Pixel 5

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TL;DR: Same old, but great camera Great battery, but slightly worse than the S20 FE 5G Only 128GB version with no expandability No XL variant Interestingly, they note that the phone may be using UFS 3.0 or 3.1, as they measured 930 MB/s in sequential read, 408 MB/s in sequential write. For comparison, they measured the Pixel 4a at 500 MB/s in sequential read and 246 MB/s in sequential write. I personally can't decide whether I should get this one as my first Pixel or wait for the Galaxy S21. The battery life on my S8 is atrocious so I'm itching for an upgrade. I'm in the Exynos area, so that's an enigma. More on reddit.com

Alternatively, you can save a few bucks and settle for last year's Pixel 9, which is arguably a better phone in most regards, and it's also cheaper, priced at around €550. Sure, it's missing a dedicated telephoto camera, but as we already established, the trade-off for a worse main and ultrawide cameras on the Pixel 10 isn't worth it. The Pixel 9 not only had a better camera system but also longer battery life. And with Google's extended software support, the Pixel 9 will remain relevant for years to come. When the upgrade is a downgrade. Between this and the sideloading discussions, I am not sure what is happening at Google. More on reddit.com

Pros:

• Convenient, compact size with water resistance and durable plastic body

• Bright 90Hz display

• Great battery on a Pixel

• Generally snappy performance

• Frequent Android updates

• Bi-directional wireless charging

• Ultrawide camera is a welcome addition

Cons:

• High asking price

• UI doesn't feel as smooth and feature-packed as some other OEM skins

• Long HDR+ processing times mean you have to wait to see your latest photos

The Pixel 5 was like a hybrid between the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4. It has the efficiency and size of the Pixel 4a with the higher-end features and (one)more camera(s) like the Pixel 4. The Pixel 5 has improved battery life, 5G support, and adds reverse wireless charging.

Even the average user might never figure out that the Pixel 5 could wirelessly charge other devices. Perhaps this same person might never know that the Pixel 5 had an advanced voice recording app with live transcriptions. For this reason, the Pixel 5 isn't packed with software features and tricks that other OEMs cram into their Android skins.

We mention this because the Pixel 5 isn't meant for the person who wants the top-performing, high-end device with the newest features. It's more for the person who wants a solid phone and can afford to pay a bit higher than entry-level. This person doesn't want to pay for the top-of-the-line because they don't think they need to, and that's fine.

The Pixel 5's competition is not the Galaxy S21 Ultra or the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Rather, its competition is the midrange alternatives of those flagships. The Galaxy S20 FE and the iPhone 12 mini both match their price points with the Pixel 5's $699 tag. The Pixel 5 is well-rounded in all aspects of a smartphone, and it offers enough value in its 128GB storage size, solid battery life, and great-performing camera. There isn't any specific aspect that the Pixel 5 really excels at, but it does everything well with low friction.

There's a reason this phone costs a full $200-less than what the Pixel 4XL's asking price was - Google thought it should fall back a weight class so it wouldn't have to wrestle with the heavy-weights. This phone doesn't have a dedicated zoom camera, and that's okay for most people, but if you're looking for a dedicated zoom camera, there are more expensive phones that will meet this need.

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