Google Pixel 5A review: Snappy performance, familiar design

Google’s newest Pixel phone is solid and affordable at $449, even if the 5G support leaves plenty of hanging questions.

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Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.

Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming,

CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise.

Pixel 5A with 5G

Pros

• Nice screen
• Speedy performance
• IP67 water-resistant
• Affordable price

Cons

Update, July 21, 2022: Google has since replaced the Pixel 5A with 5G with the Pixel 6A. You can read our full Pixel 6A review for the latest model. Last year’s review of the Pixel 5A with 5G continues unchanged below.

Google’s $449 Pixel 5A with 5G is the second major Pixel announcement this year, hot on the heels of the Pixel 6 teaser earlier this month . It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor that powers a 6.34-inch OLED display. The phone also has IP67 water- and dust-resistance.

So while Google’s highest-end Pixel 6 and 6 Pro phones will include the new in-house Tensor chip, the 5A (as I’ll call it from now on) will have more in common with last year’s Pixel 4A 5G . For Pixel fans with deeper pockets, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s chip and redesign could be exciting, but this Pixel likely will be shooting for a more budget-conscious crowd.

For the value, it’s hard to not like what Google has done with the Pixel 5A. The only real thing holding it back is Google’s inability to commit to supporting upcoming 5G networks that are set to start coming online in a few months.

If you’re looking for a cheaper Pixel, you won’t have to wait for the Pixel 6’s release date sometime this fall, as the 5A will be released on Aug. 26 and can be bought in the US carrier-unlocked directly from Google or with Google Fi. The phone will also be available in Japan. (While it’s not coming to the UK or Australia, the price converts to roughly £320 or AU$630.)

I’ve spent the past few days with Google’s new phone. While it feels like a worthy successor to the Pixel 4A 5G so far, here’s what you’ll want to keep in mind if you want a cheaper 5G Pixel or Android phone on a budget .

Snappy performance, familiar design

The 5A’s chip is the same as the one used in last year’s 4A 5G: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. The similarities don’t end there, as both phones also have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. They each have similar front and rear cameras with a hole punch for the front camera, and both have a fingerprint reader on the back and a 3.5mm headphone jack on top.

The camera system is nearly identical to last year’s Pixel 4A with 5G (and the Pixel 5). It has the same lenses and all the same features, including a portrait mode, Night Sight and an ultrawide lens. In my week with the phone, the cameras proved versatile and more than capable of taking crisp photos during the day and at night.

For more on the Pixel’s cameras, see our Pixel 5 review last year.

Google Pixel 5a review: Better battery, better price, same great phone

“Why does this phone exist?” To prove Pixels can actually do battery right.

Android Central Verdict

Water resistance and much longer battery life help turn the thoroughly average Pixel 4a 5G into the belle of the mid-range ball, aka the Pixel 5a. Google has finally listened to what users want and given us practical upgrades rather than pretty colors and shiny surfaces.

Pros

• + Two-day battery life
• + Screen is easy to read outdoors
• + Smooth performance from 765G
• + Decent camera for the price
• + IP67 dust and water resistance
• + Still has rear fingerprint reader and headphone jack

Cons

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The Google Pixel line has suffered from fatal flaws in previous generations, but one that crops up time and time again is short battery life. The Pixel 4 was essentially killed by its own small battery, and the Pixel 3 was barely any better. 2020’s Pixel 5 had a good enough battery to get through a good day, and that was a banner achievement for Google after years of battery woes.

The Pixel 4a 5G was in the same boat: it could get through the day with its battery, but it was too expensive to compete with the mid-range phones and too underpowered to fight with some of the best Android phones in the $500-$700 range in 2020 — like the Pixel 5 once it got down to $600. Performance was fine, but it just didn’t fit anywhere in the United States market.

After rumors it would cancel the Pixel 5a due to chip shortages, Google only released it in the United States and Japan, where it had to ensure the 5a could compete properly in both features and price. While it certainly looked like Google just copied the 4a 5G, it did make a few key differences that made the Pixel 5a a much better option for mid-range buyers.

Now, with the Pixel 6a due out on July 28, the 5a might not remain on sale for long, outside of resale markets. Is it still worth buying today? Read our Pixel 5a review and judge for yourself.

Google Pixel 5a Price and availability

Google released the Google Pixel 5a on August 26, 2021, in only two countries: the United States and Japan. Pricing is standard at $449 and ¥51,700. The unlocked Pixel 5a is compatible with all major American networks, but without mmWave 5G, it will not be able to use Verizon’s Ultra Wideband network, only sub6 5G and LTE 4G.

The phone is only available domestically at the Google Store, it has not shown up at major retailers nor at carrier stores; if you want the Pixel 5a, you need to buy directly from Google. Thus, when the Pixel 6a launches in late July, it’s highly likely the supply of Pixel 5a units will dry up quickly, as the 5a would interfere with new 6a sales.

Google Pixel 5a: Hardware (and how it varies from the 4a 5G)

I’m going to keep this short because the Pixel 5a’s design is virtually identical to the Pixel 4a 5G, and most of the inside specs are the same, too. The name Google came up with is “Mostly Black” as opposed to 2020’s Just Black; while Mostly Black may be a few shades brighter, it’s definitely still a black phone, though an argument could be made for deep charcoal.

The power is a lighter gray — no bright colors here like on the 4a 5G, sorry — and it has a wavy texture across it to help distinguish it from the volume rocker. All buttons are nice, firm, and clicky, with no wobble or mushiness. The USB-C port and stereo speakers are still at the bottom while the headphone jack sits up top and the SIM tray slot is on the lower left bumper.

The phone has a pleasant heft without feeling heavy, and while it’s a bit big for my small hands, it was easy enough to reach the top left corner (I hold my phone left-handed), but I quickly grabbed a PopSocket to make reaching the right side of the screen easier. I wish that the Pixel 5a was small like the Pixel 4a was, but most of you like bigger screens, so this was built for you. The size here is a teeny bit taller than the Pixel 4a 5G for the screen and a teeny bit thicker for the battery.

Once you move from the outside to the inside, things get even more similar. We have the same Snapdragon 765G that’s been in such high demand during the neverending chip shortage, and it’s paired with the same memory, storage, and cameras. I’ve bolded the differences between the two generations to help distinguish how little has changed here:

The 6.34-inch screen is very easy to see outside, and while many were hoping or expecting this to be a 90Hz screen, Google opted to keep it 60Hz for the 5a, and I’m content with that. 120Hz and 90Hz look great but burn more battery, and the Pixel 5a doesn’t want to waste it on something most “regular” users won’t notice. Heck, I’ve been on the Galaxy S21 for six months before this phone, and I don’t really notice the 120Hz difference unless I am gaming. 60Hz performs just fine for me.

Speaking of performance, the Pixel 4a 5G was a decent phone, and Google decided not to break the mold for its successor. Instead, we get the water resistance that Pixel A-owners have spent years begging for, along with a 20% bigger battery that Google’s optimizations and the Snapdragon 765’s efficiency can sip for hours, if not days. Case in point, I took the 5a off the charger 21 hours ago, and it’s now sitting at 41% after 7 hours of screen on time. But we’ll get to the battery in a bit. First, let’s talk about the software that provides that optimized battery and performance.

Google Pixel 5a: Software and performance

The Pixel 5a launched with Android 11 and all of the Pixel-exclusive features like Duplex-powered call screening and the best spam blocker on the market. Apps are quick to open, I can multitask between 2-4 apps easily with the 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage means there’s plenty of room for my YouTube Music downloads and loading up on Disney+ before my next trip.

I’ve seen a few times where the Twitter app becomes unresponsive until I back out and go back in, but I’m on the Twitter Beta and think it has more to do with that. App hangs have been scarce, the Overview menu is smooth and quick to swipe apps out of when I’m done with them, and the Pixel Launcher does okay — though I still opted for Smart Launcher 5 after a day just because it’s what I’m used to.

Since the initial review, Android 12 came to the Pixel 5a, making it one of the first phones to receive features like the Pixel-exclusive dynamic color theming system in Material You and enhanced permissions and privacy tools.

Overall, the Pixel 5a gives you the classic, smooth vanilla Android we’ve grown accustomed to after years of Material Design and Google’s subtle sculpting of the Pixel aesthetic. Settings are where they should be, there’s very little bloat installed at launch — as opposed to the dozens on my last few Galaxy phones — and everything that’s here works well. It’s not sexy, but it works well, and there’s no nonsense.

Google Pixel 5a: Battery

The 4680mAh battery is significantly larger than the “decent battery” found in the Pixel 4a 5G, and with it powering the same components and a barely bigger 60Hz screen, the Pixel 5a will absolutely get you through the day and then some. As I’ve said before, if you want to stress test a phone, you take it to a theme park, and not even two trips to the Magic Kingdom with gaming, reading, and camera testing could kill the battery in a single day.

The Pixel 5a’s battery is simply unbeatable.

Even with six hours of screen on time — at least three of those at max brightness in the Florida sun — I was still at 21% by the end of the night. In fact, I got over six hours of screen time every day of my week with the Pixel 5a, except for the day of Samsung Unpacked, where I finished the day with 60% battery and three hours of screen time. I’m sitting at 36% with 7.25 hours screen on, and I unplugged the phone from the charger 22 hours ago. At the end of the night, I got 11 hours when I hit 5% and finally plugged it in before bed.

If you forget to charge your phone at night, if you have a chaotic job where your day could end at 5 PM or keep going till 3 AM, the Google Pixel 5a will not leave you stranded. The only disappointment around the battery is that I cannot charge it wirelessly. However, between a lower capacity but wireless charging and higher capacity but no wireless charging, higher capacity will win every time.

While battery-beast phones like the Galaxy A42 5G and Motorola Edge usually ask you to sacrifice camera quality, software quality, or portability, the Google Pixel 5a gives you great battery life alongside speedy software updates and the latest Android features.