After months of rumors and leaks, Google has finally announced the Pixel 5a—its mid-range Pixel that will replace the Pixel 4a from last year.
The Pixel 5a packs some notable improvements over the Pixel 4a including a faster processor, 5G connectivity, and dual-cameras that make it a compelling mid-ranger.
A Faster Chip, Water-Resistance, and 5G
The Pixel 5a is similar to the Pixel 4a 5G from last year in many key departments. Compared to the Pixel 4a’s 5.8-inch display, the Pixel 5a packs a bigger 6.34-inch FHD+ OLED display with Always-on Display and HDR support.
It retains the same design as the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a 5G from last year, though it is slightly taller and thicker to accommodate the bigger display and battery. This also means you get stereo speakers, a capacitive fingerprint scanner at the rear, and a matte rubbery finish for the back panel.
A key design highlight of the Pixel 5a is its IP67 rating, which makes it dust and water-resistant in up to three feet of water for up to 30 minutes. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers.
Internally, the Pixel 5a features a Snapdragon 765G chip, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage. There’s a dual-camera setup at the rear, which includes a 12.2MP primary shooter and a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide. At the front, there’s an 8MP f/2.0 selfie shooter. All the typical Pixel camera features like Night Sight, Live HDR+, Cinematic Pan, and Portrait Light are available on the Pixel 5a.
The camera setup and internals of the Pixel 5a are exactly the same as the Pixel 4a 5G and a step up from the Pixel 4a in every department.
Another highlight of the Pixel 5 is support for sub-6GHz 5G connectivity, which the Pixel 4a misses out on.
Lastly, the Pixel 5a packs a 4,680mAh battery with 18W fast wired charging support. This is the largest ever battery size that Google has used on a Pixel phone. Coupled with the 7nm Snapdragon 765G chip, the Pixel 5a will offer two-day battery life with Extreme Battery Saver enabled. This is also the last phone from Google to ship with a charger in the box.
Being a Pixel device, the Pixel 5a runs on Google’s own flavor of Android 11. It is guaranteed to receive three years of OS and security updates as well. There’s also the Titan M chip for enhanced security.
The Google Pixel 5a Price and Availability
The Google Pixel 5a will only be available in the US and Japan from August 26th. In the US, it will cost $449, which is $50 cheaper than the Pixel 4a 5G. It will be directly available for purchase from the Google Store and Google Fi in “mostly black” color.
Google will offer premium cases for the Pixel 5a in four colors—Black Moss, Maybe Moon, Likely Lime, and Partially Pink—made from shock-absorbing materials. Google will be bundling free trials of YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, and Google One for three months with the Pixel 5a.
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