Google Pixel 5 review

25 October 2020
This year, Google has taken a drastically different approach with the Pixel lineup. Rather than pack a new Pixel phone with a high-end chipset and QHD screen, Google has instead gone the route of focusing on the overall experience. The Google Pixel 5 is this year’s Pixel flagship and there are some major changes for 2020.

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Socalteknique, 26 Oct 2020How come Gsmarena doesn't take pictures of the usual b... moreIt's like there is some pandemic going on or something ... :-/
It's really that hard to imagine not all activities can be done 100% same at this time? :D

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    • Adul Al Salami Kebab
    • nrX
    • 26 Oct 2020

    I rather buy a Huawei P40 Lite 5G or even cheaper non-5G variant...

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • KSu
      • 26 Oct 2020

      GaushikTECH Nerd, 26 Oct 2020Midrange performance, Same old main sensor from the pixel 2... moreStock ROM skips practically all the useful features that are more likely to be present on other Android skins (irrespective of whether they are light or heavy skins).

      People who brag about stock ROM being better usually lack experience of using different Android skins (especially skins from 2020).

        Anonymous, 25 Oct 2020Man pixel is costly garbage. Midrangers with premium price... moreAgreed;)

          AnonD-945200, 26 Oct 2020stock android , good Camera and good battery life ... This... moreMidrange performance, Same old main sensor from the pixel 2.....Stock android is a joke coz smartphone manufacturers are increasingly developing better version of their respective android OS...Even MIUI 12 on my friend's MI 10 5G is smooth and but while there are still workarounds to disable ads, its worth the time....The only tempting thing on this phone for me is its compact screen and the camera software...But i know how to sideload GCAM for non pixel devices(my ASUS 6Z has one installed)...

            Hi, can you please share details about the fingerprint sensor? Is it faster or more accurate then the one in the Galaxy S20FE or at least S10?

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              • sumdumguy
              • mE0
              • 26 Oct 2020

              Fearghast, 25 Oct 2020It's big as my Pixel 1 that had 5" screen ;) Idl... moreExcept the OG Pixel had not only flagship processor, but the most recent flagship processor at the time and cost the same!

                Could be a good phone but batterylife. I own a m51 and even that battery life is just sufficient. Get about 1.5 days. And half the price of this pixel phone. Batterylife is mostly all that matters for the average user. Fast processors and super camera is not that important for most. Maybe if you play games. Fast charging and huge battery life ...sorry no pixel for me.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • pQr
                  • 26 Oct 2020

                  SpiritWolf, 25 Oct 2020If we are talking about detail, lets say that 8 years old N... moreIt is a step back. Nexus 5x in HDR+ On mode definitely takes sharper photos and is probably still the reference for daylight image quality. See anandtech's Nexus 5x camera review, the Nexus 5x camera (better daylight results than Pixel 3a, which I own, too) isn't very known because the default mode wasn't HDR+ On as a zero shutter lag HDR+ didn't exist back then. In the last years Google didn't find ways to improve the fantastic HDR+ daylight quality, but apparently they thought that they must change something, so things got worse, I guess that meanwhile the wrong people make the decisions and that's very critical as it's a matter of taste (and not science) whether a camera company wants to apply more noise reduction,

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                    • Anonymous
                    • pQr
                    • 26 Oct 2020

                    Surprised that Google chose a low quality ultra wide angle lens. I much prefer a tele lens, but then even just a low quality ultra wide angle? Ok, Apple uses a very bad ultra wide angle lens, too , but that's Apple's problem and I guess that Apple's ultra wide angle lens is sharper. The Pixel 4 already had a 21.5mm ultra wide angle camera, it was the selfie camera. It delivered decent results when it was used as a rear camera. Now they have a dedicated rear camera for ultra wide angle photos, but the quality is probably not really better than using the ultra wide selfie camera of the Pixel 4. So it's really a step back. Pixel 4 had ultra wide(if you used the selfie camera as a rear camera, it also supported Night Sight as far as I know) + 50mm + main camera.

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                      • Chris
                      • PMT
                      • 26 Oct 2020

                      You are so biased @gsmarena,
                      1. You didn't even mention astrophotography feature.
                      2. In your pros, there is no mention of camera capability
                      3. Your camera samples of night sight and portraits cannot be worst than this.
                      4. Didn't see samples of night sight portrait.

                      And I have waited for your review all this time! _/\_

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                        • Anonymous
                        • pQr
                        • 26 Oct 2020

                        Caybara, 25 Oct 2020The photos look absolutely stunning let be honest. IMX 363... moreNexus 5x/6p HDR+ On mode photos already looked stunning and even better in daylight. Look at https://photos.app.goo.gl/FIeuWX2OiIp9bpSE3 in order to see how images from older Google phones (codenames bullhead, angler) looked in HDR+ On mode or see the comparison at https://www.anandtech.com/show/9742/the-google-nexus-5x-review/7. The fantastic image quality of the Nexus 5x in HDR+ On mode was ignored by several reviewers as this wasn't the default mode because HDR+ could take up to 1s and back then Google had the philosophy that the default mode must be fast. In 2015/2016, if you took 3 HDR+ photos, you had to wait some seconds before you could take another HDR+ photo. But the quality of the default mode was much, much worse in all light conditions. From what I have seen, Google hasn't improved the daylight image quality since the Nexus 5x HDR+ On mode, rather worse. I also have a Pixel 3a, which produces worse daylight photos than the Nexus 5x.

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                          • alfar
                          • mT@
                          • 26 Oct 2020

                          no head phone jack means do not buy

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                            • Anonymous
                            • pQr
                            • 26 Oct 2020

                            Socalteknique, 26 Oct 2020How come Gsmarena doesn't take pictures of the usual b... moreYes, it's strange. Whenever a new Pixel phone is released, the camera is reviewed by someone else. This was already the case with the Pixel 4 and Pixel 3a.

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                              • Anonymous
                              • pQr
                              • 26 Oct 2020

                              I have the impression that Google's camera got worse in daylight. In good light conditions it seems to use more noise reduction than every Google phone of the last 5 years. Nexus 5x HDR+ photos look much sharper. A reviewer showed that the Pixel 4 takes sharper photos than the Pixel 5. As the Pixel 5 is Google's first Pixel phone that combines different exposures, there can be less exposures available for the brightest parts of the image (sky, etc, previously Google only combined underexposed images), that's maybe the reason for the increase in noise reduction.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • 3Rs
                                • 26 Oct 2020

                                Terrible battery life
                                terrible camera
                                terribly expensive
                                no
                                thanks

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                                  • Socalteknique
                                  • qNG
                                  • 26 Oct 2020

                                  How come Gsmarena doesn't take pictures of the usual buildings like in other phone reviews for the Pixel's? I like to compare the picture quality using the pictures of the Condo/apartments and the colorful building with the clock.

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                                    • AnonD-945200
                                    • DkQ
                                    • 26 Oct 2020

                                    stock android , good Camera and good battery life ...
                                    This is just perfect 😍

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • DEP
                                      • 26 Oct 2020

                                      The Summary needs correcting:

                                      Pixel-only features like Hold for Me and Robo Call-screening **in North America only and nowhere else**

                                        Jollygreen, 25 Oct 2020Who gives a shit about speakers on a phone? Nobody. Google ... moreLmfao nice joke.