The Pixels are still the only Android phones that get the latest OS on day one, even if others are beginning to catch up. The Google Pixel 4a 5G sits in a very awkward place in Google’s 2020 smartphone lineup. In our Google Pixel 4a 5G review we gave the phone a maximum score of 5 stars, highlighting its, strong all-round performance, rapid 5G connectivity and … If you’re using it on T-Mobile’s or AT&T’s sub-6GHz networks, you’ll likely see a slight increase in speed over LTE—along with a noticeable hit in battery life. But with the new Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, Google’s decision to prioritize affordability and 5G speeds over premium specs was met with criticism. You can usually find him with his nose buried in a screen. Google Pixel 4A 5G review: more than just a bigger budget phone. And for some it will be. The Pixel 4A 5G is the largest Pixel that Google is releasing this year, with a 6.2-inch screen. Google Pixel 4a 5G Let's get the 5G elephant out of the room. T-Mobile subscribers will have the best chance, on slower sub-6GHz. PCWorld |. Everything’s a trade-off. Overall, however, the Pixel camera seems to have stalled. The battery, however, should be fine. Google has outfitted the Pixel 4a 5G with a 3,800mAh battery, much bigger than the paltry 2,800mAh battery in the Pixel 4 and even bigger than the 3,700mAh battery in the Pixel 4 XL. The Pixel 4a 5G takes the best of the Pixel 5 and combines it with the value package of the Pixel 4a. While the fingerprint sensor may seem quaint, it's in some ways an upgrade over the finicky in-display sensors that are all the rage on newer Android phones. After eighteen month so the release of Pixel 3a, Google finally decided to roll out an even more advanced smartphone to surprise its users. Plastic doesn't bother me. As far as I can … If display matters, the 4a 5G has a slightly larger display than the Pixel 4a and 5 (6.2 inches versus 6 inches), but a slower refresh rate than the 5 (60Hz vs 90Hz). While the camera can be overzealous at saturating and I greatly missed a higher refresh rate, that’s about the extent of my complaints. From the camera to the UI, Google has optimized Android 11 to the fullest extent for the Snapdragon 765G. Google Pixel 4a 5G Review: Excellent Phone, But Missing a Few Creature Comforts Tim October 21, 2020 @timotato 42 Earlier this year, Google released the … If you want Verizon’s speedier mmWave, it’ll cost you an extra $100, bringing the phone’s cost even closer to that of the $699 Pixel 5. Just remember that if the phone is using the 5G network, the battery will drain faster. There are equally compelling arguments to upgrade or downgrade to either of its siblings—unless you definitely want a Pixel with 5G. General and heavy use used a combination of Wi-Fi and 4G for the most part, due to limited 5G coverage in our area. In real-world use, I never reached the point where I had to worry about the 4a 5G’s battery life before plugging it in for the night. Both the 4a 5G (left) and the 5 (center) perfectly captured the mood, lighting, and shadows. At that point, you might as well just buy a Pixel 5, which has both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G. While it is bigger than the 4a’s, it has the same Full HD+ resolution as the 4a (versus the Quad HD resolution on previous Pixel XLs). As usual, the hardware doesn’t tell the whole story. The Pixel 4a 5G’s real value doesn’t get a mention in the name, but the bigger display, dual cameras, and faster processor are welcome improvements over the Pixel 4a. The Google Pixel 4a 5G has plenty of competition in the $499 price range, including a stiff contender in the OnePlus Nord N10 5G. So you can download a movie in seconds[3] and play your favorite games on the go. Where other $500 phones are janky and laggy, the Pixel 4a 5G feels more like a high-end phone than a mid-range one. All this suggests the 4a 5G may have a fairly short shelf life. The Pixel 4a 5G could be confused with the smaller Pixel 4a at a glance. Waterproofing isn't an issue for me. It’s a fantastic phone, and a serious competitor to the Pixel 5. Resolution comes in at 2,340 by 1,080 pixels, for a sharp 413 pixels per inch. But a closer inspection by a discerning buyer will reveal equally compelling arguments to upgrade or downgrade to either of its siblings—unless you definitely want a Pixel with 5G. [4,11] Based on $200 cheaper, I don't care about wireless charging if my phone can last all day I charge it nightly anyways. Google Pixel 4a 5G Review: The Best 5G Google has Rolled Out! Night Sight has gotten a boost thanks to enhancements to its computational exposure bracketing, which preserves subtle shadows and lowlights while still brightening the scene. Copyright © 2021 IDG Communications, Inc. If you want a 5G phone, the Pixel 4a 5G is a viable option. While the Pixel 4a 5G shares most of the same internal components with the Pixel 5, the look, feel and black plastic body matches the smaller Pixel 4a, just made larger. If you’re lucky enough to live in a spot to enjoy the fastest mmWave ultra-wideband tech, you’ll need to spring for a $599 Verizon version of the 4a 5G. Like the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5, the Pixel 4a 5G uses an AMOLED display with an FHD resolution, and a punch-hole notch for the front camera in the top left corner. This low-light shot was handled well by all three phones, but you can see a bit more noise in the shot snapped by the 4a (right) due to over-brightening. While you can definitely feel the difference when switching between the 4a 5G and the 5, it’s the best experience you’ll get at this price range. Helping things along is Google’s intense Android optimizations. Despite the weird official naming, the Google Pixel 4a 5G is a totally different – and much better – phone than the Pixel 4a. The 4a 5G has a headphone jack like the 4a, but it doesn’t have wireless charging like the 5. It isn’t the fastest chip by any stretch—benchmarks scores were closest to the Snapdragon 845 in the Pixel 3—and the 4a 5G still doesn’t feel quite as fast as the Pixel 5, because it has less RAM (6GB vs 8GB) and the slower display (60Hz vs 90Hz). Pixel 5 features a slightly bigger 4080mAh battery, while the 4a 5G features a 3885mAh – this isn’t likely to be enough to account for the difference.