After a long wait, they finally fixed the most common problem Pixels have: SMALL BATTERIES!
After a long long delay, the company finally released the Pixel 5A. Just in time before the actual star of the show Pixel 6 series would arrive. Because this is a cheaper variant of the Pixel 5, it would not cannibalize sales of the Pixel 6 series and can be seen as a worthy alternative.
In comparison to the Pixel 5, this phone retains the SD765G and the OLED screen, although at the cost of refresh rate. This phone also uses a weaker Gorilla Glass 3 in contrast to the Pixel 5’s CG Glass 6.
Google also finally solved the biggest problem of the Pixels since inception, that is the small batteries. While the Pixel 5 does pack a 4080mAh battery, this one uses a larger 4680mAh battery with the same 18W fast charging as the Pixel 5. Although this battery is not as big as compared to even the most budget phones, it’s a good start and hopefully they can make this battery larger.
The Pixel 5A however does not support wireless or reverse charging. This is partly compensated with the inclusion of the headphone jack. The phone has only 6GB RAM while the Pixel 5 has 8GB RAM. You can’t expand the storage beyond 128GB and the worst part, Google removed their free unlimited photos and videos storage plan on their Pixels, making them eat their own words when they advertised the Google Pixel 2.
In comparison with the Pixel 4A, the Pixel 5A has a larger battery. Although that’s pretty much the difference. All three phones use the same camera setup: a 12.2mp main and a 16mp ultrawide. Although the Pixel 5A has a wider field of view of 119° in contrast to the 4A and 5’s 107°. All three phones use an 8mp selfie camera and the proprietary GCAM suite the phones are known for.
The Pixel 5A is available for pre-orders in North America for $449 (~Php 22.6K). You can pre-order it via the Pixel website. You have a choice of pre-ordering the phone unlocked or T-Mobile locked via Google Fi at no additional cost. (For US residents only).
For now, we’re waiting for the Pixel 6 and that amazing camera bar design.