Contents
- 1 Overview of PIXEL
- 2 Mine
- 3 Support
- 4 How long will it last?
- 5 Should you buy it?
- 6 Who is the Pixel 5 for?
- 7 Does the reverse wireless charging work as advertised?
- 8 How are the haptics?
- 9 Interested in our services?
- 10 How does the speaker-behind-the-display work?
- 11 How’s the official Fabric Case?
- 12 How’s the Sorta Sage color?
- 13 Who isn’t the Pixel 5 for?
- 14 Would you buy this over the Pixel 4a 5G?
- 15 Is there a better alternative?
- 16 History of PIXEL
Overview of PIXEL
Mine
In 2019, I said that the Pixel 4 was “early to bed, early demise.” The Pixel 4 XL was “a night vision camera that’s dead by sunset.” Both were great phones completely undermined by poor battery life, enough that Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh made structural changes within the Pixel hardware team to ensure that didn’t happen again.
Support
At $799 CAD, this is one of the better values in 5G phones on the market outside of the Pixel 4a 5G.Here in Canada, our carriers use sub-6Ghz 5G, which gives the phone speeds roughly equivalent to a decent LTE connection.One of the marquee features of the Pixel 5 is its support for 5G.That said, I retained a solid 5G connection the entire time I used the Pixel 5, and the experience was solid throughout.
How long will it last?
The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL have polycarbonate backs, but there’s still plenty of glass that can shatter.A case is recommended to keep it protected.There’s also no IP rating, but Google says the phones are splash- and dust-resistant — you’ll still want to keep them away from the pool, however.
Should you buy it?
Absolutely.For $400, there’s no better phone than the Pixel 3a.
Who is the Pixel 5 for?
Someone who loves smartphone photography.The Pixel is truly a camera first, and despite not making huge leaps over previous Pixels, this is still the best photography experience on Android.
Does the reverse wireless charging work as advertised?
Yep, like Samsung’s Wireless PowerShare it needs to be explicitly enabled (and I recommend using a quick tile to do that), but once it’s on you can turn the phone over and place a pair of earbuds or a Qi-enabled smartwatch (or another phone, if you’re fancy like that), and it charges.Up to 5W maximum, though, so don’t expect miracles.
How are the haptics?
So I originally wrote that the haptics are unchanged from previous models, but I’m wrong about that.There’s a slight difference in quality between the Pixel 3 and 4, which had very clean and precise haptics, and the Pixel 5, which is still clean but a little less precise than on previous years.It’s not a huge deal — it took me a few days to realize it — but it’s definitely not the same motor as on the Pixel 4, which is disappointing.
Interested in our services?
Call us at 610.892.7970 ext 102.
How does the speaker-behind-the-display work?
There’s a transducer behind the OLED panel that vibrates the entire screen, causing it to produce sound.As I wrote above, the sound is thin and influences the balance of the stereo speakers, but the advantage is that you can put your ear anywhere on the glass and hear the caller on the other end of the phone.I’d rather have a proper front-facing speaker/headpiece, but this isn’t a bad solution.
How’s the official Fabric Case?
Like all Pixel cases in recent years, it’s not the best Pixel 5 case, but it’s pretty nice.It comes in a range of colors, and Google’s really nailed the fit and finish; this thing fits like a glove without adding too much bulk.My primary concern is that fabric can pick up stains and smells pretty easily, so you’ll want to be vigilant about cleaning it with soapy water when it touches something it’s not supposed to.
How’s the Sorta Sage color?
Glad you asked: it’s probably my favorite phone color…maybe ever? I love, love, love it.Green was very in throughout 2020, between Samsung’s Mystic Green on the Galaxy Note 20 to Mint Green on the Galaxy S20 FE to the new Aquamarine Green on the OnePlus 8T.
Who isn’t the Pixel 5 for?
Someone who wants the latest and greatest specs.The Pixel 5 is just in a different category than previous Pixels and isn’t trying to compete with the latest iPhone Pros and Galaxy S models of the world.This is a mid-range phone with a price to match.
Would you buy this over the Pixel 4a 5G?
I’ve been thinking about this question a lot lately, mainly in relation to whether the Pixel 5 provides enough value to justify its $699 price tag, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it all depends on how much value you assign to some of Google’s minor quality-of-life improvements, like the aluminum frame, like the Pixel 5’s IP68 water resistance, and perhaps most of all, wireless charging.
Is there a better alternative?
For the price, there’s only one other phone you should consider: The OnePlus 6T.It costs $549, but that price may drop as the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro arrive soon (or maybe go for the newer OnePlus phones).You will get even better performance and more durable build materials, but I’ve often found the camera lacking compared to flagship phones.Check out the head-to-head comparison of the OnePlus Nord vs.the Pixel 3a XL.