Google Pixel 5a Review, Pros and Cons – With features almost similar to the Pixel 5, the new Google Pixel 5a smartphone comes at a lower price range. Launched on August 26, 2021, Google Pixel 5a sparks hope to catch more of this phone than the previous one. Because of its lower price, it is more demanding. Most of the strength of this phone is hidden under the body. Other than that, the camera and battery sections don’t create any buzz in the market. Therefore, whenever you buy the Pixel 5a phone, you should check it carefully. So far, we’ve learned that the phone will only be available in the US and Japan.
Whether the international availability is unknown. So if you’re from any other country, you may have to wait for a global release. Let’s start with a detailed review of the Google Pixel 5a smartphone.
Table of Contents
Google Pixel 5a Review
Highlights
- Smaller compared to the current market sensation, there are a 6.34 inches OLED screen with 1080p resolution that offers an incredible visual experience.
- It runs on the Android 11 operating system, which provides the most limited bloatware issues.
- Because of the 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G under the hood, it awakens the desire to buy the phone.
- You only have a 12.2 MP main camera and an 8 MP selfie camera.
- With a Li-Po 4680mAh battery, you can have a longer lifespan of up to 10 hours.
Design and Display
If you’re used to Pixel 4a design, you’ll find the same here too. Coming with only one color, mostly black, you have no other options. It comes with an aluminum frame with a gorilla glass 3 cover as front panel protection. The back panel sports a matte textured plastic that wraps the entire area from the sides to the top and bottom. Although this is not a premium feature, you will feel a pleasant touch while using the phone. The bright dual camera on the back makes the phone stand out among others. Even the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor offers a similar appearance to pixel 4a.
On the other hand, the front panel sparks the desire to buy the phone because there is a 6.34 inches OLED screen with 1080p resolution. You might be put off by its lower default refresh rate, while the alternatives mentioned below offer a higher refresh rate. So, remember that you must tolerate motion blur issues. The screen is quite vibrant and bright as it is HDR certified. However, it feels natural while watching videos or playing games. The selfie camera hole in the upper left corner doesn’t create much of a distraction.
As it’s not a fancy phone, younger smartphone users may reject it. An important feature to note with this phone is the always-on screen. Whether in your office, train, bus, or home, you can comfortably check the time, missed calls, or message notifications on the display. The new Google Pixel 5a phone comes with a weight of 183g. But the sidebar is thinner than the previous model at 7.6mm thick. With the IP67 dust/water resistance feature, this creates an attraction.
Memory and Internal
Here comes the big deal compared to other alternatives. This is where most attraction is sanctioned. With Android 11 technology, Pixel 5a offers the most limited bloatware. Therefore, you can be assured of your clean interface and the smooth execution of the operation. This gives you the thrill of using this phone. This is one of the first phones to receive Android 12 updates as well. This is not a blindly trustworthy feature, as Android 11 is already present on almost every smartphone. You will feel the absence of a custom interface.
Powered by 7nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, it creates no problems while playing, watching videos, or browsing. This is where it can overcome other alternatives. With this powerful feature, you won’t notice significant delays. Each app opens very fast with great satisfaction. The octa-core processor offers a maximum clock speed of 2.4GHz, while the presence of the Adreno 620 graphics unit makes the phone more attractive, although there is no difference between previous and newer models.
If you have ever thought about purchasing this phone, you are advised to check its storage capacity as this is all you need to carry out data without any problems. Otherwise, tons of apps slow down the phone and eventually create regrets in you. There is only one variant, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage available on the market, while the other models in the market offer more variety. Even so, you do not have the advantage of using the MicroSD card as this feature does not exist.
Camera
Those who have saved money year after year to buy a great phone should avoid this model. With that budget, it’s not recommended to buy a phone with a 12.2 MP main camera. You can get some advanced technologies from the cameras section, but this won’t be a better choice. There’s an ultra-wide 16 MP camera that appeals to a professional photographer.
It would be better if the company thought of larger options in the camera section as well as zoom camera. You shouldn’t be confused as it offers OIS features for great clicks. Today, video production has an attractive appeal in the content creation section. This device can be a useful option, but there are alternatives as well. Thanks to Google’s almost magical photo software, you can also capture some remarkable photos at night.
Let’s turn the phone around where you find an 8 MP selfie camera that takes away the charm of this model. Coming with the Auto-HDR feature, it offers good photos, but it’s not satisfying on this budget. Whether you’ve used the Pixel 4a/5 or not, you’ll find the exact similarities on this phone.
So what’s the point of updating this phone? However, you can’t ignore camera quality because Google’s image processing software takes care of the quality of photos. With the colors toned down and saturation controlled, the front camera could be a nice addition, but not better. Coming to the video recording section, you can record 4K videos with gyro-EIS support. If you use the camera in daylight, you will get the most satisfying quality and performance.
Battery and Others
Better than your flagships, you’ll get a Li-Po 4680 mAh battery that’s pretty good on that budget. Because of the bigger size, you have a longer life. You can expect a battery life of an entire day. But keep in mind that the more you watch or play, the faster you lose battery power.
Disappointing is its 18W fast charger, while alternatives provide more powerful chargers. Therefore, this feature is less encouraging. Even USB Power Deliver 2.0 looks older with the Pixel 5a smartphone and there is no wireless charging feature. You can buy the phone for $450 (Rs 33,000) approx.
Google Pixel 5a Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Google Pixel 5a smartphone.
| Specifications | Google Pixel 5a |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | August 2021 |
| SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.10 x 2.90 x 0.30 inches |
| Weight | 183 g |
| Size | 6.34 inches |
| Display | OLED Always-on display HDR 20:9 ratio ~415 PPI density |
| Protection | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins) Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| OS | Android 11 |
| Chipset | 7nm – Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G 5G |
| CPU | Octa-core 1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver |
| GPU | Adreno 620 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Internal | 128GB |
| Camera | 12.2 MP (wide), dual pixel PDAF, OIS 16 MP (119Ëš ultrawide) LED flash, Pixel Shift, Auto-HDR, panorama, gyro-EIS Max – 4K@30/60fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Auto-HDR Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, LDAC |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Sensors | Rear-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Battery | Li-Po 4680 mAh Fast charging 18W USB Power Delivery 2.0 |
| Colors | Black |
| Expected Price | $450 (Rs 33,000) approx. |
Google Pixel 5a Pros and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the Google Pixel 5a smartphone.
Pros
- Gorilla glass 3 protection.
- IP67 water and dust resistance.
- Full HD OLED screen.
- Latest Android 11 upgradable to Android 12.
- Decent performance chipset.
- 4K video recording with gyro-EIS support.
- Decent image quality in daylight.
- Long battery life with 18W fast charging.
- Stereo speakers are present.
- NFC and 5G enabled.
Cons
- No SD card support.
- Single RAM and storage option.
- Available in black color option only.
- No wireless charging support.
- An optical zoom camera is missing.
- Similar old design.
- No custom UI support.
- Old school rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Conclusion
Based only on the hardware of the Google Pixel 5a smartphone, it wouldn’t be good to buy a smartphone at that price. Although the price is lower than the previous Pixel 5, it’s not worth your money with such a mid-range budget. You can certainly adopt the built-in features, including the brilliant Snapdragon chipset, a nice screen, but the camera and battery section won’t appeal to you at all. In fact, there’s a bigger battery pack than the previous model, so the smartphone can deliver more battery life but you will miss wireless and reverse charging. With limited specs, the Google Pixel 5a does not fit your choice at this high price range.
So here are our recommendations. It would be better to go for the Xiaomi Poco X3 GT where you have more specs in a decent price range.
