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 have had their work cut out for them.

Mind you, the most recent Pixels are pretty similar but do have some notable differences between the 2. Both offer OLED panels, 5G support, good storage, good cameras, and more. But after a few months w/ both devices & the return of I/O after taking a year off, let’s talk about the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5.

Both Pixels offer OLED HDR displays w/ 1080 x 2340 resolution. The Pixel 4a 5G has a 6.2inch panel & the Pixel 5 has a 6inch one. The Pixel 5 has a nice addition of a variable 90Hz refresh rate to it. Which is a nice touch but the rest of the industry jumped to 120Hz & beyond. As far as the display itself, its you’re typical Google fanfare. Its a good panel that will output gaming, media, & your everyday stuff to make it look good. But doesn’t handle well in direct sunlight and doesn’t get as bright as I would like to it be.

Google reverts back to simplicity & minimalism for their design language & feature set.

The hardware on the Pixel 4a 5G offers a smooth plastic shell while the Pixel 5 has a textured plastic material w/ an aluminum frame. Both Pixels are really not really heavy w/ a good weight although the Pixel 5 feels a bit heftier but the 4a 5G is more so on paper. However, the Pixel 5 offers a little bit more protection thanks to its IP68 dust/water-resistant body. Still not a fan of the downgrade here from previous Pixels are its stereo speakers. Gone are the dual front-facing ones as now you got a bottom firing one and one behind the glass which isn’t the best. But I use Bluetooth earbuds & headphones so its not a big deal for me.

Pixel 4a 5G:

6.2inch OLED HDR display w/ 1080 x 2340 resolution
6GB of RAM + 3885 mAh battery
3.5mm headphone jack

Pixel 5:

6inch OLED HDR display w/ variable 90Hz refresh rate & 1080 x 2340 resolution
8GB of RAM + 4080 mAh battery w/ 18W fast-charging, 15W wireless, & 5W reverse wireless charging
IP68 dust/water-resistant body

Both:

Snapdragon 765G CPU
128GB of storage
f/1.7 12.2MP dual-pixel sensor w/ OIS + EIS + dual-phase detection auto-focus
f/2.2 16MP ultrawide sensor
f/2.0 8MP selfie camera
Android 11
Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner
Stereo speakers
USB-C

The Snapdragon 765G inside of both of these Pixels work well as giving it above average CPU while still granting them 5G support. While its no Snapdragon 865, its still a great performer. Add 6GB of RAM (Pixel 4a 5G) or 8GB of RAM (Pixel 5) + 128GB of storage and you got great performer that avoids the issues that plagued previous Pixels. Making it a much better device to recommend for multitasking, gaming, streaming media, everyday use, & more w/ ease. However, it does get hot after playing COD Mobile but not to the point of freezing/overheating on my end.

Easily performs better than the last year's Pixels w/ the added RAM now I want to see who it runs a flagship processor.

On the battery side of things, both Pixels give you all-day battery life w/ ease. When I say all-day, I mean 5-6 hours of screen on time which can equate to 12-15 hours w/ medium everyday usage. And this is w/ the Pixel 5 lasting a bit longer BTW. The Pixel 4a 5G is packed w/ a 3885 mAh battery & the Pixel 5 has a 4080 mAh battery inside. Which works as well as the competition but on the charging side of things are on the slower side at 18W wired while everyone else is at 25W (Samsung) & 65W (OnePlus). Not terrible but something worth noting.

If you were looking for a boost in camera ability from last year or previous Pixels, not here. But that’s not a bad thing as its still one of the top smartphone camera for photos. As far as the shooters, Google sticks w/ the same optics of a f/1.7 12.2MP sensor w/ OIS + EIS as well as dual-phase detection auto-focus.

And instead of a telephoto lens again we got what many of have been waiting for: an ultrawide sensor. We got a f/2.2 16MP ultrawide camera and moved the Super Res Zoom abilities to software only as digital zoom which turns out to be a great compromise IMO.

Still great photos as per usual as their video quality gets a little bit better as well.

In regards to its photos, Google does what it does and does it excellent. The shooter son both are just great in damn near any situation – whether daylight, low-light, or night-time. Good color reproduction, the right amount of sharpness, amazing dynamic range, and great HDR quality. The same quality applies to the f/2.0 8MP selfie camera as well. I did miss the speed of the Pixel Visual Core image processor on the 5 though.

On the video side of things where we see some actual improvements, its definitely noticeable. But don’t expect it to leapfrog up to current iPhone status though. However, Google is doing some great things here nonetheless w/ 4K@60fps (but no 24fps though), improved video stabilization, and a new Cinematic Pan feature that meshes slow-motion + stabilization for dramatic scenes but only in 1080p though.

And still one of the shining stars of the Pixel experience is the software. Always set to be one of the 1st to get the latest Android updates. You got monthly security updates along w/ feature drops that gives you new treats instead of waiting for an OS update. The software itself is clean all the way through – even down to the icons.

You got great Pixel-only features like Now Playing for IDing music automatically a la auto-Shazam, AI-powered Call Screening for combating spam calls, Live Caption which is a system-wide closed caption for all media, and their latest Voice Recorder feature that is an AI-powered transcribing feature. All w/ the power of the best smartphone virtual assistant out: Google Assistant. Which is faster on Pixel phones than anywhere else despite it being available everywhere.

Google's minimal Pixel experience still holds up well months later but you now have faster & more capable competition to now consider.

After reviewing/experiencing all of the Pixel smartphones from iteration to current as well as many of the Nexus line, The Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 is what you would expect from Google. Simple. Minimal. Superb photos. Great software. Better battery life. And just a bit more powerful.

We got our Pixels on the later side as I spent a good chunk of time using the 4a 5G for the slightly bigger screen for YouTube & COD Mobile over the 5. Despite the 5 giving us a better battery life. I did miss their short-lived Face Unlock as it worked pretty good but I can never be mad at fast, rear-mounted fingerprint reader either. As well as the larger XL size for flagship Pixel now that we have the Pixel A-line.

I am looking forward to the 2022 Pixel lineup to see what Google will offer this year. Especially w/ reports of Google using their own chipsets. The potential of Pixel smartphones is looking a bit brighter than previously. I do wish Google would be a bit more competitive in their specs moving forward but we shall see.