Google’s New Pixel 5a – All You Need to Know

As soon as Google arrived in the mid-range phone market with the Pixel 3a, the company’s  cheapest handsets have only gotten better, that’s because the new Google Pixel 5a has a larger screen with increased durability and it is resistant to water. It feels like Google is the current emperor of mid-range smartphones, leaving Motorola and OnePlus behind. At $450, the Pixel 5a may be Google’s best-ever deal to catch upon.

Simple yet Attractive Design

The Pixel 5a follows in the footsteps of recent Pixel A-series phones in its simplicity. As far as regular features go, you’ll get a 2400 x 1080 Amoled screen and dual speakers, as well as two back cameras and a fingerprint reader on the back. A 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio is also present on the Pixel 5a. However, there is no microSD card slot.

The Pixel 5a isn’t without its advancements, and Google’s plan has been pretty clever, especially in light of the global processor shortage. The Pixel 5a’s screen is 6.34 inches horizontally, making it the largest phone of the Pixel A-series to date. It also has exceptional brightness, reaching up to 800 nits in our testing. So even while aficionados of minor may be unhappy that there isn’t a tiny Pixel A this year, providing everybody else more display for their dollars is an appreciated feature.

A soft-touch black plastic shell covers the metal chassis on the inside, giving the phone enhanced strength while also providing an easy-touch surface that’s rather pleasant to hold. Because of its IP-67 water resistance, it’s no longer necessary to worry about putting the phone underwater or a fall in the commode spoiling your morning (We all have to face it, so don’t feel bad). A final note: The Pixel 5a has two back cameras that, as far as Google is concerned, are identical to those in the mainline Pixel 5. (More on those later). Apart from wireless charging (that isn’t included), it has almost everything you may want or need.

Another important thing to discuss is its design,  while the Pixel 5a does come with a power brick, this could be the final time Google includes one of those in the box. According to Google, the number of individuals who already have a USB-C port is increasing and they are about to reach a point where there will be no need of providing power bricks. I know it might sound harsh, but  we’re not the ones writing these rules. These are associated with the reduction of e-waste.

What’s New in Performance?

So, instead of switching to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G—the same SoC Google used in the regular Pixel 5—Google stuck with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G—the exact SoC Google used in the ordinary Pixel 5. Tell you what, it’s still relevant. This mid-range phone isn’t a powerhouse, but now with 6GB of RAM and 128Gb of internal storage, it’s more than capable of competing with mid-range smartphones like the TCL 20 Pro 5G. Apps and games run well without stuttering (unless you’re playing hardcore FPS titles), which is all you will be needing in a mid-range handset.

Despite having the same processor, the Pixel 5a only provides sub-6GHz 5G connectivity. This means that you’ll be able to take advantage of sub-6Ghz’s wider coverage, but you won’t be able to take advantage of mm-Wave 5G’s super-fast upload speeds.

Google – The Master of Smartphone Photography!

Pixel 5a’s camera is the most primary strength of Google’s Pixel A-series phones over other mid-range smartphones. A dedicated zoom lens would be ideal, but for now, Google’s Super-Res Zoom will suffice. That’s why we can call it the master of cameras when it comes to smartphone cams.

Google’s Pixel 5a’s 12-megapixel wide-angle camera captured rich, correctly lit shots in typical high light circumstances and even outperformed Samsung’s Galaxy S21 in a number of tests. A new local eatery provided us with a perfect opportunity to take some test images with my Pixel 5a and Samsung S21. While the Pixel 5a caught sharper details on the fries below, if you zoom in, you’ll discover that the Pixel 5a’s (and no wonder, they tasted as good as they looked). A side-by-side comparison of an extremely difficult shot of a leave in direct sunshine impressed me the most. S21’s shot was good, but because of the saturation in Samsung’s photos, the finer details in the Pixel 5a’s photo were lost in the haze.

Google’s Night Sight technology is very famous in the market. It stands on top when compared with others. It is also available on the Pixel 5a whenever it gets dark. Photos taken with the Pixel 5a and S21 at night were remarkably similar, which is no simple achievement for a phone that costs hundreds of dollars less. Most remarkable, however, was a low-light photo taken in a neighboring public garden. As a result, the Pixel 5a generated a clear,  detailed a and unexpectedly vibrant. It also managed to eliminate the yellowish-orange tinge in the S21’s image.

Excellent Battery Back-up

As a matter of fact, we feared our video rundown test would get broken because the Pixel 5a’s battery life is too good.  As a result,  we made sure by testing three more times just to be sure. Google’s Pixel 5a boasts the best battery capacity. This phone comes with an average of 18 hours and 18 minutes, topping every phone we’ve tested this year by almost an hour. If you don’t like big screens, you’ll appreciate the fact that Google was able to squeeze in a bigger display on the Pixel 5a.