Google Pixel 5a 5G review

Competitors

For the competitors, we've only listed devices close to the Pixel's price range that are only available in the US. Starting with Google's own, the Pixel 4a makes a case for an affordable and compact smartphone with solid performance. The 4a is $100 cheaper than the 5a 5G but doesn't support 5G and omits the ultra-wide camera.

Google Pixel 4a

Samsung's Galaxy A52 5G is just a bit more at $499, and while we did like it for its 120Hz display solid quad-camera setup, microSD support, and 3.5mm headphone jack, it would be better suited at a discount.

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G

Apple's closest offering is a nearly three-year-old device that's still a nice value today. Even though the iPhone XR has no 5G support nor an ultra-wide camera, it has great battery life and a very capable single-cam setup. Besides, Apple is sure to support the XR for at least another couple of years of iOS updates. The iPhone 11 starts at $50 more and adds an ultra-wide camera.

Apple iPhone XR • Apple iPhone 11

As one reader pointed out, there's another competitor worth mentioning here. The Sony Xperia 10 III, although not officially available from Sony in the US, can easily be purchased from Amazon. Though you'll be looking at the International variant, so no Verizon.

The Xperia 10 III is priced around $400 and comes with the same RAM and Storage as the Pixel. It's powered by the Snapdragon 690G, is more compact with its 6-inch display, the best dedicated zoom camera in its class, and it has IP68 water resistance. There's also a headphone jack, microSD expansion, and 30W fast charging with impressive battery life.

Sony Xperia 10 III

The choice for alternatives in this range is slim, hence Google's decision to limit the release to two markets.

Verdict

The Pixel 5a is an interesting price point of $449 in the US. While It's a shame the phone isn't available outside of the US and Japan, it doesn't make sense for Google to launch the Pixel 5a outside of these markets since the competition and alternative devices are not as threatening as they are in other markets like the EU and India.

The Google Pixel 5a could have been a more compelling smartphone had it arrived with an LTE chipset instead of the Snapdragon 765G. Thus, it could have been sold at $349 or maybe even $399 to directly compete with the iPhone SE.

The Pixel 5a is essentially a repackaged Pixel 5 with a larger screen and significantly better battery life, but no wireless charging. It feels like Google could have released this device earlier in the year to stagger it further from the imminent launch of the Google Pixel 6 duo.

What we've concluded is that the Pixel 5a should have been the Google Pixel 4a 5G from the start. Meanwhile, the Pixel 5 should have been the Pixel 4a 5G, and the Pixel 4a 5G that was forgotten next to the Pixel 5 didn't need to exist. We acknowledge that the pandemic caused chip shortages that must have resulted in Google scrambling to make sense of the last two generations of Google Pixels, the four models of which (including 4a, 4a 5G, 5, and 5a 5G) are all very similar.

Google's Pixel 5a 5G has imposter syndrome out of the box: Google doesn't believe that it's worthy enough to compete in markets outside of the US and Japan. The Pixel 5a 5G is a great phone with excellent battery life, a great camera, snappy software, and a bright display. However, this year's "a" Series device is catching up to support 5G and was obviously not meant to be competitive enough in markets like EU, South America, China, and India.

Pros:

• Large and super-bright OLED display
• Excellent battery life
• Solid still image performance
• Stereo speakers
• First in line for OS updates
• IP67 water resistance

Cons:

• Limited market availability and only one color and storage option
• No support for high screen refresh rate
• No mmWave variant for Verizon 5G UWB in the US