What you should know before buying the Pixel 5
It's only been a couple of weeks since Google announced the Pixel 5, and you're probably wondering whether you should hit that pre-order button. Since I've only spent a few days with the device, I can't confidently answer "yes or no."
If you can hold off until my full review before spending your money, that'd be great. (It won't be available until Oct. 29.)
But if you're getting antsy, here are a few things I noticed about the Pixel 5.
1. It's affordable
At $699, Google managed to keep the cost affordable. Seeing as how it's common for flagship phones to start at almost $1,000, the Pixel 5's price doesn't feel daunting. It's also $100 cheaper than its predecessor, which started at $799.
However, unlike the Pixel 4, the Pixel 5 only comes in one configuration: 8GB of memory (up from 6GB on the last version) and 128GB of storage. Considering 128GB would have cost you at least $899 on last year's version, this is a steal.
You're also getting 5G connectivity with that price. But that's not a reason to purchase this phone, since 5G networks aren't great at the moment.
2. No Face Unlock here
This time around, Google decided to forgo its Soli radar chip, which was responsible for powering Motion Sense (which let you silence calls, snooze your alarm, and control your music by waving your hand over the display) and Face Unlock on the Pixel 4.
Now, it simply features a rear-fingerprint sensor along with the option to set a passcode. While having an additional security option like Face Unlock would've been nice, I prefer the fingerprint sensor anyway.
Facial recognition can be finicky at times — you have to make sure the phone is angled just right and the lighting around you is sufficient to capture your features. Since the fingerprint sensor also sits at a comfortable spot on the back of the Pixel 5, my finger automatically touches it the minute I pick up the phone.
3. Finally, there's an ultra-wide angle lens
On the back, you'll find a dual camera module with a 12-megapixel main sensor (f/1.7 aperture) and a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens (f/2.2 aperture). Meanwhile, it has an 8-megapixel selfie camera on the front of the phone.
While Google swapped out the telephoto lens for that ultra-wide sensor, it's important to note the phone still comes with Super Res Zoom (which allows you to digitally zoom in on a subject).
I'm excited to continue testing the ultra-wide angle lens. It's not only a lot more fun to use for landscape shots, but it's more fun to use in general. Mostly because you can get more creative, since you're able to fit a lot more into your shots.
4. It has a smooth display, but about that refresh rate...
The Pixel 5 has a really nice 6-inch OLED display, which looks super bright and vibrant. But as with last year's model, its refresh rate only goes up to 90Hz. It's a bit of a bummer seeing as how 120Hz has become the standard for flagships this year.
It's not a huge complaint, because scrolling through social media and texts still feels super smooth. It also won't drain battery life as much throughout the day. However, for a phone in 2020, it would've been nice to see the option to switch back and forth between refresh rates whenever I wanted.
5. It has the biggest battery in a Pixel yet
It's no secret that people had tons of complaints about the Pixel 4's poor battery life. Google was clearly listening. The Pixel 5 packs the largest battery on a Pixel phone so far, at 4,080mAh. In comparison, its predecessor features a 2,800 mAh battery.
Of course, I still have to put the Pixel 5 through full testing as my primary driver, so I can't comment on exactly how long it'll last me on a daily basis quite yet. But considering the battery is almost twice the size of the battery on the Pixel 4, it's obvious the flagship will easily outperform it.
As for how it'll perform across the board, that remains to be seen. Be sure to check back for a full review of the Pixel 5 very soon.
Topics Google
