Google Pixel 5 in for review

12 October 2020
It's the most premium Pixel phone this year though it's not a flagship.

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NoAndroidUpdate, 24 Oct 2020You're supposedly paying for getting more software upd... moreUhhh ... Samsung is also giving 3 years Android updates for their S20 FE, just like Google. Plus Samsung and Xiaomi are not using stock Android but their own skin which they have to develop themselves.

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    • NoAndroidUpdate
    • vgM
    • 24 Oct 2020

    Swordman, 14 Oct 2020Well but how do you explain Samsung and Xiaomi being able t... moreYou're supposedly paying for getting more software updates releases, not hardware. Android developments are expensive.

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      • Valo
      • m5A
      • 19 Oct 2020

      More than happy with my Pixel 5 , coming from Pixel 2. But have a massive drain during the night. From 50 something percent to 20 something over the course of 6-7 hours..
      Please share your experience.

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        • Makr
        • mrZ
        • 19 Oct 2020

        Hov, 13 Oct 2020Ummm Pixel phones don't have any ads lol you're e... moreReally pleased with mine. Came from a pixel 3 and it's everything I want from a phone without useless stuff I don't need

        The CPU is more than enough, it's never felt slow, or anything but zippy. Also 8gb of memory is ample for a phone that's not filled with Samsung crud

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          • Salamingia
          • Jyw
          • 19 Oct 2020

          I upgraded from the pixel 3 to the pixel 5. My work phone is a Samsung S10 and definitely knew I did not want to go to Samsung. Although I love the hardware I cannot get used to the Samsungs UI and quite frankly, Google's computational photography cannot be beat right now. I'm happy with the upgrade and I think the pixel 5 is actually working very well. The battery life is great, the screen is great, the camera is great but I do wish it had a telephoto lens as well. I completely get how they are trying to keep the cost down but it's unfortunate that we're missing the third lens.

            lotustechie, 14 Oct 2020I decided to give up on the pixel line of phones this year ... moreMKBHD reviewed the Moto Edge+ and there is a rather unbelievable oversight on the part of Motorola. I own the Moto Z Play and zero question about it - the double chop for the light is one of the best features. I use it all the time as I walk late at night and sometimes hit areas of poor lighting. No screwing around having to unlock and to find the icon and press it (One Plus has a gesture which is good).

            The problem is - he did that and heard a noise with the Edge+ - it is from the lens (optical or whatever). The Samsung S20 series makes the same noise - which makes sense since the camera does have a moving part. The negative is that the chopping motion over time may do harm with the camera. The chop is great but IMO it should have been yanked.

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              • thunderresistant
              • Sjn
              • 16 Oct 2020

              SymbianVick, 13 Oct 2020I am so tempted to get either this (or the 4a5G just for th... moreNot even a question, P4XL FTW!!!
              P5 is like few steps back.
              PS P4XL user ;)

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                • BigDave
                • ABG
                • 15 Oct 2020

                Currently using the pixel 5 and its surprisingly very snappy. There are a very few moments where it takes a second or two to load something, but nearly everything I have asked it to do, it does it straight away. Processing photos using night sight does take a little while, but again, it is nothing major and significantly less than the pixel 3 XL I was use to.

                I too was wishing they went for a slightly better processor, but in honesty, it is actually very impressive what they have done and it feel very responsive.

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                  • Denis
                  • nnZ
                  • 14 Oct 2020

                  Finally! Hasta la vista glass bottoms!

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                    • lotustechie
                    • saG
                    • 14 Oct 2020

                    I decided to give up on the pixel line of phones this year since they're not offering a flagship level phone. I tried the Samsung Galaxy S20+. I didn't have any real complaints, but I just couldn't get used to the Samsung UI. I swapped it out for a Motorola Edge+ and couldn't be happier. For 2020, it's the closest phone you're going to get to appear Android experience and still being a flagship level phone. I've always liked Motorola up but they never seem to be able to compete with Samsung and Apple.

                      • l
                      • lotustechie
                      • saG
                      • 14 Oct 2020

                      overgroove, 14 Oct 2020Active Edge is the worst. Only ever used it accidentally so... moreYou're the first person that I've ever heard say that active edge is the worst. I totally miss it!

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                        • DC
                        • Fw$
                        • 14 Oct 2020

                        Glad I opted for the OnePlus 8 Pro

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                          • Anonymous
                          • pk4
                          • 14 Oct 2020

                          Anonymous, 14 Oct 2020The Galaxy S20 5G has the Snapdragon 865 chipset, with the ... moreLol yeah whatever you said is on papers but the real world experience does not exactly replicate that. Go on reddit to see users complaining about how poor is the screen compared to their Note 8 ( I'll say again Note 8) also the cameras are bad.

                          Like everything Samsung always look good on papers that's about it.

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                            • Subsurface
                            • 3SI
                            • 14 Oct 2020

                            ConcernedUser, 14 Oct 2020The Bluetooth on the Pixel phones, in my experience, is the... moreHow does it work with the pixel buds 2?
                            And cut outs or interruptions?

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                              • ConcernedUser
                              • 7Dp
                              • 14 Oct 2020

                              The Bluetooth on the Pixel phones, in my experience, is the worst I've seen on any flagship phone. I had an OG Pixel XL and then a Pixel 3; Not much has changed.

                              My question to you GSMArena: Is the Bluetooth any better on the Pixel 5? How does it compare with the likes of Apple and Samsung flagships?

                              Thank you in advance and I truly hope you cover that in your review.

                                • J
                                • Jz
                                • v}7
                                • 14 Oct 2020

                                Tyrant finder, 13 Oct 2020Don't buy Google phones , every security update is not... moreNot sure how true that is. The monthly updates are predominantly security updates, that later get passed on to other android(non-google) devices as well, eg. Samsung.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • Nxr
                                  • 14 Oct 2020

                                  Anonymous, 13 Oct 2020my guess is that this is actually Google's attempt to ... moreThe Galaxy S20 5G has the Snapdragon 865 chipset, with the separate 5G modem. Plus it has a telephoto and ultrawide lens. It has a higher resolution screen with a higher refresh rate, that is also and AMOLED phone. And it has epandable storage. Oh, and Samsung now promises three years of security updates, just like Google (the only thing that made Google different from other phone manufacturers).

                                  It costs $700, exactly the same as the Pixel 5.

                                  So Google's use of the 765G does not explain the price. Google is just ripping people off.

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                                    • Dave
                                    • p}2
                                    • 14 Oct 2020

                                    Saint Google, please, if you are reading this I live in Spain and I want to buy the Google 5, but I'm going to have to be unfaithful with the Samsung S20 FE 5G (I had a hard time writing it). Please wash your ears, wipe your eyes and distribute to other countries in the world (Like India, Japan, Mars and Saturn) your mid-range phone with the false Flagship label, with a plastic cover that you say is aluminium (which is inside) and a zoom that is invisible (this night thinking from ultrawide and zoom you was drunked). I forgive you, Saint Google, but wake up now, or don't you want to sell phones? I'm doing voodoo right now to the Google logo, to see if tonight you wake up with a pin pricked in your eye and you wonder what this is and the third eye opens and you start to do things right by selling because you are a bungler designing. I love you Google! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

                                      Anonymous, 13 Oct 2020my guess is that this is actually Google's attempt to ... moreWell but how do you explain Samsung and Xiaomi being able to keep SD865 on S20 FE and Mi 10T Pro at around the same price? Plus Google def could have kept both telephoto and ultrawide on it, instead of being cheapskate. It's impossible to justify the price which is not what a midranger should be priced at. Pixel 4a 5G's price should have been Pixel 5's.

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                                        • Dr V
                                        • Tf3
                                        • 14 Oct 2020

                                        Tyrant finder, 13 Oct 2020Don't buy Google phones , every security update is not... moreYeah, not really..at all.... Google pixel 2 for that 3.5 years. Best phone I've ever owned. It just works