Specs Appeal: Google Pixel 5 vs Pixel 4a 5G vs Pixel 4a

former Senior Editor for North America Neowin · with 3 comments

Today, Google announced its next-generation Pixel phones, and it's something of a change from what we're used to. Normally at this time, the Mountain View firm takes to an NYC stage to show off a flagship phone that uses the latest Snapdragon 8 series chipset, and then there's an XL version of that.

That's not the case this year. This year, the lineup is closer to mid-range. The Pixel 4a launched in August, and one of the phones we got today was a 5G version of that, and the Pixel 5 looks really similar to the Pixel 4a 5G, despite costing $200 more.

So what exactly is the difference? We're here to help. Here's a full comparison:

Pixel 5 Pixel 4a 5G Pixel 4a
Colors Just Black, Sorta Sage Just Black, Clearly White Just Black
Body 144.7x70.4x8mm, 151g 153.9x74x8.2mm, 168g 144x69.4x8.2mm, 143g
Network Sub6 5G 4G LTE
Display

Full-screen 6.0-inch (151 mm) display
19.5:9 aspect ratio
FHD+ (1080 x 2340) Flexible OLED at 432 ppi
Always-on display
Now Playing
Touchscreen
Smooth Display (up to 90 Hz)
>1,000,000:1 contrast ratio
HDR support
Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors

Full-screen 6.2-inch (158 mm) display
19.5:9 aspect ratio
FHD+ (1080 x 2340) OLED at 413 ppi
Always-on display
Now Playing
Touchscreen
>100,000:1 contrast ratio
HDR support
Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors

Full-screen 5.8 in (148 mm) display
FHD+ (1080 x 2340) OLED at 443 ppi
HDR Support
19.5:9 aspect ratio
Always-on display
Ambient EQ
100,000:1 contrast ratio
Touchscreen
Battery

Typical 4080 mAh
Fast wireless charging
All-day battery
Battery Share: Charge other devices wirelessly

Typical 3885 mAh
All-day battery
Fast charging

Typical 3140 mAh
All-day battery
Fast charging
Design

Recycled aluminum
Corning Gorilla Glass 6 cover glass
Water resistant

 Soft touch Polycarbonate unibody

Polycarbonate unibody
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass
Memory and storage 8GB LPDDR4x RAM

128GB storage

6GB LPDDR4x RAM
128GB storage
Security

Titan M security module
Pixel Imprint
Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with Octa-Core
Adreno 620

Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G
Adreno 618
Rear camera

12.2MP dual-pixel
1.4μm pixel width
Autofocus with dual pixel phase detection
Optical + electronic image stabilization
ƒ/1.7 aperture
77° field of view
16MP ultrawide
1.0 μm pixel width
ƒ/2.2 aperture
107° field of view

12.2MP dual-pixel
ƒ/1.7 aperture
Auto-focus with dual-pixel phase detection
Optical + electronic image stabilization
77° field of view
1.4 μm pixel width
Front camera

8MP
1.12μm pixel width
ƒ/2.0 aperture
Fixed focus
83° field of view
Camera features

Night Sight
Top Shot
Portrait Mode
Super Res Zoom
Motion Auto Focus
Live HDR+
Frequent Faces
Dual exposure controls
Cinematic Pan
Ultrawide Lens
Portrait Light

Night Sight
Top Shot
Portrait Mode
Live HDR+
Dual exposure controls
Motion Auto Focus
Super Res Zoom
Group Selfie Cam
Frequent Faces
Audio

Stereo speakers
USB-C audio

Stereo speakers
USB-C audio
3.5mm audio jack

USB-C audio
3.5mm audio jack
Starting price $699 $499 $349


As you can see, these are all very similar yet different devices. One key value proposition of the Pixel 5 is that it has the 90Hz display that debuted on the Pixel 4 series, and of course, that it has wireless charging. It's also got more RAM and it's made of more premium materials.

The Pixel 4a 5G seems to be more in the Pixel 5 family than the Pixel 4a, but it's still one of the most inexpensive 5G phones that you're going to find. And then, of course, the regular Pixel 4a is a solid value for your dollar at $349.

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