The Pixel 5 will not get an XL-sized friend this year, though that role is somewhat filled by the second phone unveiled today. The 5 is the more premium device of the two, however – let’s have a look. The biggest (and perhaps most controversial) change is the switch to a Snapdragon 765G chipset. You will no longer get top-of-the-line chipset with the top Pixel model, though previous models often came with under-clocked chipsets. Performance was never Google’s goal, especially since it has a custom chip doing all the camera magic.
The camera brings the second change that
may raise eyebrows. The previous model had a telephoto cam, this one forgoes
zooming in favor of a 16MP ultrawide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture and 1.0um
pixel size.
Zooming will be done with the main 12.2 MP
camera with 1.4um pixel size, as well as Google’s AI algorithms. This sensor
doesn’t have particularly large pixels for night time shooting nor high
resolution for lossless digital zoom, Google is betting it all on computational
photography.
You do get OIS and a relatively bright
f/1.7 lens, though. Also, despite this not being an 8-series Snapdragon, these
are the first Pixels to support 4K recording at 60 fps (no 8K, of course, the
sensor doesn’t have the resolution). The display on the Pixel 5 has a 6.0”
diagonal – the average of Pixel 4’s 5.7” and 4 XL’s 6.3” displays. The
resolution is the same 1080p+, but this is a 90Hz display.
The S765G chipset packs an X52 modem that
enables 5G connectivity. Sub-6 is supported on all Pixel 5 versions, while in
some countries it will also work on mmWave networks. You only get Wi-Fi 5 (aka
802.11ac) instead of Wi-Fi 6.
That is used to charge the 4,080 mAh
battery at 18W. For comparison, the Pixel 4 XL had a 3,700 mAh battery, which
proved average in terms of endurance. The extra capacity along with the S765G
chip should help this phone last considerably longer though.
The body is IP68-certified for dust and
water resistance. It is made out of recycled aluminum and is textured for
better grip (and to hide fingerprints). Despite this, it somehow still manages
to get wireless charging built-in, as well as reverse wireless charging. There
is a new color this year, Sorta Sage, to go with the standard Just Black.
Notice the rear-mounted fingerprint reader (the Pixel 4 generation relied on
face recognition instead of fingerprints).
Pre-orders for the Google Pixel 5 start
today ahead of availability in eight countries on October 15, and the US on
October 29. The phone is priced at US$ 700/€ 630/£ 599. If you pre-order one between
now and October 14, you'll be receiving a free pair of Bose QC 35 II wireless
headphones. This offer is only valid in Germany, France, Ireland, and the UK,
and only while stocks last.
