Is this the Google Pixel 5?
August 23 update below. This entry was first published on August 22, 2020.
Google’s next smartphone, the Pixel 5, is coming soon – maybe as early as next month. But as its derived images and renders continue to appear, it’s becoming clear that Google seems to have given up on its ambitions to make a flagship of the iPhone.
The latest renderers come from the solid trusted Steve Hemmestoffer, whose Twitter identity, @OnLeaks, has published the images in collaboration with Pricebaba. And they do not provide easy viewing if you are a Pixel fan who wants their next phone to be an iPhone beater.
August 23 update. Leaks continue for Google’s next phones. In the last few hours, a supposed image of both the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 appeared on Reddit (since deleted), as detected by 9to5Google. The image shows the back of two phones, one smaller and in black, that is claimed to be the Pixel 5 and the other larger and colorful white, that is the Pixel 4a 5G, it seems.
In the main post below, I said I was hoping that it could be possible that previous images, complete with the rear installation fingerprint sensor of which I am not a fan, after the Pixel 5 might not be, but the Pixel 4a 5G. Now, dear reader, this new image shatters such (seemingly desperate) hope.
Both images show phones with fingerprint sensors right in the middle of the back. That, that’s that. On the other hand, there are some positive and interesting details. Both phones pictured have the same camera setup, so the Pixel 4a 5G not only gets faster connectivity, but multiple cameras instead of the Pixel 4a’s single lens. That said, the $ 150 price difference between 4a and 4a 5G now looks more like a bargain. Unlike the Pixel 4, these phones have the flash at the top of the camera square, not the bottom.
At the same time, a bunch of weird specs were revealed for the Pixel 5. A mid-range but 5G capable Snapdragon 765G processor has long been suspected, but the rumored details now include a large battery, 4,000mAh and 8GB of RAAM. Specs for the Pixel 4a 5G include 6GB RAM and a slightly smaller battery, 3,800mAh. The Pixel 5 will not have an audio jack, but the 4a 5G will, it is claimed.
More leaks are expected, so please check back. In the meantime, here’s the deal with those renders.
Time was, the Pixel line was absolutely top notch with the best smartphones for top-flight. It came late on multiple cameras, but this did not really matter, because Google had the control of photography-by-software on none. The way it achieved bokeh effects through only one lens was not much of black magic. These rumors show a camera panel with two lenses looking through it.
Last year, on the Pixel 4, it introduced face recognition with the only system that came close to Apple’s Face ID. And while it did not always have the nicest notch, like the edge-to-edge screens of rivals, it picked up the last few days with the Pixel 4a. This is a very capable but very affordable handset.
And it seems that the appeal of a low price has become the driving force for the Pixel 5. There have been rumors that the 5 will have a chipset that will be in the middle of supporting 5G (the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765).
The fingerprint sensor on the back of the Google Pixel 5, all of them.
But the renderers have one element that stands out, and not in a good way: the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone. See, I’ll be clear, I always do not like a rear fingerprint sensor. It seems to me to be the hardest place you can place such a sensor, requiring a combination of just-so-design and sharp dexterity. It’s what people are used to and best made out of.
But it is – more than most other features – the defining element of the budget phone. Put the fingerprint sensor on the back, and you should charge a lower price.
In the case of Pixel 5, however, it indicates something worse: the excellent face recognition is gone, sacrificing on the altar of full screen design.
The renderers leave the same holepunch camera at the top left of the screen as on the Pixel 4a. This is not enough space for a complete face recognition system.
All this seems to confirm rumors that the next Pixel will not be a flagship to take on the iPhone 12, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and so on.
Or it had to be that.
I admit, I’m stuck to straw here, but is there any chance this might not be the Pixel 5, but the Pixel 4a 5G? It will be fully unveiled at the same time, and these images look completely like the 4a, saving for the extra rear camera.
Well, Steve Hemmestoffer does not say, pointing out that the Pixel 4a 5G has a headphone jack, but this does not. In addition, the Pixel 4a 5G is expected to have a slightly larger display.
That is not to say that this phone will miss great features: we already know from details in the code that new photo features are coming.
In addition, Android Central has posted a list of expected specs, including a larger battery, reverse wireless charging, and more.
We’ll know soon enough, but if it’s really true, the Pixel 5 may be an anti-climax for Google fans in some respects – though a sharp price, as the Pixel 4a has managed, can go a long way to make up for that.
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