So after looking at the chart it's $200 more for 2gb of ram, 90hz screen, ip68 rating, wireless charging and headphone jack deletion? Go home Google you're drunk.
That might be ok if had the look and feel of a high-end phone but its plastic, at least what you touch and feel is. BTW Google if you want wireless charging but want to avoid glass there are all kinds of materials that would work; carbon fiber, Kevlar, wood, maybe even ceramic all of which would look and feel better than plastic.
I like what Google tries to do with the Pixel phones but the 5 is pretty disappointing.
I bought a Pixel 5 a couple weeks back and have to say I much prefer the feel of this over other glass devices I've used recently. It's contoured nicely, is a good size and the textured resin material feels very firm with a nice textured feel to it. It certainly doesn't feel cheap at all, but it does feel more robust meaning I'm less concerned about it cracking or smashing like many glass-backed devices I've owned.
I fully agree that plastic is a far more sensible material for phones. To me design peaked with the Nokia 735. Unfortunately all the best phones now have a glass back and rather than reject them, there is a partial work around.
With a *plastic* case. So just pretend there's glass under the Pixel's and that plastic case, you just never want to take it down and look. Fixed it for you.
This whole "glass=premium feel" thing was started by reviewers who ran out of things to write and just bought the hype from manufacturers that glass must be something awesome. On the other hand reading reviews of plastic phones made you think touching them will give you the plague. By the time they figured out how fragile the phone gets most people were already trained that glass=premium and manufacturers were happy to deliver on it.
We ended up having super fragile phones that have to be wrapped in armored cases just to survive. We never see their back once we take them out of the box and slap on the case but deep down inside we live with that warm fuzzy feeling that they're premium underneath.
Plastic is just fine and cheaper. It can be made too feel pleasant and sturdy, certainly more so than glass. Whoever had a Lumia 1020 can confirm just how nice that polycarbonate casing was, no case needed. And plastic is cheaper so you can have a phone that's just as good but lighter and cheaper.
I had a Lumia 920 and that thing was built like a brick shit house, never had a case on it. Dropped it allot, even on cement, not a single crack over the years I used that as my daily driver.
Fast forward to today... And I have the amazing looking Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra in Mystic Bronze and it's hidden by a rubberized case that hides the lot. My partner had the same phone... And even with the case on, dropped and cracked it.
The case I am using is a full body case and over time where the camera sensor is, scratches and warps which impacts camera quality... Still not worth taking it out of the case though.
Plastic is a great material for a phone. I've seen what happens (damn near every time) to the phones of people who avoid using a case on their metal and glass devices so that they can feel those "premium" materials, and it's not pretty.
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It’s not a luxury product. It’s a high/mid priced phone. It’s just not a particularly good one. Google has never made really good phones, and has minuscule sales because of that. Naked Android, and sometimes, a slightly better camera have never been serious selling points, even among the geeky public.
They keep changing their formula, but never seem to get it quite right. This is just another example of that..
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No it's a beta products that google hands out to those they think should be greate full. Of course on their beta network called FI. Not sure who is running google now, but the behavior of google has been that of directionless corporate rot. I currently bought into new device on fi, no service due to a bug on their system. For 1 month on going, with no answer on fix or support or option to leave or even stop payments or pause service while they fix this. All these even after 2 fcc complaints. Something is really really broken with google.
It's a shame google bar a few products is becoming synonymous for mediocrity. With all the talent they have, has google become another company down the drain by becoming controlled by MBAs
To be fair, the new device is a lot smaller. A rare thing to find nowadays. I think it looked like an attractive "small" phone if it was sold for 400€.
I think the biggest competitor for the Pixel 5 is the Pixel 4a 5G, I don't really see the additional features bringing enough value for the increased price and in a lot of benchmarks the 4a beats the 5.
Additionally, the OnePlus Nord N10 has similar specs to the Pixel 5, benchmarks faster, and costs $249.99 right now (on sale from $299.99). Now that the Nord is available in the US Google doesn't really have much of an excuse for their prices. I think better software support is worth something, but not > $400.
You do get wireless charging, but you are right the 4a makes the 5 look over priced. As for other companies, the US has worked hard to protect its market but OnePlus seems to have slipped through the sanctions net.
snapdragon 690 uses newer cortex-a77 while snapdragon 765g still uses cortex-a76, clockwise it's slower by 16,66% but the ipc gain is 20%, so snapdragon 690 are actually faster. qualcomm products naming are weird, I know
For how long does OnePlus guarantee software (system and security) updates for? That's an important part of a phone's value proposition. And, while it pains me as an Android user, not leaving owners of older phone models behind is something Apple actually does well. I was, however, pleasantly surprised when Xiaomi made an OS update for my decidedly middle-class (at time of purchase) phone available even after >2.5 years of ownership. I took note of that, and it might help convince me to buy another phone from them.
Those aren't the only differences, the battery is quite a bit longer lasting (owing to the extra 200mah deleting the 3.5mm jack). The glass is also GG6 versus GG3 like on the pixel 2/4a5G, it's the smoothest glass I've ever encountered, if I set the pixel 5 down (screen down) on a table that is even slightly out of level it will slide off. It's like I'm carrying around an air table puck. The GG6 is also significantly harder to scratch based on what's happened to mine since I got it. I honestly wouldn't have expected that much improvement in glass between GG3 and GG6 but IMO there is.
Same conclusion I came to. The 2GB of RAM isn't really useful. The 90Hz screen would be *nice*, and the same goes for IP68 rating - but you can get most or all of those with other companies' $400 phones. I haven't used wireless charging since my Palm Pre 2 🤷♂️
...yeah that stuff isn't free and it's faster than last years BUDGET phone. Don't get me wrong, it's still a budget phone but yeah...broke people get broke joke phones I guess.
Qualcomm always botched graphic performance on their non 800-series SoC. never trust how many marketing done by Qualcomm or OEM/Vendor, it'll perform less than even two years generation ago of 800-series flagship.
Yup. I can only see it as a deliberate move - it means that even people like me with Snapdragon 835 devices can't really "upgrade" to a 700-series SoC unless we're willing to sacrifice GPU performance.
We'll.. Google pixel 5 owner from UK. Let's talk about ugly things. Well... I bought pixel for pixel features. And that was my big mistake. If you're not in US, there's nothing left from pixel specific features, as they are not available outside US. (No "Hold for me", "assistant calling", "call screening") So, this phone becomes just another mid range phone. I guess, only purpose for me is early OS upgrades. Rather should look into OnePlus, as I like their warranty policy.
Thank you for your review. It is, like what, a 5 month late, and there is absolutely nothing new in it, but your effort to copy it together deserves some recognition.
Thank you for your comment. It is, like what, a 5000 years post-sentience, and there is absolutely nothing new in it, but your effort to copy it together deserves some recognition.
I still have my Pixel 2 and don't see the need to upgrade except for battery life. I like the Pixel mainly because of the lack of crapware on the phone. Yeah I know I can root and get rid of that stuff but I'm lazy.
I was in the same boat. I had a Pixel 2 and was generally still happy, but the battery life was debilitating, so I bought a Pixel 5 around Thanksgiving when it was $50 off (incidentally, the exact same price I paid for my Pixel 2 three years ago).
It was also nearing the end of its updates, which is really Google's killer feature with the Pixel line. Are there other Android OEMs that provide consistent seamless updates for three years? Only Apple does better, and I'm not willing to make that jump.
The camera on the 5 is basically the same thing as the 2, plus the ultra-wide lens. I didn't care about 5G or headphone jack, but I really wanted the extra battery and waterproofing over the 4a. The extra storage and RAM is nice. I give no shits about GPU, and the CPU is adequate.
I like the smaller form factor, but honestly, the best form factor ever, IMO, was the 2013 Moto X. I could actually reach the top of the 4.7" screen with my thumb. The lack of bottom bezel on modern phones makes it hard to reach bottom navigation buttons/gestures.
>It’s been a couple of months now since Google announced the Pixel 5 – >Unfortunately we didn’t quite get to a timely review of the device due to >other important industry coverage.
lol Anandtech's "it'll be ready when its ready" approach to deadlines is one of the most endearing features of the site
On that note has an Ampere/RTX3080 review on up yet? Obviously a somewhat hypothetical purchase but would be int to hear the view..
Interestingly, maybe Anandtech is right to not actually post a review of the effectively unavailable RTX 30x0 GPUs. They're not available to most people anyway. Maybe Anandtech has been silently protesting the "paper" launch of the next gen GPUs? :)
I've owned the original Pixel, Pixel 3 and now the Pixel 5. I really liked the approach to offering top tier devices in a smaller form factor when the original was released, and appreciated the vanilla Android experience. The cameras have been fantastic, in all scenarios, I have been honestly left astonished at what the camera can capture even in challenging lighting environments. I dropped and broke the glass on my Pixel 3 otherwise would likely have kept it another year or so, but having had a look around I opted for the Pixel 5. One thing I noticed right away that I don't feel the charts here get across is the real world battery life. I'd consider myself a power user, but not particularly focused on heavy workloads (I don't often play games or run other demanding apps on my phone outside some image editing and music creation/production), but I have noticed 50% of my battery remaining at the end of the day quite often, whereas on my Pixel 3 (even when it was new) I would be needing to charge by the end of the day. The screen is great, the cameras are still fantastic, the resin/plastic back feels comfortable and grippy, the size is perfect. I really have no qualms whatsoever.
My main reservation before purchasing was the CPU, I'd heard that it was a noticable downgrade to the Pixel 4 and even 3 but in reality I have not noticed this. I read reviews mentioning how you can see image processing completing when opening a picture immediately after snapping it, but I always saw that on my Pixel 3 too. If anything I feel this is quicker than the 3 over all, and I never felt CPU-bound with that device!
All this is to say, I agree with the review. :) The price could be lower, compared to the 4a5g may not be great, but in comparison to the 4 last year as a 'flagship' I would say it is. I'm much more pleased with the device than I expected and would happily recommend it.
That was a long one, I think I'm surprised by how it feels like an upgrade over the Pixel 3, despite many reviews talking about how it's a downgrade. I'd rather pay less if the only trade off is the CPU, which appears to be the case for the 5.
The reason I have always ruled out Pixels is storage. For phone where one of the main selling points is photography, 128GB is not enough and expandable. I filled 160GB on my old Lumia 950.
Hard to believe the GPU in this underperforms what was in my iPhone 7, 5 years ago. They went really low end with this chip. Now Android seems well enough tailored for low end hardware that you're not feeling it too much, but certainly with intensive apps and games you would.
This is more efficient but slower than a 5-year-old chip. It would be fair to expect something that is both more efficient and *at least* as fast, given the intervening progress with manufacturing processes. Qualcomm can definitely build such a GPU, but they're choosing not to. It's sad.
The selling point for me on the Pixel 5 was the battery life. I owned a Pixel XL, Pixel 3 XL, and now the 5. My only issue is the size. It's kinda small. My vision is getting bad so reading the small print on certain games is difficult. If the games had a way to change the font size it wouldn't be a problem. I like the fact that it's super lightweight. I haven't noticed the performance being slower then the 3 XL. It actually seems faster. I love the calling feature screen call. No other flagship phones have it. That being said overall I'm happy to own a pixel 5 and would recommend getting one. As long as your not one of those I need the best of everything types. If you are then go spend $1300 on a flagship. I bet you won't be as happy.
To me the pixel 5 is close to the perfect phone. It's at the maximum size that I want (can't find any comparable phones in the same size. I could easily afford a phone twice the cost but would never buy one of the modern brick sized "super" phones and I can't stand iOS.
It has great quality construction, awesome camera and camera software (the best of the android phones IMO), and the battery easily lasts a whole day of heavy usage. It's plenty fast for all I've used it for - I've never understood people who use their phone for 3D gaming, so I couldn't care less about the 3d performance.
Pixel 5 is like a Camry: nothing special to look at, but is a solid daily user. It just works and gets out of the way while being fuel efficient. I manage an average of 2 days usage before charging w/ roughly 40% battery capacity left. If you don't like the package then there are you spoiled for choice right now. But this is the kind of phone you'll have in 3 years & finally upgrade because of the battery finally fading.
A Camry that costs the same as a BMW. This is a midrange spec phone with, as far as I can tell, an $680 MSRP price tag and going for $800. For that you can buy an S21 5G, or an iPhone 11 128GB is $30 less, or an iPhone 12 is $70 more. You can get an LG 5G with similar specs for half this price? This phone makes no sense, just like a $60,000 Camry.
For six hundos you can get a Galaxy S20 FE 5G. I don't remember if it has mmWave or not but isn't that the one that's really only available for a few blocks in the downtown of major cities? But you get super-fast charging, an actual flagship SoC, and a 120Hz display.
Sadly yes. People are willing to fork over $1500 for iphones and galaxy phones. People get them through contract plans "oh but its free" (no it isnt). People are not smart with money, look at all the people buying scalped consoles and GPUs, $50,000 cars, carrying tens of thousands in CC debt.
People like you and me, who look at a $700 device and see an expensive proposition, are int he minority.
My main problem with Google's Pixel phones has been and continues to be that they are, at heart, iPhones for people who don't like iPhones or iOS. While I can understand not like liking iOS (have to use an iPhone for work), I have a hard time to understand why one wants to give up some big upsides of Android, such as the ability to add cheap, removable storage. That BTW is a key reason why I never bought an iPhone, even though they are amazingly good at videos, something that is important to me. If I want a small-ish Phone from closed ecosystem that constantly reports back to HQ and has no expandable storage, I'd get the original - the current small iPhone, also with better photo and video. The Pixel 5 remains a not-as-good copy of that, unfortunately.
$700 for the Pixel 5. How much of an Android fanboy do you have to be to buy this phone?? I'm being serious. Because for the price, the ip12 and 12 mini run circles around this phone in terms of value and will most likely outclass the performance of Pixel phones for a few years to come.
Yup. I took one look at the specs and settled for an iPhone 12. I couldn't subject myself to using a midrange chip for the next two+ years with the low scores in web browsing benchmarks.
Who cares about benchmarks? A snapdragon 625 scores WAY lower and yet handles android browsing, AKA one window at a time, just fine. We crossed the point of "good enough" long ago.
My spouse has a Pixel 5. Yes it has the Snapdragon 765G and it might not be a phone for gamers or at least games that actually make use of high fps. Camera e how images turn out are still better than phones that cost 50% more. It's depends what you use your phone for... Benchmarking phone cpu or gpu tells a part of the story, that for some people is irrelevant. For the price I think it's one of the best options if you are looking for a solid, polished version of Android. On click amazing photos. Boring for some, but it just works well all around and the average user could not tell if it has a 765G compared to a much more expensive 888 unit.
Well I work for Google and I have the Pixel 4 which I love. Photos are fab facial recognition motion sense night vision and love the glass body. However what Google phones are NOT is a luxury phone. I would say they belong to Apple 13 Pro for design and features. Also Samsung S21 but Pixel is not aiming to be there anyway ditto Chromebooks too. They are mid range phones and value for money
Wife an I both have Pixel 5s to replace Samsung S8s. Perfect for what we needed - smallish, not too bothered about mega res screen, good battery, google sw, waterproof, wireless charging and the front camera was about as unintrusive as they get nowadays. On launch in the UK the phone was £600 but they bundled Bose QC35II headphones. Quick bit of ebaying netted £150 so the phones were a much more acceptable £450 (having said that, they gave the phones with the 4a too...). Overpriced? Probably, but we paid for the lack of irritations and for those 3 or 4 features we'd got used to.
This phone is not worth upgrading from my Pixel XL which is why I did not upgrade. Put a better processor in it, put 3.5mm jack back in, put a good battery - I will buy. Take Google camera and put it into a Sony Xperia 5II phone (you can take 5G out, for what I care) - I would buy that.
I bought a Pixel 5 when it came out. I wanted the 5G and my older Pixel 3 XL was getting old and scratched up.
I love the battery life. With my usage it can make it through almost two days without a charge.
The 90 Hz update was new to me and I really like it. When scrolling it feels so much better.
I haven't noticed any speed problems on web pages. They all seem fast enough for me. The sites that are slow are also chunky and slow on my Ryzen 5950X desktop, so the problem there really isn't with the phone. It's with the web developers.
I think it is about the same as the Pixel 3 but I also like the charge time. 30 minutes on the USB-C cable and it is up to 80%. With the great battery life that's enough for the rest of the day.
I brought this phone few weeks ago and I have to say this one is far better than pixel 4 because the battery runtime is much better, the speed is better and I'm experiencing the best with the phone. I've a business in social media management Alexandria and I do most of my work with this phone. https://www.course1.com/ check our website.
Feel Google screwed it up not releasing an XL version, and there wasn't much benefit getting the Pixel 5 over the 3XL I currently have (in fact- there are downsides: the sound on the Pixel 5 is a lot worse). 4G is plenty fast for my area, so don't really care about 5G compatibility.
With the deals being offered, I ended up upgrading to the Samsung S21 Ultra. Got it for less than the Pixel 5 after offers from Verizon, and it's a giant upgrade from what I have. I really wanted to give Google my money (I'm a Nexus, Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 3XL, and Pixel 4a owner), but they just plain weren't selling anything I wanted to buy this time around.
My Pixel 4a creaks when you squeeze it near the power button, and the haptic buzz rattles the case. Kind of a bummer - otherwise, not a bad phone for the price. Definitely slower on a daily basis than my old OnePlus 6T, but it also works most of the time, unlike that phone.
"hey have the same SoC, the same camera system, the 4a 5G actually gains a 3.5mm headphone jack, and only trades in the 90Hz screen and IP68 water resistance in return, for only $499."
Don't forget that the Pixel 5 also has more RAM and wireless charging. For me, the better screen, more RAM, bigger battery, water resistance, and wireless charging are worth the extra $100-$200.
I am currently using this phone and I must say this one is really helping me in doing most of my work on phone , as I am a graphic designer at <a href="https://sunnyadi.com/">Sunnyadi</a>, it is one of best graphics designing agency in USA and we also provide different sort of services like web designing, SEO and many more.
After seeing it's features i am gonna buy it. well if you are looking for CCTV camera for your safety 360ProCam Zwart is the best option to go to you can check here. https://lookilife.nl/products/camera-2-black
I bought this for two weeks ago Google Pixel 5 is a lovely and affordable premium phone with a great camera and long battery life. i really loved it. i have a free FREE forex API that provides the most up-to-date and historical foreign exchange rates and technical indicators. Our <ahref="https://fcsapi.com/">russia stock api</a> has been designed and tested to manage millions of requests per second while maintaining low latency.
This was purchased two weeks ago. The Google Pixel 5 is a beautiful and reasonably priced premium phone with a decent camera and long battery life. It was fantastic. I have a free forex API that displays the most current and historical foreign exchange rates as well as technical indicators. Our Russia stock api was designed and tested to handle millions of requests per second while keeping latency low. For moe details check it now: https://fcsapi.com/
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shabby - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
So after looking at the chart it's $200 more for 2gb of ram, 90hz screen, ip68 rating, wireless charging and headphone jack deletion? Go home Google you're drunk.cbm80 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
It's a luxury product for people who don't care about price.Operandi - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
That might be ok if had the look and feel of a high-end phone but its plastic, at least what you touch and feel is. BTW Google if you want wireless charging but want to avoid glass there are all kinds of materials that would work; carbon fiber, Kevlar, wood, maybe even ceramic all of which would look and feel better than plastic.I like what Google tries to do with the Pixel phones but the 5 is pretty disappointing.
MattMe - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I bought a Pixel 5 a couple weeks back and have to say I much prefer the feel of this over other glass devices I've used recently. It's contoured nicely, is a good size and the textured resin material feels very firm with a nice textured feel to it. It certainly doesn't feel cheap at all, but it does feel more robust meaning I'm less concerned about it cracking or smashing like many glass-backed devices I've owned.BedfordTim - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I will agree, but glass devices are easily fixed with a case.vuvaldi - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
If you would put a case on the look or feel of the material doesn't matter, and glass is heavier than plastic so plastic wins clearly here.BedfordTim - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
I fully agree that plastic is a far more sensible material for phones. To me design peaked with the Nokia 735. Unfortunately all the best phones now have a glass back and rather than reject them, there is a partial work around.at_clucks - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
With a *plastic* case. So just pretend there's glass under the Pixel's and that plastic case, you just never want to take it down and look. Fixed it for you.This whole "glass=premium feel" thing was started by reviewers who ran out of things to write and just bought the hype from manufacturers that glass must be something awesome. On the other hand reading reviews of plastic phones made you think touching them will give you the plague. By the time they figured out how fragile the phone gets most people were already trained that glass=premium and manufacturers were happy to deliver on it.
We ended up having super fragile phones that have to be wrapped in armored cases just to survive. We never see their back once we take them out of the box and slap on the case but deep down inside we live with that warm fuzzy feeling that they're premium underneath.
Plastic is just fine and cheaper. It can be made too feel pleasant and sturdy, certainly more so than glass. Whoever had a Lumia 1020 can confirm just how nice that polycarbonate casing was, no case needed. And plastic is cheaper so you can have a phone that's just as good but lighter and cheaper.
DougMcC - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
+1000. Gimme unbreakable phone so I don't have to add an extra 25% weight case. I couldn't care less what material it's made of.patel21 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
+100kGive me a phone like S7 Active. And no need for even a screen protector.
Slash3 - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
I miss my old S6 Active. Took a beating, but the sealed battery failed entirely. :(StevoLincolnite - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I had a Lumia 920 and that thing was built like a brick shit house, never had a case on it.Dropped it allot, even on cement, not a single crack over the years I used that as my daily driver.
Fast forward to today... And I have the amazing looking Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra in Mystic Bronze and it's hidden by a rubberized case that hides the lot.
My partner had the same phone... And even with the case on, dropped and cracked it.
The case I am using is a full body case and over time where the camera sensor is, scratches and warps which impacts camera quality... Still not worth taking it out of the case though.
Myrandex - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Oh yes, that Lumia 1020 was so nice, it felt so good in hand, that camera was incredible, I really miss mine!DeeJay522 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
The 5g is not plastic. I bought one in November and I love it. The feel and durability are great battery life is amazing.Spunjji - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Plastic is a great material for a phone. I've seen what happens (damn near every time) to the phones of people who avoid using a case on their metal and glass devices so that they can feel those "premium" materials, and it's not pretty.MilaEaston - Tuesday, January 26, 2021 - link
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shabby - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I don't think you know what luxury means.Citypoint725 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Pixel 5 is not marketed as a luxury phone...so your argument hold no truth.shabby - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Tell cbm80 not me1_rick - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
For what you get it's not very luxurious. It's like buying a Ferrari with a Mustang's engine.scottlarm - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
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It’s not a luxury product. It’s a high/mid priced phone. It’s just not a particularly good one. Google has never made really good phones, and has minuscule sales because of that. Naked Android, and sometimes, a slightly better camera have never been serious selling points, even among the geeky public.They keep changing their formula, but never seem to get it quite right. This is just another example of that..
Aninajoe - Sunday, January 31, 2021 - link
easy job online from home. I have received exactly $20845 last month from this home job. Join now this job and start making extra cash online. salary8 . comsharath.naik - Monday, February 1, 2021 - link
No it's a beta products that google hands out to those they think should be greate full. Of course on their beta network called FI. Not sure who is running google now, but the behavior of google has been that of directionless corporate rot. I currently bought into new device on fi, no service due to a bug on their system. For 1 month on going, with no answer on fix or support or option to leave or even stop payments or pause service while they fix this.All these even after 2 fcc complaints. Something is really really broken with google.
RobJoy - Thursday, February 11, 2021 - link
Luxury? Seriously? :DDDDDDDDsharath.naik - Friday, March 5, 2021 - link
It's a shame google bar a few products is becoming synonymous for mediocrity. With all the talent they have, has google become another company down the drain by becoming controlled by MBAsMrSpadge - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
To be fair, the new device is a lot smaller. A rare thing to find nowadays. I think it looked like an attractive "small" phone if it was sold for 400€.Flunk - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I think the biggest competitor for the Pixel 5 is the Pixel 4a 5G, I don't really see the additional features bringing enough value for the increased price and in a lot of benchmarks the 4a beats the 5.Additionally, the OnePlus Nord N10 has similar specs to the Pixel 5, benchmarks faster, and costs $249.99 right now (on sale from $299.99). Now that the Nord is available in the US Google doesn't really have much of an excuse for their prices. I think better software support is worth something, but not > $400.
BedfordTim - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
You do get wireless charging, but you are right the 4a makes the 5 look over priced. As for other companies, the US has worked hard to protect its market but OnePlus seems to have slipped through the sanctions net.Flunk - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Correction, the US version of the Nord uses the slightly inferior Snapdragon 690 SoC so it should be slower. It's still crazy cheap.Fulljack - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
snapdragon 690 uses newer cortex-a77 while snapdragon 765g still uses cortex-a76, clockwise it's slower by 16,66% but the ipc gain is 20%, so snapdragon 690 are actually faster. qualcomm products naming are weird, I knowiphonebestgamephone - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
The gpu would probably be slower on 690.Spunjji - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
@iphonebestgamephone - correct, the 690 uses the Adreno 619L which is actually around 50% slower than the 620.Qualcomm's naming system is b a n a n a s
eastcoast_pete - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
For how long does OnePlus guarantee software (system and security) updates for? That's an important part of a phone's value proposition. And, while it pains me as an Android user, not leaving owners of older phone models behind is something Apple actually does well. I was, however, pleasantly surprised when Xiaomi made an OS update for my decidedly middle-class (at time of purchase) phone available even after >2.5 years of ownership. I took note of that, and it might help convince me to buy another phone from them.Arbie - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
The Pixel 5 also has a much larger battery than the 4a. Which is why I would have considered it as an eventual replacement for that.Except they removed the headphone jack so no dice.
rahvin - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Those aren't the only differences, the battery is quite a bit longer lasting (owing to the extra 200mah deleting the 3.5mm jack). The glass is also GG6 versus GG3 like on the pixel 2/4a5G, it's the smoothest glass I've ever encountered, if I set the pixel 5 down (screen down) on a table that is even slightly out of level it will slide off. It's like I'm carrying around an air table puck. The GG6 is also significantly harder to scratch based on what's happened to mine since I got it. I honestly wouldn't have expected that much improvement in glass between GG3 and GG6 but IMO there is.Spunjji - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Same conclusion I came to. The 2GB of RAM isn't really useful. The 90Hz screen would be *nice*, and the same goes for IP68 rating - but you can get most or all of those with other companies' $400 phones. I haven't used wireless charging since my Palm Pre 2 🤷♂️BrokePeopleBuyBadStuff - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
...yeah that stuff isn't free and it's faster than last years BUDGET phone. Don't get me wrong, it's still a budget phone but yeah...broke people get broke joke phones I guess.Great_Scott - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
The Chart says that the Pixel 4a (5G) is the phone to get of the three.Vitor - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Lol that gpu perf. Looks like a soc from the 400 family.shabby - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Omg i didn't know it was this bad, i thought the G in 765g stood for gaming? LolololFulljack - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Qualcomm always botched graphic performance on their non 800-series SoC. never trust how many marketing done by Qualcomm or OEM/Vendor, it'll perform less than even two years generation ago of 800-series flagship.Spunjji - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Yup. I can only see it as a deliberate move - it means that even people like me with Snapdragon 835 devices can't really "upgrade" to a 700-series SoC unless we're willing to sacrifice GPU performance.TinyOilot - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
We'll.. Google pixel 5 owner from UK. Let's talk about ugly things.Well... I bought pixel for pixel features. And that was my big mistake. If you're not in US, there's nothing left from pixel specific features, as they are not available outside US. (No "Hold for me", "assistant calling", "call screening") So, this phone becomes just another mid range phone.
I guess, only purpose for me is early OS upgrades.
Rather should look into OnePlus, as I like their warranty policy.
Mekk Elek - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Thank you for your review. It is, like what, a 5 month late, and there is absolutely nothing new in it, but your effort to copy it together deserves some recognition.lmcd - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Thank you for your comment. It is, like what, a 5000 years post-sentience, and there is absolutely nothing new in it, but your effort to copy it together deserves some recognition.Hulk - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I still have my Pixel 2 and don't see the need to upgrade except for battery life. I like the Pixel mainly because of the lack of crapware on the phone. Yeah I know I can root and get rid of that stuff but I'm lazy.icrf - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I was in the same boat. I had a Pixel 2 and was generally still happy, but the battery life was debilitating, so I bought a Pixel 5 around Thanksgiving when it was $50 off (incidentally, the exact same price I paid for my Pixel 2 three years ago).It was also nearing the end of its updates, which is really Google's killer feature with the Pixel line. Are there other Android OEMs that provide consistent seamless updates for three years? Only Apple does better, and I'm not willing to make that jump.
The camera on the 5 is basically the same thing as the 2, plus the ultra-wide lens. I didn't care about 5G or headphone jack, but I really wanted the extra battery and waterproofing over the 4a. The extra storage and RAM is nice. I give no shits about GPU, and the CPU is adequate.
I like the smaller form factor, but honestly, the best form factor ever, IMO, was the 2013 Moto X. I could actually reach the top of the 4.7" screen with my thumb. The lack of bottom bezel on modern phones makes it hard to reach bottom navigation buttons/gestures.
toffty - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
You can enable the bottom buttons btw, it's somewhere in settings (Google it)Jon Tseng - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
>It’s been a couple of months now since Google announced the Pixel 5 –>Unfortunately we didn’t quite get to a timely review of the device due to
>other important industry coverage.
lol Anandtech's "it'll be ready when its ready" approach to deadlines is one of the most endearing features of the site
On that note has an Ampere/RTX3080 review on up yet? Obviously a somewhat hypothetical purchase but would be int to hear the view..
erple2 - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Interestingly, maybe Anandtech is right to not actually post a review of the effectively unavailable RTX 30x0 GPUs. They're not available to most people anyway. Maybe Anandtech has been silently protesting the "paper" launch of the next gen GPUs? :)MattMe - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I've owned the original Pixel, Pixel 3 and now the Pixel 5.I really liked the approach to offering top tier devices in a smaller form factor when the original was released, and appreciated the vanilla Android experience. The cameras have been fantastic, in all scenarios, I have been honestly left astonished at what the camera can capture even in challenging lighting environments.
I dropped and broke the glass on my Pixel 3 otherwise would likely have kept it another year or so, but having had a look around I opted for the Pixel 5. One thing I noticed right away that I don't feel the charts here get across is the real world battery life. I'd consider myself a power user, but not particularly focused on heavy workloads (I don't often play games or run other demanding apps on my phone outside some image editing and music creation/production), but I have noticed 50% of my battery remaining at the end of the day quite often, whereas on my Pixel 3 (even when it was new) I would be needing to charge by the end of the day.
The screen is great, the cameras are still fantastic, the resin/plastic back feels comfortable and grippy, the size is perfect. I really have no qualms whatsoever.
My main reservation before purchasing was the CPU, I'd heard that it was a noticable downgrade to the Pixel 4 and even 3 but in reality I have not noticed this. I read reviews mentioning how you can see image processing completing when opening a picture immediately after snapping it, but I always saw that on my Pixel 3 too. If anything I feel this is quicker than the 3 over all, and I never felt CPU-bound with that device!
All this is to say, I agree with the review. :)
The price could be lower, compared to the 4a5g may not be great, but in comparison to the 4 last year as a 'flagship' I would say it is.
I'm much more pleased with the device than I expected and would happily recommend it.
MattMe - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
That was a long one, I think I'm surprised by how it feels like an upgrade over the Pixel 3, despite many reviews talking about how it's a downgrade. I'd rather pay less if the only trade off is the CPU, which appears to be the case for the 5.BedfordTim - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
The reason I have always ruled out Pixels is storage. For phone where one of the main selling points is photography, 128GB is not enough and expandable. I filled 160GB on my old Lumia 950.supdawgwtfd - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
I have a Pixel 3.Unlimited cloud storage ;)
Photos only now are limited on cloud storage Pixel devices.
iphonebestgamephone - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
Not everyone has unlimited data ;)tipoo - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Hard to believe the GPU in this underperforms what was in my iPhone 7, 5 years ago. They went really low end with this chip. Now Android seems well enough tailored for low end hardware that you're not feeling it too much, but certainly with intensive apps and games you would.GC2:CS - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
But A10 took like 6 or 7 W at full load and throttle badly to 3.This sucks up one. You cannot directly compare those.
Spunjji - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
I mean, you can - and you just did.This is more efficient but slower than a 5-year-old chip. It would be fair to expect something that is both more efficient and *at least* as fast, given the intervening progress with manufacturing processes. Qualcomm can definitely build such a GPU, but they're choosing not to. It's sad.
Citypoint725 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Best Pixel phone yet...in my experience. Been a Google phone owner since the G1.drmrzmom - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Don't waste your money! I feel like I paid $699 for extra storage, a smaller phone and no measureable upgrades. It sucks.Pixel owner - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
The selling point for me on the Pixel 5 was the battery life. I owned a Pixel XL, Pixel 3 XL, and now the 5. My only issue is the size. It's kinda small. My vision is getting bad so reading the small print on certain games is difficult. If the games had a way to change the font size it wouldn't be a problem. I like the fact that it's super lightweight. I haven't noticed the performance being slower then the 3 XL. It actually seems faster. I love the calling feature screen call. No other flagship phones have it. That being said overall I'm happy to own a pixel 5 and would recommend getting one. As long as your not one of those I need the best of everything types. If you are then go spend $1300 on a flagship. I bet you won't be as happy.patel21 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
The phone would provide a lot more value of they would have just kept telephoto lens from Pixel 4, and added Ultra wide.Spunjji - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Yeah, I'm confused by the people who were happy with them removing a lens. My personal preference is for telephoto, though, so I'm biased 😬DocDAT2 - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
To me the pixel 5 is close to the perfect phone. It's at the maximum size that I want (can't find any comparable phones in the same size. I could easily afford a phone twice the cost but would never buy one of the modern brick sized "super" phones and I can't stand iOS.It has great quality construction, awesome camera and camera software (the best of the android phones IMO), and the battery easily lasts a whole day of heavy usage. It's plenty fast for all I've used it for - I've never understood people who use their phone for 3D gaming, so I couldn't care less about the 3d performance.
Broonsby - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
Pixel 5 is like a Camry: nothing special to look at, but is a solid daily user. It just works and gets out of the way while being fuel efficient. I manage an average of 2 days usage before charging w/ roughly 40% battery capacity left. If you don't like the package then there are you spoiled for choice right now. But this is the kind of phone you'll have in 3 years & finally upgrade because of the battery finally fading.shady28 - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
A Camry that costs the same as a BMW. This is a midrange spec phone with, as far as I can tell, an $680 MSRP price tag and going for $800. For that you can buy an S21 5G, or an iPhone 11 128GB is $30 less, or an iPhone 12 is $70 more. You can get an LG 5G with similar specs for half this price? This phone makes no sense, just like a $60,000 Camry.1_rick - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
For six hundos you can get a Galaxy S20 FE 5G. I don't remember if it has mmWave or not but isn't that the one that's really only available for a few blocks in the downtown of major cities? But you get super-fast charging, an actual flagship SoC, and a 120Hz display.supdawgwtfd - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
What's interesting is that in my Country even though they are meant to have the same MSRP the Samsung costs $100 more.Plus who really likes Samsung software....
RaistlinZ - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
$700 is the new mid-range?! Yikes.raystryker - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Agree 1000% ....when you can build a decent gaming pc(when parts are available) for the cost of a "midrange" phone....TheinsanegamerN - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Sadly yes. People are willing to fork over $1500 for iphones and galaxy phones. People get them through contract plans "oh but its free" (no it isnt). People are not smart with money, look at all the people buying scalped consoles and GPUs, $50,000 cars, carrying tens of thousands in CC debt.People like you and me, who look at a $700 device and see an expensive proposition, are int he minority.
eastcoast_pete - Friday, January 22, 2021 - link
My main problem with Google's Pixel phones has been and continues to be that they are, at heart, iPhones for people who don't like iPhones or iOS. While I can understand not like liking iOS (have to use an iPhone for work), I have a hard time to understand why one wants to give up some big upsides of Android, such as the ability to add cheap, removable storage. That BTW is a key reason why I never bought an iPhone, even though they are amazingly good at videos, something that is important to me. If I want a small-ish Phone from closed ecosystem that constantly reports back to HQ and has no expandable storage, I'd get the original - the current small iPhone, also with better photo and video. The Pixel 5 remains a not-as-good copy of that, unfortunately.GC2:CS - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Is it possible that the SoC is deffective in hardware ?Like half of the GPU is burned out so they bought it for lower cost.
In my wiew, even if it costs 700, it looks like they tried to save on every oportunity like plastic build, low RAM delaminating displays.
But scrap SoC sounds too much for me.
vanish1 - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
$700 for the Pixel 5. How much of an Android fanboy do you have to be to buy this phone?? I'm being serious. Because for the price, the ip12 and 12 mini run circles around this phone in terms of value and will most likely outclass the performance of Pixel phones for a few years to come.nucc1 - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
Yup. I took one look at the specs and settled for an iPhone 12. I couldn't subject myself to using a midrange chip for the next two+ years with the low scores in web browsing benchmarks.TheinsanegamerN - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
Who cares about benchmarks? A snapdragon 625 scores WAY lower and yet handles android browsing, AKA one window at a time, just fine. We crossed the point of "good enough" long ago.NewWestBC - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
My spouse has a Pixel 5. Yes it has the Snapdragon 765G and it might not be a phone for gamers or at least games that actually make use of high fps. Camera e how images turn out are still better than phones that cost 50% more. It's depends what you use your phone for... Benchmarking phone cpu or gpu tells a part of the story, that for some people is irrelevant. For the price I think it's one of the best options if you are looking for a solid, polished version of Android. On click amazing photos. Boring for some, but it just works well all around and the average user could not tell if it has a 765G compared to a much more expensive 888 unit.Google4Eva - Saturday, January 23, 2021 - link
Well I work for Google and I have the Pixel 4 which I love. Photos are fab facial recognition motion sense night vision and love the glass body. However what Google phones are NOT is a luxury phone. I would say they belong to Apple 13 Pro for design and features. Also Samsung S21 but Pixel is not aiming to be there anyway ditto Chromebooks too. They are mid range phones and value for moneyAnanke - Wednesday, January 27, 2021 - link
$700 is a lot of money without the corresponding value.In this regards "value for money" is iPhone SE for $400
otonieru - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
It would be stupid to pay $700 for this specifications.dontlistentome - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
Wife an I both have Pixel 5s to replace Samsung S8s. Perfect for what we needed - smallish, not too bothered about mega res screen, good battery, google sw, waterproof, wireless charging and the front camera was about as unintrusive as they get nowadays.On launch in the UK the phone was £600 but they bundled Bose QC35II headphones. Quick bit of ebaying netted £150 so the phones were a much more acceptable £450 (having said that, they gave the phones with the 4a too...).
Overpriced? Probably, but we paid for the lack of irritations and for those 3 or 4 features we'd got used to.
eclectech - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
I read this whole review on my Pixel 5. Fortunately the phone didn't consume a lot of power while doing it.Billjriv - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
Just buy the phone with an already cracked screen that way you save 2/3rds the cost it's like buying a Mustang from CopartPeskarik - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
This phone is not worth upgrading from my Pixel XL which is why I did not upgrade.Put a better processor in it, put 3.5mm jack back in, put a good battery - I will buy.
Take Google camera and put it into a Sony Xperia 5II phone (you can take 5G out, for what I care) - I would buy that.
Zan Lynx - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
I bought a Pixel 5 when it came out. I wanted the 5G and my older Pixel 3 XL was getting old and scratched up.I love the battery life. With my usage it can make it through almost two days without a charge.
The 90 Hz update was new to me and I really like it. When scrolling it feels so much better.
I haven't noticed any speed problems on web pages. They all seem fast enough for me. The sites that are slow are also chunky and slow on my Ryzen 5950X desktop, so the problem there really isn't with the phone. It's with the web developers.
I think it is about the same as the Pixel 3 but I also like the charge time. 30 minutes on the USB-C cable and it is up to 80%. With the great battery life that's enough for the rest of the day.
johnmartin123 - Tuesday, January 26, 2021 - link
.johnmartin123 - Tuesday, January 26, 2021 - link
I brought this phone few weeks ago and I have to say this one is far better than pixel 4 because the battery runtime is much better, the speed is better and I'm experiencing the best with the phone. I've a business in social media management Alexandria and I do most of my work with this phone. https://www.course1.com/ check our website.zsdersw - Thursday, January 28, 2021 - link
Google's UI on the Pixel phones is far superior to all other makers' UI skins, and that overcomes all of the idiotic "concerns" made in this article.DocDAT2 - Friday, January 29, 2021 - link
Agreed. I wouldn't use a Samsung, even if I were given a top model.Questor - Thursday, January 28, 2021 - link
Just say NEVER to Apple. Degoogle my phone. That's my primary concern. Other than that, does it work? Yes? Good.Fritzo - Friday, January 29, 2021 - link
Feel Google screwed it up not releasing an XL version, and there wasn't much benefit getting the Pixel 5 over the 3XL I currently have (in fact- there are downsides: the sound on the Pixel 5 is a lot worse). 4G is plenty fast for my area, so don't really care about 5G compatibility.With the deals being offered, I ended up upgrading to the Samsung S21 Ultra. Got it for less than the Pixel 5 after offers from Verizon, and it's a giant upgrade from what I have. I really wanted to give Google my money (I'm a Nexus, Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 3XL, and Pixel 4a owner), but they just plain weren't selling anything I wanted to buy this time around.
morello159 - Friday, January 29, 2021 - link
My Pixel 4a creaks when you squeeze it near the power button, and the haptic buzz rattles the case. Kind of a bummer - otherwise, not a bad phone for the price. Definitely slower on a daily basis than my old OnePlus 6T, but it also works most of the time, unlike that phone.abu3rab - Tuesday, February 2, 2021 - link
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Findecanor - Wednesday, February 3, 2021 - link
It's not actually a small phone though. This was considered medium only a few years ago.Manufacturers are only increasing the size of their mainstream to fit a larger battery for 5G.
mrbofus - Thursday, February 4, 2021 - link
"hey have the same SoC, the same camera system, the 4a 5G actually gains a 3.5mm headphone jack, and only trades in the 90Hz screen and IP68 water resistance in return, for only $499."Don't forget that the Pixel 5 also has more RAM and wireless charging. For me, the better screen, more RAM, bigger battery, water resistance, and wireless charging are worth the extra $100-$200.
RobJoy - Thursday, February 11, 2021 - link
Why do they even bother selling this piece of crap if it is priced as top mid range on Snapdragon 888?Seriously?
THIS phone is worth $250-$300 MAX.
HaRd2BeAr - Sunday, April 18, 2021 - link
Be interested to see an updated mini review since the March Kernel and April GPU boost and how they feel performance is now. Cheers.sunnyadi - Saturday, April 24, 2021 - link
I am currently using this phone and I must say this one is really helping me in doing most of my work on phone , as I am a graphic designer at <a href="https://sunnyadi.com/">Sunnyadi</a>, it is one of best graphics designing agency in USA and we also provide different sort of services like web designing, SEO and many more.Yveshorvest12 - Thursday, May 6, 2021 - link
After seeing it's features i am gonna buy it.well if you are looking for CCTV camera for your safety 360ProCam Zwart is the best option to go to you can check here. https://lookilife.nl/products/camera-2-black
rosiebella - Thursday, May 6, 2021 - link
I bought this for two weeks ago Google Pixel 5 is a lovely and affordable premium phone with a great camera and long battery life. i really loved it. i have a free FREE forex API that provides the most up-to-date and historical foreign exchange rates and technical indicators. Our <ahref="https://fcsapi.com/">russia stock api</a> has been designed and tested to manage millions of requests per second while maintaining low latency.rosiebella - Thursday, May 6, 2021 - link
This was purchased two weeks ago. The Google Pixel 5 is a beautiful and reasonably priced premium phone with a decent camera and long battery life. It was fantastic. I have a free forex API that displays the most current and historical foreign exchange rates as well as technical indicators. Our Russia stock api was designed and tested to handle millions of requests per second while keeping latency low.For moe details check it now: https://fcsapi.com/