The Google Pixel 5 is official, and we learned all about the latest flagship phone from the company’s Android maker Night In livestream launch Event.
Google revealed the new Pixel 5 phone along with Google Pixel 4a 5G, Google Nest Audio And the Chromecast with Google TV. It’s worth noting that what hasn’t landed next to it is the Pixel 5 XL, as there is no such phone – Although it should really be there.
The Pixel 5 is an intriguing innovation that is in some ways an upgrade over the Pixel 4 but in other respects it has clearly regressed, like Comparison between Google Pixel 5 and Google Pixel 4 Comparison shows.
Below, we’ll just focus on the new phone and walk you through all the key details we know about the Google Pixel 5 so far, including how much it will cost, what it looks like, and what specs you can expect for your money.
Cut to hunt
- What is Google Pixel 5? Google’s latest flagship smartphone
- When is the exit? October 15
- How much does it cost? $ 699 / £ 599 / AU $ 999
Google Pixel 5 release date and price
The Google Pixel 5 costs $ 699 / £ 599 / AU $ 999. Google has confirmed that the phone is coming to the US, UK and Australia, and you can pre-order it now directly from the Google online store.
Google Pixel 5 will be available in the US and UK on October 15th. The exact release date was not disclosed to other markets.
Google Pixel 5 design and display
The Google Pixel 5 design is what you can see above. The phone comes in two colors with strange names: Sorta Sage (green) and Just Black (black only). The body of the phone is made of recycled aluminum, which is what distinguishes most phones with a glass or plastic back.
The main reason why metal is so rare is that you cannot use wireless charging through metal, yet the Pixel 5 still has that feature because – as explained by that. Daniel Bader Android Central – There is a small hole above the wireless charging coil, coated in resin and coated to match aluminum.
The phone is IPX8 water resistant, which means you can submerge this device in water for up to half an hour. The phone weighs 151 grams, and its dimensions are 144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm.
Pixel 5 comes with a 6-inch HD + display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340, which is 432 pixels per inch. It’s an always-on display and it’s an OLED panel.
Google has included the 90Hz technology here, so the screen refresh rate will be faster than many other devices with smoother scrolling and transitions. However, this is not as good as some high-end phones that feature a refresh rate of 120Hz, while it was recently announced Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro It features a 144Hz refresh rate.
The USB-C port is on the bottom of the phone, but there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack here. The phone also comes with stereo speakers, but there is no 3.5mm audio jack included in the box.
Unlike the Pixel 4, the Pixel 5 comes with a fingerprint scanner. It’s located on the back of the phone, and the company dropped the 3D Face Unlock technology that was present on the top edge of the phone last year.
This allowed Google to shrink the bezel at the top of the phone, but it also means the company dropped its Soli technology as well, so you won’t get that on the Pixel 5.
Google Pixel 5 camera
The camera is where some of the changes are in the Google Pixel 5. It features a 12.2-megapixel dual-pixel camera with a width of 1.4 μm pixels, and there’s also a 16-megapixel ultra-wide shooter.
This replaces the telephoto shooter on last year’s phone, which some might miss, but it is possible that you will enjoy the wide camera more in everyday use.
The company’s amazing Night Sight and Portrait modes are back on the Pixel 5. We found similar cameras in previous phones to work brilliantly in our reviews of those older phones, so we’re hoping for a similar result here.
It’s worth noting that the new Google Pixel 4a 5G appears to have exactly the same camera setup, so if you don’t want to spend too much on this phone, you can always opt for it.
On the front of the phone, you will find an 8MP selfie camera. This appears to be similar to previous Google phones, which we found performed well in our tests.
Google Pixel 5 specs and performance
Unlike the Pixel’s previous flagships, the Pixel 5 doesn’t have the high-end chipset you’d expect. Instead, the company has opted for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, which won’t be as powerful as the chipset you find in phones like OnePlus 8 Pro or Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
However, the phones we saw running these chipsets were powerful enough for everyday tasks, so hopefully it’s the same story with the Pixel 5 when we get to try the phone.
The phone has 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. There is no microSD support, and Google has yet to announce any other storage variants for the Pixel 5, so it will limit it to just 128GB.
There is a 4,080mAh battery inside the phone, and the company has also included wireless charging. There is also a reverse charging feature called Battery Share, so you can use the Pixel 5 to charge the supported devices.
Supports 18W fast charging, and a convenient charger to be able to reach those speeds is included in the box.
Google claims the phone will last an entire day on a single charge, and we’ll make sure to put this claim to the test in our full review. The Google Pixel 4 battery life wasn’t as impressive, so we hope Google will improve things here.
I got 5G Connectivity is on the Pixel 5 too, but be warned that you’ll need a 5G contract, and live in an area with a 5G connection, to get the most out of it.
Google Pixel 5 comes in action Android 11 Out of the box, it’s the company’s latest version of its OS. You can expect this device to get software updates for at least the next two years, and it should get them on or around the first day.
There are also improvements to Google’s own apps that you can get on Pixel. For example, Recorder – the app that automatically records and transcribes voice notes – will now allow you to edit audio when you take it straight out of transcription.
