Hey Google, Pixel 5a Is One Of The Best Values In 5G Android Phones Currently

The Pixel 5a 5G launched today as the successor to the Pixel 4a 5G, which was a relatively well-received midrange phone for Google at its $499 price point, with the usual excellent camera chops that the search, AI and mobile platform giant is known for. On the surface, the specs of the Pixel 5a read like a very modest upgrade. On board, there’s a slightly larger 6.34-inch, 2400x1080 resolution 60Hz OLED display versus last year’s 6.2-inch model, a larger 4680 mAh battery versus the 4a’s 3885 mAh power plant and more premium aluminum construction, along with IP68 water and dust resistance. Other than these upgrades, the song remains the same. The Pixel 5a carries the same rear dual camera array, the same Snapdragon 765G platform processor, 6GB of LPDDR4 memory and 128GB of on-board storage with no expansion option; it’s all in there again.

That said, Google did drop the Pixel 5a’s price to $449. That’s a $50 cost savings for a few key upgrades in what most folks will agree are in all the right places. I’ve spent a couple weeks with the Pixel 5 a on test drive and can report that Google has once again done more with less, and for less. This phone really shines with a pure stock Android 11 OS driving the hardware, but also one of the most well-optimized Android experiences I’ve worked with in a long time.

Google’s Efficient, Optimized Pixel 5a And Its Display

For starters, Google’s new 6.43-inch display has the usual high contrast, vibrant pop OLED displays are known for, but with barely a hint of bezel around it, such that the phone itself feels really compact in the hand for the screen real estate you get. And though the Pixel 5s is a hair thicker and heavier the previous gen Pixel 4a, it delivers a lot more display area than Google’s more expensive Pixel 5, though it’s limited to just 60Hz refresh versus the 5’s 90Hz panel. Are most mainstream consumers really going to care about lack of a high refresh rate display? I’d offer, again, for its $449 price point the Pixel 5a hits the display setup just about right.

Killer Computational Photography As Always

Working our way around to the camera, as I mentioned we have the same 12MP f/1.7 main rear shooter here with optical image stabilization (OIS) and dual-pixel auto-focus, along with a 16MP ultrawide f/2.2 camera. In short, Google’s computational photography is as strong as ever with the Pixel 5a. For simple auto-mode shooting, again, how the meat of the market captures the moment, it’s hard to beat this phone at almost any price point, save perhaps unless a dedicated telephoto shooter is important to you for better zooming capability. Though frankly Google’s Super Res zoom handles that reasonably well.

From Night Sight mode to Portrait, standard mode shooting and video, the Pixel 5a delivers with crisp captures, and accurate color balance that doesn’t look over-processed or noisy. Other than good 5G connectivity, a great display and solid battery life, camera performance is a must for any smartphone OEM these days and Google continues to lead the market in this area.

Middling General Performance But Incredible Battery Life

Speaking of battery life and other performance metrics, though the Pixel 5a doesn’t take home any land speed records in the benchmarks, it is an absolute battery life monster. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G Mobile Platform SoC just like the Pixel 4a, which frankly pulls up the rear most times in benchmarks, especially versus high-end Android phones powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 888 SoC. However, other than gaming, you’re going to be hard pressed to perceive the difference in typical smartphone tasks like web browsing, email, Maps navigation and recommendations from Google Assistant.

What you will absolutely appreciate, however, is how long this phone will last on a charge. Though wireless charging was likely omitted for cost-savings sadly, the Google Pixel lasted for almost 16 hours of constant always-on use in HotHardware’s battery life test. Check out Myriam’s deep-dive review there by the way, but this result pegs the new Pixel up near the likes of the ASUS ROG Phone 5 gaming phone that has a massive 6000 mAh battery. In short, Google crushed battery life metrics with the Pixel 5a 5G.

Connectivity And Carrier Support

Finally, on the connectivity front, with the exception of mmWave 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, the Pixel 5a does miss a couple of check boxes. On board is support for all major carrier Sub-6 5G connectivity, which is the most common and wide-spread in the US with much longer reach than mmWave currently, though it is slower overall. Still, I’ve measured over 125Mbps downloads with over 75Mbps uploads on T-Mobile and Google Fi’s Sub-6 5G networks, so again the lack of mmWave will be a low priority omission for most folks, at least at this stage of the 5G roll-out. Having to resort to just 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity might be a concern for some, but I don’t that’s a showstopper either. Although, Google does offer a good old fashioned 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the Pixel 5a, which could be a refreshing, welcomed inclusion for some as well.

Google’s Best Pixel Phone Value Yet

Wrapping it all up, it’s hard to find many shortcomings with Google’s new Pixel 5a 5G, especially when you consider its $449 price point. I’d personally like a slightly higher-end option of the phone, with wireless charging and 256GB of storage, for a few more dollars. Then again, I’ll put it this way, if someone I knew was looking to get into Android for the first time, (like an iPhone convert) and didn’t want to spend a lot on a phone, the new Google Pixel 5a is no-brainer recommendation and an excellent value.