Pixel 4a

iPhone SE vs Pixel 4a vs OnePlus Nord vs Samsung Galaxy A71!

So, I’ve got four Phones right here: the iPhone SE 2020, the Google Pixel 4a, the OnePlus Nord as well as the Samsung Galaxy A71. All of these Phones cost between $300-$400, so I really want to see which one is worth it the most?

In this video, I’ll be comparing everything from the Design, Display, Camera, Performance, Special Features, Battery & Price to let you decide which one out of all these four Phones is the best one for you! We have seven sections and I want you to pick a Phone for each of those sections and then at the end you’ll see which Phone is the best for you, as that’s the one that you’ve picked the most. 

Get those snacks ready and enjoy! 

Design

Starting off with the Design, these four Phones couldn’t be any more different.

On the front, the iPhone SE has the most outdated Design as it uses the exact same front as the iPhone 6 from 2014. The Pixel and the Samsung are very similar, as in they both have extremely thin Bezels and just a Single Camera Cutout, the Samsung in the middle and the Pixel on the left. The OnePlus is similar as well, the only difference is that it has a Dual Camera Cutout on the front, rather than a Single.

The new, reduced price of the A71 makes it a far superior alternative to the lower-end A51.

The new, reduced price of the A71 makes it a far superior alternative to the lower-end A51.

Design is indeed a personal preference, but from the front at least, I do prefer the Galaxy A71 the most. Just as a side note, in case some of you are wondering why we chose the A71 rather than the A51, the A71 has now dropped in price and it does have better specs than the A51. Taking a look at the back and the Build Quality, there are some major differences between these Phones. 

The Galaxy A71 definitely feels the cheapest. It has a full Plastic back and Frame surrounding it. Then it’s the Pixel 4a, which still has a Plastic back, but since it’s Matte and the Frame itself blends in with the back, it does indeed feel far more premium than the A71 does. Then we have the OnePlus Nord, which uses a Glass back and a Plastic Frame. This one already feels so much better than the other two. Finally, we have the iPhone SE, which has a full Glass back and a Metal Frame. The iPhone definitely feels the most premium, but we do have that six year old Design on the front, whereas these other three Phones all use a modern 2019/2020 Design. 

So, out of all these four, I actually do like the OnePlus Nord the most, Design-wise. We have a very modern looking front, while not necessarily sacrificing too much on the Build Quality. That’s my pick but let me know which one you’d pick, Design-wise.

Display

Moving on to the Display and I have to say, all of these Phones have a very good Display Panel. There’s not a single one that I wouldn’t recommend, but there are indeed some differences between all of these Phones.

The biggest difference is when it comes to the Size. If you’re looking for a small and compact Phone, then the iPhone and the Pixel are the best options. They’re about the same size, the Pixel 4a is only a tiny bit bigger but the Display size difference is quite noticeable. The iPhone has the smallest Display, at 4.7”, while the Pixel 4a has the second smallest, at 5.8”. The good news is that you can easily use both of these Phones with one hand, whereas the other two are just so much bigger. The OnePlus Nord comes with a 6.44” Display, while the Galaxy A71 comes with the biggest Display out of these, a 6.7” Panel.

With the A71, bigger is not necessarily better.

With the A71, bigger is not necessarily better.

Now, the second big difference between these Displays is the Display Panel technology that they each use. All of  these Phones except the iPhone, have an OLED Display. The iPhone has an LCD Panel. This means that you have perfect Black Levels and essentially an infinite Contrast on all of these, compared to the iPhone.

The third difference is when it comes to the Resolution and the Pixel Density. So here, the Pixel 4a actually has the highest at 443 PPI. Then, it’s the OnePlus at 408 PPI, then the Samsung at 393 PPI and then the iPhone at 326 PPI. What this means is that when you’re looking at the Displays up close, the Pixel 4a has the sharpest image, while the iPhone has the least sharpest image. If you watch a lot of YouTube videos, all these Phones, with the exception of the iPhone, can play 1440p as well as 1080p YouTube content. The iPhone can still play 1080p, but the Display is lower than 1080p so you’re not actually watching 1080p content here, but rather 720p at a higher Bit-Rate. 

The fourth difference is when it comes to colour and how good these Displays are for editing photos and videos. I personally prefer the Pixel and the iPhone as I feel like they do have the most natural colours, but the OnePlus and the Samsung are both very good as well. 

You get decent Displays with any of these models, but the OnePlus is my pick here.

You get decent Displays with any model, but I would say the OnePlus is my choice.

In terms of Brightness, the iPhone came out on top with a max of 720 Nits, then we had the Pixel narrowly behind at 710, with the OnePlus & Samsung much lower down at 560 & 550 respectively.

Then we have the Refresh Rate. All of these Phones, with the exception of the OnePlus Nord, have a 60Hz Refresh Rate. The OnePlus Nord has a 90Hz Refresh Rate, meaning that anything that you do on the OnePlus would feel significantly faster and more responsive than on the other Phones. Animations are 50% more fluid and using it in general feels so much nicer, compared to the other three Phones.

Now, those were the big changes, but there are a few more smaller differences as well. For example, the iPhone SE has a True-Tone Display, which can automatically adjust its Colour Temperature to match the lighting conditions around you, making it much easier on the eyes when you’re reading. The Samsung and the Pixel both feature an Always-On Display and the Pixel allows you to tap the Display once to turn it on, wheres on the OnePlus and Samsung you have to double-tap and on the iPhone you have to press the Home Button to even turn the Display on, which is not as convenient. 

Overall, I like the OnePlus Nord’s Display the most, but the Pixel is definitely on my second choice. Let me know which one has your favourite Display. 

Camera

Moving on to the Camera, this is where it gets tricky. The iPhone SE has a Single Camera Module, which is actually the exact same Camera as the Main Camera Module on the iPhone 11 Pro’s.The Pixel 4a also has a Single Camera Module, which is the same exact Camera as the Pixel 4 XL. So, both the SE and the 4a have flagship level Cameras.

The OnePlus Nord and Samsung Galaxy A71 on the other hand, have mid-range Camera Modules, each with four individual Modules, which I’ll get to in just a bit. 

The Nord is the only one with both an Ultra-Wide Angle & a Macro Module.

The Nord is the only one with both an Ultra-Wide Angle & a Macro Module.

The OnePlus Nord and the Samsung also have an Ultra-Wide Angle Module, which is something that we do not have on the iPhone or the Pixel. The OnePlus also has a 2MP Macro Module, but it’s pretty bad and I wouldn’t really use it, but it’s there. When it comes to night time photography, the iPhone is the only one that doesn’t have a Night Mode.

When it comes to video, the iPhone is the only one that can do 4K60, with all the other ones capping out at 4K30. Moving on to the Front-Facing Camera, pay attention to the HDR Processing and the Sharpness, if you get a chance to test these for yourself. In terms of front video, the OnePlus Nord can actually record 4K30/60, while the other ones are stuck to 1080p30.

Overall, when it comes to day-time shots, I like the iPhone SE the most. But the fact that we don’t have a Night Mode or an Ultra-Wide Angle Module might make you go for the OnePlus or Samsung, in case you’re looking for that extra bit of flexibility. My choice here is still the iPhone, as it does have the best video capabilities on the back and that’s something that I do use quite a lot, especially when I’m travelling. But, the Pixel 4a is an outstanding choice as well. It also comes with the Astrophotography Mode, which is still the best one on any Phone. 

Do let me know what was your choice in terms of the Camera. 

Performance

When it comes to the Performance, CPU wise, the iPhone SE has the most powerful Processor, which is the Apple A13 Chip. This is the exact same Processor that’s inside the iPhone 11 Pro.

The iPhone SE 2020 comes with the best Chip, but the Pixel is very well optimised for what it has.

The iPhone SE 2020 comes with the best Chip, but the Pixel is very well optimised for what it has.

All of the other Smartphones have mid-range level Processors, with the OnePlus having the second most powerful Chip, the Snapdragon 765G, while the Pixel and the Samsung both have the Snapdragon 730G Processor. With the RAM, the iPhone has 3GB, while the Samsung and the Pixel both have 6GB, the OnePlus has 8GB.

When it comes to the Storage, the iPhone has 64GB as the baseline, while the other three all have 128GB. After using these Phones, I have to say that the OnePlus definitely feels the fastest. That 90Hz Refresh Rate makes a massive difference, so even though it is not the most powerful one, using it makes it feel like it is.

Special Features

What about the Special Features? Is there anything unique that each of these Phones has? Ironically, the iPhone actually has the highest number of Special Features. We have IP67 Water Resistance up to 1m of depth for up to 30 minutes, as well as Wireless Charging.The OnePlus Nord is indeed sealed on the inside, so it might be able to sustain some water, but it doesn’t have any official IP Rating.

What Apple saved on the Design, they put into adding some very useful features.

What Apple saved on the Design, they put into adding some very useful features.

While the iPhone and the Pixel have a Capacitive Fingerprint Reader, the Samsung and the OnePlus have an In-Display Fingerprint Reader. Samsung’s one is ok, but the OnePlus Fingerprint Reader is crazy fast. The Samsung however, has a microSD Slot, in case you want to expand that Storage even further.

In terms of the Speakers, the iPhone and the Pixel both have Stereo Speakers, while the OnePlus and the Samsung have Mono Speakers. If you care about 5G, the OnePlus Nord is only one that supports 5G, but the Samsung & the Pixel have a Headphone Jack.

Now, there is one more Special Feature which makes a huge difference on these Phones, and that is the Haptics. The iPhone, the Pixel and the OnePlus all support Haptic Feedback. The typing experience is by far the best on the Pixel, followed by the OnePlus. The iPhone doesn’t have any Haptic Feedback on the Keyboard, unless you install the Google Keyboard.

Overall, in terms of Special Features, I gotta give this one to the iPhone. Water Resistance, Wireless Charging, Stereo Speakers and those Haptics, these are all some very useful things to have. 

Battery 

When it comes to the battery, the iPhone has the smallest Battery at 1821mAh, followed by the Pixel 4a at 3140mAh, then the OnePlus at 4115mAh and then the Samsung at 4500mAh. I haven’t used these for long enough to be able to tell you which will last you the longest, I would put my money on that being the OnePlus Nord, especially if you set the Refresh Rate to 60Hz.

All of these Phones support Fast Charging up to around 50% in 30 minutes, but the OnePlus supports up to 70% in 30 minutes and it already comes with a ‘Warp’ Charger in the box, whereas the iPhone, for example does not. Battery wise, the OnePlus takes this one. 

Price 

So in the end, which one is worth it the most? Well, at the moment, in the UK for example, the iPhone SE costs £420. The OnePlus Nord costs £380, the Samsung Galaxy A71 costs £360 and the Pixel 4a costs £350.

Now, in terms of each of the previous categories, I picked:

These are the prices for each one at the time of writing. We chose the Nord, which one would you get?

These are the prices for each one at the time of writing. We chose the Nord, which one would you get?

Design - OnePlus Nord, 

Display - OnePlus Nord 

Camera - Pixel 4a

Performance - OnePlus Nord

Special Features - iPhone SE

Battery - OnePlus Nord

Price -  Pixel 4a

So my choice here is definitely the OnePlus Nord, but another thing that you should keep in mind when buying these Phones is longevity. The iPhone SE, since it’s an Apple product and it also comes with the A13 Processor, will be supported for many years to come. 

Google does tend to support their Phones for a long period of time, but the Pixel 4a comes with the Snapdragon 730 Processor, which is a bit on the lower-end so I’m not sure how well this Phone will age up. I actually think the OnePlus Nord will age up better and then in last place we have the Samsung Galaxy A71.

Google Pixel 4a - My First Impressions!

Google sent over their brand new Pixel 4a in what is a pretty soft launch for a Smartphone. If you want to see the live Unboxing, you can check out the video above. For now, we’re going to focus on my First Impressions after spending a day with it. So, let’s get into it.

Design

Design-wise, I absolutely love it. It’s very tiny at 5.8” and is almost identical to an iPhone X, XS or an iPhone 11 Pro and around the same size as the iPhone SE 2020. This is a very small Smartphone, which is easily usable with just one hand. The back is made out of Plastic, so there is no Glass here as this is only a £350 device. We also have a Fingerprint Reader on the back with no In-Display Fingerprint Reader at all. Additionally, I also really love how the Camera Module looks, it’s so tiny and cute. The Pixel 4a just looks like a baby Pixel 4.

A nice inclusion for their target market.

A nice inclusion for their target market.

On the right-hand side we have a coloured Power Button, as well as the Volume Slider. On the top, we have a Microphone and a Headphone Jack, I haven’t seen this in ages! I guess that, because of the lower price, Google assumes that the market that they are targeting this at would not have Wireless Headphones. This is a good option for just giving people more options as you can, of course, still use Wireless Headphones on this if you want. We don’t have anything on the left-hand side and finally on the bottom we have the Speaker, a USB C Charging Port as well as the other Microphone. Speaking of Speakers, we do have Stereo Speakers on this, which is fairly rare to see on low-to-mid range Smartphones. 

Moving on to the Display and like I said before, this is a 5.8” Panel but what I haven’t said is that this is actually an outstanding Panel, especially at this price. It is an OLED Display with a Resolution of 2340x1080 and a PPI of 443. It supports HDR as well as Google’s ‘Now Playing’ feature, which shows you the exact song that’s playing in the background, even when you’re not connected to the internet, which I think is just insane. It is a 60Hz Panel but it does support Always-On functionality. The fact that we have no Notch or thick Bezels, but rather a single small cut-out for the Front Camera, makes this the best looking Pixel Phone that Google has ever released, in my opinion.

Camera

The Pixel 4a can still do 4K60 Video Recording.

The Pixel 4a can still do 4K60 Video Recording.

So what about the Camera? Most of the people that would buy a Pixel Smartphone, would buy it for that amazing Camera. Well, I’m pleased to say that the Camera on the Pixel 4a is identical to the main Camera on the Pixel 4. That means that this is a 12.2MP Sensor with 1.4μm Pixels and an f/1.7 Aperture. The Front Camera is also identical to the one on the Pixel 4, an 8MP Sensor with 1.22μm Pixels and an f/2.0 Aperture. We have 4K Video Recording with the Back-Facing Camera but only at 30 FPS. Again, this is the same as on the Pixel 4.

We even get Optical Image Stabilisation and Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus, which is something that you usually only see on high-end Smartphones. You even get the insane Astrophotography Mode, which is still the best way to take photos of the night sky on any Smartphone. We got this with the Pixel 4 first and now we also have it on the 4a.The Pixel 4 had one of the best Cameras ever, on a Smartphone, and we’re getting that on a Phone that costs £350, which is pretty incredible.

Specs

The Processor is not the fastest, but Google do a great job of optimising what they do have.

The Processor is not the fastest, but Google do a great job of optimising what they do have.

 Then, we come to the Specs? Well, CPU wise, we get the Snapdragon 730G Processor, which from these ‘Geekbench’ results, is significantly less powerful than a Pixel 4’s Snapdragon 855 or not even to mention the iPhone SE”s Apple A13 Chip. But, using the Pixel 4a seems to be just fine. It’s very fast, very responsive, so it looks like Google has done an outstanding job when it comes to optimising the software for this lower-end hardware. The only place where I’ve definitely noticed a Performance downgrade, over the Pixel 4, was when processing photos, but that’s was it. We also get 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, the same as on the Pixel 4, as well as 128GB of storage, which is again the same as on the Pixel 4. 

Special Features

So what about the Special Features? Is there anything we’re missing out on, from the Pixel 4? Well, we don’t get Wireless Charging or Water Resistance. That 3D Depth Sensing Array on the front is gone and so is the FaceUnlock.The Speakers are a bit worse but other than that, we get most of the features. Even Fast Charging is just as fast as on the Pixel 4, up to 18W, and we do get a Fast Charger bundled in the box, which is great. 

The Haptic Engine on this feels amazing and I’m not talking about a Vibration Motor, I’m literally talking about the Haptic Engine. This is actually a first for a Phone of this price to include. It feels pretty much as good as the one on the Pixel 4, meaning that the typing experience is absolutely incredible.

So, what’s the catch then? Well, it only comes in one size and only in this one single black colour but other than that, this is just an outstanding Smartphone. Now, is it better than the iPhone SE, or the OnePlus Nord or the Samsung A71?

Pixel 5 - Google’s Making a MASSIVE Change!

What is happening with the Google Pixel 5? 

Google’s upcoming Smartphone for 2020 seems to have been completely forgotten, or so you would think, since we haven’t had any major leaks yet. By this time last year, Google themselves even tweeted the full Design of the Pixel 4 because of how many leaks we had at that point.

Not only that, but we even had full Review videos of the Pixel 4, months before the Phone was even announced. The Pixel 4 ended up being the most leaked Phone since the iPhone 4. Whether or not some of this was done on purpose, we cannot know for sure. But, what we do know is that the Pixel 5 is just three months away and we’ve barely heard anything about it. 

So, here’s everything that we do know about the Pixel 5, so far!

Design

Let’s be honest, Google has never had a good looking Pixel Phone. The Pixel 1 from 2016 looked just like the iPhone, which at that time had some gigantic Bezels. Not only that, but the fact that the Pixel also had the Android Navigation Bar made that chin look even more gigantic and the back just looked…weird.

The Pixel 2 from 2017 thinned out the Bezels considerably, but 2017 was when we got the iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy S8, so we started getting Bezel-less Smartphones and Google was, once again, at least a year behind.

Then, the Pixel 3 from 2018 had that gigantic Notch, even bigger than on the iPhone, but that Notch didn’t have any 3D Facial Recognition Sensors, like on the iPhone. Instead, it only had a secondary Front Camera, which was a Wide Angle, but that was it. The back of the Pixel 3 was improved with the inclusion of Frosted Glass, which I absolutely loved.

The Pixel 4 in Orange was easily the best looking Phone in that line-up.

The Pixel 4 in Orange was easily the best looking Phone in that line-up.

Then in 2019, we had the Pixel 4 and instead of Google removing that gigantic Notch altogether, like what most of the competition was already doing, Google went back to the Pixel 2’s Design with thicker Bezels on the top and bottom. Now, we did get a 3D Depth Sensing Camera with the Pixel 4, just like the iPhone, but the Pixel 4 still looked very out-dated.

That’s the thing, when you build a Smartphone, you can indeed make it extremely exciting for us (the tech nerds) by adding Sensors that can sense your hand from 30cm away and cool stuff like that. But, the majority of people won’t care about that at all, they only care about how good the Phone looks and how much it costs. With the Pixel 5, it seems like Google will finally be focusing on these two things.

We’ve had a recent link from ‘xleaks7’ who, in partnership with ‘Pigtou’, shared some CAD Models and some renders of the Pixel 5. It seems that Google will finally bring a modern Display to the Pixel line by dropping the Notch and the Forehead altogether, going for an In-Display Camera Cutout. You know, just like what other manufacturers have been doing since early 2019. The Frame surrounding the Phone, the Bezel, is now thinner and seems to resemble the one that we have on the iPhone X. The sides are pretty much identical to the Pixel 4, with a coloured Power Button and a Volume Button on the right-hand side and nothing on the left, aside from the SIM Card Tray. The back is really where we might see some more changes. 

So, on the leaked CAD files, the Camera is just identical to the Pixel 4 one, at least when it comes to the number of Modules. This is very disappointing to see as most Smartphone manufacturers are moving towards four and even five Camera Modules, Google is still sticking with just two. Also, the Fingerprint Reader from the Pixel 3 is returning, at least according to the CAD Models.

I honestly don’t see this happening at all. Everyone has been using In-Display Fingerprint Readers for a few years now and I really don’t see Google going back in time and having a Fingerprint Reader on the back but it is Google, so anything’s possible. We’ve actually removed that from our Concept and we’ve obviously embedded that into the Display Assembly, we’ve also added one more Camera Module for a total of three.

Finally, when it comes to the colours, the Pixel 5 is rumoured to come in two colours, Black and White, but I would expect them to release at least one “special colour”, similar to the ones we’ve seen previously such as “Oh So Orange, “Purple-ish” and “Not Pink”. We haven’t had any leaks in terms of that, so we’ve created our own colour. We call this ‘Tasteful Turquoise’ and I think it just looks incredible, especially with that white Power Button. I would definitely buy this, should Google actually release this colour.

Display

We’re likely getting a smaller Display, with no improvements in terms of the Refresh Rate.

We’re likely getting a smaller Display, with no improvements in terms of the Refresh Rate.

That was the Design so, what about the Display? The Pixel 4 had a 90Hz Refresh Rate, so will we get anything crazy like 120Hz this year? According to all the leaks that we’ve seen, Google will be keeping the same 90Hz Refresh Rate as last year but the Display size is said to be getting smaller, from 6.3” to 5.78”, making it around the same size as the iPhone XS. This is still said to be an AMOLED Display, with a QHD Resolution.

However, this year it seems like we would also be getting the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a XL. According to some code found by ‘9to5Google’ in the latest version of the Google Search app, Google would not have a Pixel 5 XL and instead, they would only have a Pixel 4a, 4a 5G and Pixel 5. 

Speaking of the Pixel 4a, the official render of the Pixel 4a has appeared on Google’s website and we even got to see a full billboard featuring the 4a, which matches with the Design of the Google website listing. It seems like the Pixel 4a’s launch is imminent and the Pixel 5 leaks seem to match up with the 4a’s front Design, so it is quite likely that Google would be announcing all of these, at the same time.

That’s also why there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to the Specs, as we’ve seen reports that Google would keep the Pixel 5 as a mid-range device this year, which I’ll cover more in just a second. 

Camera

With the Pixel’s Camera, Google’s Software was always key.

With the Pixel’s Camera, Google’s Software was always key.

In terms of the Camera, ‘OnLeaks’ has posted a schematic that shows not just all of the upcoming Pixel phones for 2020, but also their Camera Arrangement. He did mention that this is likely not 100% accurate, at least on the Pixel 5’s side, as we’re still awaiting on a lot of details to be confirmed. Nonetheless, that schematic does point to the Pixel 5 having a Triple Lens Camera Module, as opposed to the Dual on the 4a. But, one of these Modules would be the Flash, which would mean that the Pixel 5 only has two Cameras, the same as the Pixel 4. The Pixel 4a would only have one Camera.

The leaks are also saying that the Main Camera on the Pixel 4a would be identical to the Pixel 4’s, which was mostly identical to the Pixel 3’s Camera. We don’t know yet if that second Module on the Pixel 5 would be the same Telephoto that we had on the Pixel 4, or a new Ultra-Wide Angle Module. I’m really hoping that it’s an Ultra-Wide, or even better, a Triple Lens Camera with both a Telephoto and an Ultra-Wide Angle Module.

But the thing is, even-if the hardware remains the same, Google’s magic is all in Software. That is why the Pixel Phones have such a great Camera, because of that Google Image Processing. 

Performance

When it comes to the Performance, this is a bit of an odd one. We’ve seen many reports that Google would not be including a new flagship level Processor in the Pixel 5 this year, so no Snapdragon 865, but instead they would be using Qualcomm’s mid-range 765G Processor. This is a fairly decent Processor and also Qualcomm’s lowest-entry Chip that would give you 5G.

In terms of RAM, the Pixel has always fallen short of its flagship competitors.

In terms of RAM, the Pixel has always fallen short of its flagship competitors.

But, the problem here is that all the leaks are saying that both the Pixel 4a, the 4a XL and the Pixel 5 will all have this Chip. This begs the question…what will the Pixel 5 have over the 4a’s, aside from that extra Camera Lens? Also, why would Google make such a move?

Keep in mind that the Pixel Phones, as they were released in October, are quite late in terms of implementing a new Processor. Qualcomm announces their new Chips in December. So, just two months after the Pixel Phones launch, they would already be outclassed by a faster Processor. While Pixel Phones were very well optimised in the past, we haven’t really had any performance issues. RAM management issues were always a problem, as Pixel Phones only came with 4 or 6GB of RAM when other Smartphones already have 8GB, 12GB or even 16GB. The Pixel 5 is said to be sticking to 6GB of RAM. 

Special Features

When it comes to Special Features, Water Resistance and Wireless Charging will still be there, at least on the Pixel 5, but it seems like the 3D Facial Recognition Camera Array on the front is going away. 

While that is a bit of shame to see, as Google has even done a better job when it comes to Face-Unlock than even Apple, the majority of users would still pick a better looking Phone than a not so great looking Phone that comes with more features.

Battery 

In terms of Battery Life, the Pixel 4 had a fairly poor one. The 4 XL was better, but it still wasn’t great.

At the moment, we don’t have any leaks in terms of the Pixel 5’s Battery Life but from the looks of it, it would remain identical to the Pixel 4’s, or even getting a bit smaller due to the entire Device being smaller. Fast Charging is also expected to remain the same at 18W. 

Release Date

The Pixel 5 is likely to break away from the usual October launch.

The Pixel 5 is likely to break away from the usual October launch.

When are the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 going to be released? Well, the Pixel 4a’s launch seems to be imminent. Not just judging but the sheer number of leaks that we’ve had on it, but also by the leaked press image on Google’s website. Plus, the Pixel 4a has been long overdue, this was supposed to launch back in May. 

The Pixel 5 on the other hand, is a bit of a different story. You see, Pixel Phones have always launched around October, but we’ve also had a ton of leaks in the past, around this time. This means that Google could either delay the Pixel 5 until November, or even December, or they could be releasing the Pixel 5 alongside the 4a’s as a slightly higher-end version of it, rather than a true flagship Smartphone. I do think that this is what will happen. 

Price 

The problem with Pixel Phones has always been the fact that they were priced like flagship Smartphones, but they lacked a lot of features that the competition had. These were Features such as a modern Design, a high amount of RAM or a Dual/Triple Camera Module. Even the Processors were out of date two months after the Pixel Phones launched.

However, with Google marketing the Pixel 5 as a mid-range device rather than a flagship, they can still keep most of those features and they can cut back on the CPU Performance. This was already pretty good to be honest. All of this means that they can drop the price as a result. Therefore, the Pixel 4a is said to start at $350, while the Pixel 5 would be priced around $500-$700. However, the Pixel 5 would need to seriously outclass the 4a’s, if Google wants to charge this much for it. 

So, at the end of the day, there’s nothing really that points to the Pixel 5 being a revolutionary Smartphone at all, or even a Smartphone that competes with the flagships of today. Google has tried to compete with the flagships for so many years now and aside from the Camera, which was indeed flagship level, they have failed. They seemed to have just moved into another direction, focusing on the mid-range market instead.