Google’s Pixel 5a
Google on Tuesday took the wraps off the Pixel 5A. It’s the latest member of its budget-conscious A line of phones, which includes both the Pixel 4A and Pixel 3A. The Pixel 5A is available for preorders today on Google’s online store in the US and Japan ahead of a launch in those two countries on Aug. 26. The unlocked phone works on all major carrier networks in the US and Japan. In the US, the 5A will also be available through Google Fi.
Like all phones in Google’s A series, the 5A is a stripped-down version of last year’s flagship, which in this case is the Pixel 5. The Pixel 5A has a 6.34-inch OLED screen with a holepunch camera in the upper left corner. Under the hood, there’s a midrange Snapdragon 765G chipset (the G stands for gaming) as well as the Titan M security chip, which debuted in 2018’s Pixel 3. Google said the chip protects important data including your texts, photos and personal information. Flip the 5A around, and you’ll find a 16-megapixel ultrawide camera and 12-megapixel main camera.
5A vs. 4A vs. 3A: What’s changed since 2019?
The price of an A-series Pixel phone has changed every year since Google introduced the lineup in 2019 with the Pixel 3A. The Pixel 3A started at $399, the lowest price of an A series phone before Google hiked up prices to $499 for the Pixel 4A. This year’s Pixel 5A received a $50 price cut, retailing at $449 for the single version on the market, which has 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. (The phone is not launching in the UK and Australia, but its $449 price converts to roughly £320 or AU$630.)
Google’s A-series phones tend to have some of the best cameras you can buy for the price. Former CNET editor Lynn La, who reviewed the Pixel 4, said it was stacked with cameras that “raise the bar for how good a budget phone’s camera can be.” Read about how the Pixel 5A cameras fare in action in our ongoing Pixel 5A review. Over the years, the battery size has increased and the phone itself has grown along with it. The Pixel 5A is also the first Google A-series phone to receive an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance.
Watch this:
Pixel 5A with 5G: Google surprises us yet again
4:44
For more details on how Google’s Pixel A phones stack up, take a look at the specs charts below.
Google’s Pixel A phones’ specs
| Pixel 5A 5G | Pixel 4A 5G | Pixel 3A | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.34-inch OLED, 2,400×1,080 pixels | 6.2-inch OLED, 2,340×1,080 pixels | 5.6-inch OLED, 2,220×1,080 pixels |
| Pixel density | 413ppi | 413ppi | 441ppi |
| Dimensions | 156x73x8.8mm | 154x74x8.2mm (Sub-6 only); 154x74x8.5 mm (mmWave + Sub-6) | 151x70x8.2mm |
| Weight | 6.45 oz; 183g | 5.93 oz; 168g (Sub-6 only); 6.03 oz; 171g (mmWave + Sub-6) | 5.19 oz; 147g |
| Software | Android 11 | Android 11 | Android 9.0 |
| Camera | 16-megapixel (ultrawide), 12-megapixel (dual pixel) | 12.2-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (ultrawide) | 12.2-megapixel |
| Front camera | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| Video | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Chipsets | Snapdragon 765G (processing power chip) Titan M chipset (security chip) | Snapdragon 765G | 2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB | 64GB |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB | 4GB |
| Headphone Jack | Yes | Yes | No |
| Battery | 4,680 mAh | 3,800 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| Special features | 5G, IP67 water resistance, dual SIM, stereo speakers, 18W fast charging | 5G, dual-SIM (nano-SIM and e-SIM), fast charging | AR in Google Maps, time-lapse video shooting |
| Price (USD) | $449 | $499 | $399 |
