Google Pixel 5 Review: One Month Later
Retail Price: $699
DISCLAIMER: GOOGLE SENT US A REVIEW UNIT OF THE PIXEL 5 BUT ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE OUR OWN
Product Specs +
- 6.0 inch 1080 x 2340p
- 432ppi
- OLED display
- Snapdragon 765G
- 6GB of RAM
- 128 GB of storage
- 4,080 mAH battery
- Android 11
Camera Specs +
Rear Cameras
- 12.2 MP F/1.7 Wide
- 16 MP F/2.2 Ultrawide
Selfie Cameras
- 8 MP F/2.0
Video
- Shoots 4k at up to 30 FPS with 3 stabilization modes
This is the Google Pixel 5. You can probably tell because, well, it looks like a Pixel device. Google announced their 2020 smartphones a little differently by releasing not only the Pixel 4a, but also the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 as well. And although many people would not consider this phone a flagship, I've been using it for about a month now and it really has checked all the boxes that I care for this year in a smartphone. Let's take a look.
Look & Feel
The Pixel 5 is offered in two different colors: Just Black and Sorta Sage. The version that I'm reviewing here is Sorta Sage and I'm a fan of the earthy unique vibe it possesses. The muted green color makes it a really appealing phone to show off and take out. Underneath this nicely textured non-fingerprint material is a metal body that is comfortable and easy to hold in the hands. It houses a metal power button along with relatively clicky volume rockers. On the back is a glistening Google logo that adds just a hint of shine. We'll talk more about the camera later, but the camera hump is incredibly short and I am reassured that even if I set the phone down on a table or a hard surface, it won't get scratched.
As we've seen in previous Pixel generations, the Pixel 5 has a snappy fingerprint scanner conveniently placed on the back that's easy to access. The Pixel 5 does not have facial recognition, which would have been a nice bonus, but not necessary, especially considering that 2020 is all about wearing a mask. There is also no headphone jack either.
The front of the Pixel 5 looks quite good in my opinion. It's covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 and has a holepunch selfie camera at the top left. Standing at 6 inches with a 1080 x 2340p display, the OLED panel is vibrant and great to consume media on. I personally found this 6 inch size to be perfect for me because it's comfortable to put in a pocket or purse and not at all awkward to hold in one hand. The bezels on the Pixel 5 are also incredibly thin which is a step forward from some of the larger chins and foreheads we’ve witnessed in previous generations. One thing I have noticed is that although the display is bright, I feel like there are certain scenarios in bright light where the display doesn't adapt as quickly or doesn't brighten as much as I'd like it to. This tends to happen when I'm out on a walk or in the sun.
The Pixel 5 has a 90 Hz refresh rate and although I do not play a lot of mobile games, it did seem that the phone only pushes that 90 Hz refresh rate when it absolutely has to. For everyday use and browsing, I really don't think there are any issues and you get an otherwise smooth experience. If you like to blast music and play videos on your device, another feature to note on the Pixel 5 is that the speakers simply aren't that great. I suspect that this is a result of having smaller bezels on the device.
Stiff Competition
There have been a lot of competing brands in the smartphone space this year with high-end specs. In the past, I felt like Google was always trying to catch up to its competitors by making equally expensive smartphones with impressive stats on paper. This year, it seemed like the company actually pivoted and instead of putting in expensive hardware, focused on improving the software functions they know stand out. I think this was a worthy compromise but leaves room for a few questions. The Pixel 5 runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. It also has 5G capability which may or may not be important to you at this time. An upgrade that I was quite pleased with in the Pixel 5 is the 4,080 mAh battery. This phone lasts all day no matter how much I use it. The device is also IP 68 water and dust resistant and features 18W fast charging. So on paper, the Google Pixel is not necessarily an extravagant phone and for many, it might not even be considered a flagship device for 2020. Despite this, the stock Android experience and the device Google has created with it, really works in harmony and that is what is the Pixel 5's strength. When paired with Android 11 and convenient features like the new recorder app, music recognition, and smarthome controls, the result is a smartphone that runs efficiently and reliably.
Camera Thoughts
Ever since the original Google Pixel, camera software has always been the shining feature of Pixel devices. This year is no different. The Pixel 5 has a 12.2 MP rear camera in addition to a 16 MP ultrawide. On the front is an 8 MP selfie camera. You can also shoot video at 4K, up to 60 frames per second. Google made quite a few updates to the camera and video features this year. In addition to Night Sight, we now also get Night Sight Selfie and Night Sight Portrait Mode for those dimly-lit occasions. You can also edit portrait lighting after taking a photo which can definitely be useful as well. Google also added 4 stabilization modes as well this year including cinematic pan and active stabilization. Although this may still not be as good as shooting video on an iPhone, I think most users will be pleased to see this upgrade in their Pixel device.
Despite all the good I usually see with the Google Pixel camera, there is one weakness I've been torn on. Google has been able to offer so much in a device because of its amazing software and I mentioned earlier that I think compromises were made to develop the Pixel 5. There is no image processor which means that photos take longer to load and you notice that the most when you're shooting with portrait mode. I think it was a smart move for Google to not use the highest-end specs for this year's smartphone but I do think this is one weakness that maybe should have been afforded.
Overall Thoughts
So would I recommend the Google Pixel 5? Absolutely. It's an overall great phone and you really get a lot of excellent features including that stock Android 11 experience, great battery life, 18W fast charging, and more for the $699 price tag. Honestly, I didn't feel like I was missing anything with this phone - it had everything I needed to power me through my day and ran efficiently and smoothly.
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Lida
Always the number cruncher, the former narrative journalist turned data scientist, can’t help but find herself bursting with excitement with each new generation of tech gadgets. After all, predicting future trends is Lida’s forte. Any gadget that survives Lida’s torturous, adult working woman itinerary of over 700 notifications a day deserves praise!