The new Google Pixel 5 - Watch this before you pre-order
Hey guys,
I've had the privilege of using every Google Pixel phone that's come, so I was very excited for the official announcement of the phone. After watching all the videos I could find on the new Google Pixel 5 and learning about the additional features and omissions there, I'm here to share my thoughts on the Pixel 5.
Timestamps for your convenience
0:00 Intro
0:15 What's covered in this video
0:41 New features of the Pixel 5
02:49 Pixel 5 wide angle camera
03:48 What's removed from Pixel 5
04:43 What hasn't changed
04:55 Should you buy the Pixel 5?
B-Roll courtesy of @MadebyGoogle.
What's new in the Pixel 5
Google increased the RAM to 8GB in the Pixel 5. It's not going to feel like a big change if you're coming from a Pixel 4. I've been using my Pixel since it came out and I never really had any memory related issues. But, if you're coming from a Pixel 3 or older, this is going to be a leap. When the Pixel 3 came out, the RAM was already not enough. So, performance wise, you're going to feel a nice jump IF you're coming from a device older than the Pixel 4.
Battery life was very bad on the Pixel 4 and mediocre at best on the Pixel 4XL. So, the change to a 4,000mah battery is likely going to be much better. The processor is also less power hungry, so I'm expecting the phone to last much longer than the 4XL.
The front of the phone looks beautiful. I am a sucker for symmetry and I really like that Google made the effort to have a fully symmetrical bezel design. I can live the hole punch camera. Much better than the big bezel on the Pixel 4/XL and the bathtub notch of the Pixel 3 XL
Google finally decided to include a wide angle camera this year! I think a big reason why the Pixel 4/XL wasn't successful was the lack of wide angle especially as the iPhone popularized it. I'm very excited to see how HDR+ works with the wide angle camera and this is something I can't wait to test out. Also, it seems that Night Sight will be coming to the wide angle lens as well, which should give it an edge over the iPhones
The return of the fingerprint sensor made me so happy! Since covid, it's been a hassle to enter the passcode every time I want to unlock my phone with a mask on. So, I think the decision to move to the fingerprint reader is a good one. It also helps reduce the bezels.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out about the Aluminum back. I don't like putting a case on my phone and I prefer the cold feeling of a metal back over glass. While the screen can still shatter, the metal back at least reduces half of my worries when it comes to potentially dropping my phone. Also, Pixel 5 seems to be the first phone with a metal casing to have wireless charging, which is pretty sweet.
5G connectivity. I personally don't care much for it, but it's good for future proofing the device.
What's no longer in Pixel 5
Due to the inclusion of the fingerprint reader, secure face unlock won't be on the Pixel 5. I'm okay with it because I don't know how long the mask life will go on for.
Motion Sense - This was a gimmick in my opinion and it was a big reason why we had a big forehead on the 4. During my time with the Pixel 4XL, I've only used it a couple times with 50% success.
Active Edge (Squeeze for Google Assistant) - This one bummed me out. I love the squeeze edge feature and I use it quite a bit. Much better than saying "okay Google" or swiping from a corner to use the assistant.
No more Pixel Neural Core - I had my pitchfork ready when I learned about it, but upon further research it seems that the processor has the neural core functionality baked in.
No zoom lens this time - Although I rarely used the zoom lens, it was still nice to have while framing some shots. I'd prefer having all 3 lenses, but if I were to sacrifice one, the zoom lens would be the one to go.
No more flexibility in screen sizes. While, I'm perfectly happy with a 6 inch phone (I prefer being able to use a phone one-handed), it would be nice to see some choice when it comes to screen sizes.
What hasn't changed
The phone is still waterproof, lacks a headphone jack, and will be the first one to receive updates just like any other new Pixel phone.
Overall Thoughts
If you already have a Pixel 4/XL, I don't recommend "upgrading" to the Pixel 5. In some cases, it's not even an upgrade. The processor has comparable performance to last year's model and if you prefer glass backs, then this phone already isn't for you. And face unlock is arguably better than fingerprint when you're not covering your face.
But, if you have an older phone (Pixel 3 or older), this upgrade is really worth it in my opinion. The phone is priced for how much you'd get a used Pixel 4XL for and the better battery and wide angle lens are big additions. Plus, older pixels had 4GB of RAM, which isn't enough these days. You'll really notice the difference when you go from 4GB to 8GB of RAM..