The Pixel 5a with 5G: A Mid-Range Marvel with Some Important Cuts

Google has released its latest mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 5a with 5G, which is a successor to last year's Pixel 4a with 5G. The phone boasts some nice improvements despite not being a significant upgrade over its predecessor.

Both the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 5a run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G processor, which is a common sight in many mid-range smartphones. This processor provides six gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of storage, similar to last year's model. The cameras are also identical to those found on the Pixel 4a, with a 12.2-megapixel dual-pixel main shooter, 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. Additionally, the phone still features a headphone jack, which is a welcome sight for audio enthusiasts.

One of the notable improvements in the Pixel 5a with 5G is its larger display, measuring 6.34 inches compared to the 6.2-inch screen on last year's model. The phone also has a bigger battery inside and comes with IP67 water and dust resistance, making it more durable than its predecessor.

Another significant upgrade is the starting price of the Pixel 5a with 5G, which is lower than that of the Pixel 4a with 5G. Google has taken steps to make this phone more affordable for consumers, while still maintaining the high standards associated with the Pixel brand.

The Pixel 5a with 5G includes a fast wire charger in the box, an 18-watt USB charger that can charge the phone from zero to 100% in about two hours. While it's not the fastest charger available, it's still more than enough for everyday use. However, it's worth noting that wireless charging is not supported on this model.

The most significant drawback of the Pixel 5a with 5G is its lack of support for C-band 5G networks, which are expected to arrive later this year on AT&T and Verizon. This means that while the phone can work on T-Mobile's mid-band 5G network, it won't be able to take full advantage of the faster speeds offered by C-band networks.

As for performance, the Pixel 5a with 5G checks most boxes. With its Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor and six gigabytes of RAM, it provides snappy performance throughout the operating system. The phone can handle demanding tasks like gaming without any significant lag or hiccups. However, the lack of support for C-band networks on AT&T and Verizon means that some users may miss out on the improved speeds offered by these networks.

In terms of availability, the Pixel 5a with 5G is only available unlocked through Google's store and website, as well as in Japan. In the US, it will be sold exclusively through Google Fi, which means customers can't purchase it from carriers like Verizon or AT&T.

Overall, the Pixel 5a with 5G is a solid mid-range smartphone that offers many of the same features as its predecessor at a lower price point. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of some other flagship phones, it's still a great option for those looking for a reliable Android device without breaking the bank.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: engoogle has a new pixel 5a with 5g but it's that with 5g that has a bit of a catch i'll explain google has been teasing a big pixel upgrade for the fall with the pixel 6 and pixel 6 pro in the interim it has this the 449 dollar pixel 5a with 5g a successor to last year's 499 dollar pixel 4a with 5g overall it's not a big upgrade but it does have some nice improvements let's start with the similarities both phones the pixel 4a and this year's pixel 5a run on qualcomm's snapdragon 765g processor it has six gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of storage same as last year cameras are the same as last year 12.2 megapixel dual pixel main shooter 16 megapixel ultra wide on the back right above the fingerprint sensor and an 8 megapixel lens on the front for selfies and portraits also present is a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack which was on last year's pixel and it's nice that google kept that around for at least one more year there are some nice new improvements with this year's pixel 5a with 5g among the notable ones is a slightly larger display it's 6.34 inches compared to 6.2 on last year's pixel 4a there's a bigger battery inside and it has ip67 water and dust resistance all together when you factor in that this is a cheaper starting price than last year's phone it's nice to see that google has made these upgrades speaking of battery the pixel 5a with 5g does include a fast wire charger in the box it's an 18 watt usb charger in my experience i've only had the phone for a few days it can take the phone from zero to about a hundred in around two hours so it's not the fastest charger but it can get the job done and it is nice that google has included a charger when so many other manufacturers are skimping on that feature what is not present however is wireless charging that wasn't on the pixel 4a with 5g and it's still not present on the pixel 5a with 5g as for performance well it's a pixel which means google optimized this phone to run android as it intended you have all the notable google pixel features like car crash detection a recorder that transcribes audio and really snappy performance throughout the operating system playing games whether through xbox cloud gaming or google stadia even localized games like call of duty mobile all ran fine without any real hiccups or lag for most people looking for a affordable pixel or even just an affordable android phone the pixel 5a with 5g checks nearly all the boxes when it comes to performance it's that with 5g as i mentioned earlier where things can get a little more complicated because of the chip shortage google is only selling one version of the pixel 5a with 5ga mostly black color that has the six gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of storage it also means that google is selling this phone only unlocked through its store and through google phi it's carrier in the us you'll also sell the phone in japan but it's really just those two options if you're in the u.s you can't go into a verizon at t or t-mobile store to buy this phone like you could have with a prior pixel now if you buy the pixel 5a with 5g unlocked it will work with the low band or sub 6 5g networks from att verizon and t-mobile these networks are pretty comparable to the 4g experience you've probably grown accustomed to so it's not going to be a radical 5g improvement what really makes this tricky is that a big 5g upgrade known as c-band is set to come online for at t and verizon as soon as later this year this will offer radically improved speeds and a real different 5g experience the new pixel can't support these networks but it needs google to enable a software update to do so the physical hardware is there google just won't commit to giving it the software update needed to activate it because google 5 runs on t-mobile's network the pixel 5a with 5g actually will work with t-mobile's mid-band 5g network this network can offer speeds of 300 megabits per second to a gigabit per second download so real different improved 5g experience with people holding onto their phones for several years this isn't that big of a deal right now but because of that google choosing not to support the software upgrade seems to be a big missed opportunity particularly for those looking at the pixel 5a with 5g on att or verizon so are you eyeing a pixel 5a with 5g are you considering the pixel 6 pixel 6 pro what do you think about google's pixel line in general let us know in the comments and thanks for watchinggoogle has a new pixel 5a with 5g but it's that with 5g that has a bit of a catch i'll explain google has been teasing a big pixel upgrade for the fall with the pixel 6 and pixel 6 pro in the interim it has this the 449 dollar pixel 5a with 5g a successor to last year's 499 dollar pixel 4a with 5g overall it's not a big upgrade but it does have some nice improvements let's start with the similarities both phones the pixel 4a and this year's pixel 5a run on qualcomm's snapdragon 765g processor it has six gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of storage same as last year cameras are the same as last year 12.2 megapixel dual pixel main shooter 16 megapixel ultra wide on the back right above the fingerprint sensor and an 8 megapixel lens on the front for selfies and portraits also present is a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack which was on last year's pixel and it's nice that google kept that around for at least one more year there are some nice new improvements with this year's pixel 5a with 5g among the notable ones is a slightly larger display it's 6.34 inches compared to 6.2 on last year's pixel 4a there's a bigger battery inside and it has ip67 water and dust resistance all together when you factor in that this is a cheaper starting price than last year's phone it's nice to see that google has made these upgrades speaking of battery the pixel 5a with 5g does include a fast wire charger in the box it's an 18 watt usb charger in my experience i've only had the phone for a few days it can take the phone from zero to about a hundred in around two hours so it's not the fastest charger but it can get the job done and it is nice that google has included a charger when so many other manufacturers are skimping on that feature what is not present however is wireless charging that wasn't on the pixel 4a with 5g and it's still not present on the pixel 5a with 5g as for performance well it's a pixel which means google optimized this phone to run android as it intended you have all the notable google pixel features like car crash detection a recorder that transcribes audio and really snappy performance throughout the operating system playing games whether through xbox cloud gaming or google stadia even localized games like call of duty mobile all ran fine without any real hiccups or lag for most people looking for a affordable pixel or even just an affordable android phone the pixel 5a with 5g checks nearly all the boxes when it comes to performance it's that with 5g as i mentioned earlier where things can get a little more complicated because of the chip shortage google is only selling one version of the pixel 5a with 5ga mostly black color that has the six gigabytes of ram and 128 gigabytes of storage it also means that google is selling this phone only unlocked through its store and through google phi it's carrier in the us you'll also sell the phone in japan but it's really just those two options if you're in the u.s you can't go into a verizon at t or t-mobile store to buy this phone like you could have with a prior pixel now if you buy the pixel 5a with 5g unlocked it will work with the low band or sub 6 5g networks from att verizon and t-mobile these networks are pretty comparable to the 4g experience you've probably grown accustomed to so it's not going to be a radical 5g improvement what really makes this tricky is that a big 5g upgrade known as c-band is set to come online for at t and verizon as soon as later this year this will offer radically improved speeds and a real different 5g experience the new pixel can't support these networks but it needs google to enable a software update to do so the physical hardware is there google just won't commit to giving it the software update needed to activate it because google 5 runs on t-mobile's network the pixel 5a with 5g actually will work with t-mobile's mid-band 5g network this network can offer speeds of 300 megabits per second to a gigabit per second download so real different improved 5g experience with people holding onto their phones for several years this isn't that big of a deal right now but because of that google choosing not to support the software upgrade seems to be a big missed opportunity particularly for those looking at the pixel 5a with 5g on att or verizon so are you eyeing a pixel 5a with 5g are you considering the pixel 6 pixel 6 pro what do you think about google's pixel line in general let us know in the comments and thanks for watching\n"