Just to wrap up my previous blog, I was discussing other options to the Pixel 4a – before I got sidetracked and discussed the importance of software vs hardware on smartphone photography.
I discussed how the only other smartphone in the Pixel 4a’s price range, that I was considering, was the Moto G 5G Plus.
It’s a great phone, and for me personally, it competes with – and even beats – the much more popular OnePlus Nord.
But, there is a downside to that phone, and it’s the same huge disadvantage that affects the OnePlus Nord – its size. It has a 6.7″ LCD screen.
I’m okay with it being LCD, as it’s got a gorgeous 21:9 aspect ratio – the same as the Sony Xperia 1 II, Xperia 5 II, & Xperia 10 II – and at a fraction of the cost of the Sony’s (excluding the Xperia 10 II and Xperia L4).
But, there’s no denying that it’s a huge device, and 0.5″ taller than my S9 Plus, as the Phone Arena size comparison tool confirms. As I’ve said before, I’m looking to downsize, not up-size, and although the Moto G 5G Plus has more personally significant features, this is where the Pixel 4a takes the win.
Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 5
That leads me nicely onto the recently announced Pixel 4a 5G. I love the standard Pixel 4a, but the 4a 5G is a bigger phone. It has a 6.2″ screen, the same size as my S9 Plus. Apart from the 3 years of OS updates, or a better camera, it offers nothing to me that is better than my S9 Plus.
If I’m honest, I also have no use for a dedicated, 5G-ready phone – in my area, I’m likely going to have to wait until 2023 (at the earliest) for 5G to arrive – that’s 3 years away – so right now, 5G isn’t an important feature.
Also, 5G is proving to be more expensive, so I’d be quite happy with a cheaper 4G phone for the next 2-3 years, and probably even longer, until 5G Plans fall to a more wallet-friendly price.
But, the Pixel 4a 5G has a better chipset than the Pixel 4a – the Snapdragon 765G, an advantage it shares with the Pixel 5.
Both the Pixel 4a 5G, and the Pixel 5, also have an extra ultrawide camera, so that pits them both up against the Moto G 5G Plus.
Price-wise, the Pixel 4a 5G is available for £499, with the Pixel 5 retailing for £599, here in the UK. That means for value for money, the Moto G 5G Plus is still the better deal if device size wasn’t an issue.
Pixel 5 – is it a better option?
Unlike the Pixel 4a 5G, the Pixel 5 has a slightly smaller 6.0″ inch screen – which puts it right in the middle between the 5.81″ Pixel 4a, and the 6.2″ Pixel 4a 5G.
On that specification alone, the Pixel 5 is looking like a better device for me, but there’s still other things to consider.
Both have bigger batteries than the Pixel 4a’s 3140 mAh unit. The Pixel 4a 5G comes with a 3885mAh cell, whereas the Pixel 5 ships with a 4080mAh battery.
Apart from the Pixel 4a, both the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 offer a significant improvement over my Galaxy S9 Plus, which only has a 3500mAh battery.
In the UK, Samsung phones come with Exynos chipsets rather than the Qualcomm Snapdragon variants – mostly. The S20 FE 5G is the first Samsung phone I’ve seen that’s coming with a Qualcomm chip – the SM8250 Snapdragon 865.
On the contrary, I’ve found the Exynos 9810 Octa in my S9 Plus is great, and is by no means a bad chipset. I can’t speak for the battery life of the lesser S9, nor of the S10 and S20 models, but it’s certainly been a pleasant experience for these last 2 years.
But, the Exynos in my S9 Plus is probably not as power-efficient as the Snapdragon 730G in the Pixel 4a, or the Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. My S9 Plus’s Exynos chip is probably a bit more power-hungry as well.
All of that should translate into slightly better battery life (between charges) on the three Pixel’s, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Specs: Pixel 4a 5G, vs Pixel 5
Now we’re getting into the nitty-gritty, and this is hopefully where I’ll start to discover which of these is better suited to me – or, indeed, if I’m better off with the standard, £349 Pixel 4a.
Honestly, I think I’ve already ruled out the 4a 5G, but I’ll go through the specs anyway.
It’s got a 6.2″, Full HD+ OLED screen with 413 PPI, 128GB storage & 6GB RAM, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone port, NFC, & 18W Fast (wired) Charging via USB Power Delivery 2.0.
The Pixel 5 ups the ante, but with a slighty smaller (and for me, more compact and comfortable) 6.0″, Full HD+ OLED screen at 432 PPI with 90Hz refresh rate, IP68 dust/water resistance, 128GB storage & 8GB RAM, and Wireless Charging as well as Reverse Wireless Charging.
The only thing it doesn’t have is the 3.5mm headphone socket.
Both the 4a 5G and the Pixel 5 also come with the same 2 rear camera setup:
– a 12MP standard lens, at 27mm focal length, f/1.7 aperture, 1/2.55″ sensor size, 1.4μm micron pixels, Dual Pixel PDAF (Phase Detection AutoFocus), and Optical Image Stabilisation.
– a 16MP ultrawide-angle lens, with a 107° degrees viewing angle.
Why I’ve ruled out the Pixel 4a 5G
It’s size. That’s the answer. Short & simple.
It’s the same size as my S9 Plus, as evidenced by Phone Arena’s size comparison tool.
The whole reason I’m looking at a new phone is to hopefully get one that’s smaller than my S9 Plus, not one that’s the same size.
The Pixel 4a has a 5.81″ screen, and the Pixel 5 has a 6.0″ screen. But both phones have the same physical size – the Pixel 5 just has smaller bezels.
The Pixel 4a 5G, on the other hand, has the same bezels as the Pixel 4a, but with a larger 6.2″ screen. Even with the better processor of the 5G model, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with the same size. I want a smaller phone.
There’s no need to waffle. That’s literally the only reason why I’ve ruled out the Pixel 4a 5G.
– Chris JK.
KPH tech blog 
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