KPH tech blog

As I admitted in my previous blog post about the Pixel 4a, my opinion on Pixel’s changed when Google released the Pixel 4a in August 2020.

After the release of the Pixel 4a, I wanted a Pixel, and my time playing Watch Dogs 2 – and running around the ‘Nudle‘ base (the fictional version of Googleplex) – made me yearn for a cleaner, simpler device that was also… ‘fun.’

But if the Pixel 4a couldn’t be that device, maybe the Pixel 5 could? Here’s my final thoughts on the Pixel 5:

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Pixel 5

The Pixel 5 isn’t much bigger than the Pixel 4a, but it does at least have an IP rating.

The Pixel camera is good, and the introduction of an ultrawide camera is also good, but there’s no telephoto camera – the Pixel 5 instead opts for Google’s Super Res technology. Camera quality therefore isn’t as good as other phones, as the software makes up for the lacklustre camera hardware in contrast with other phones on the market, but it’s not bad for the price. And time and time again, Pixel phones have proven that computational photography is much better than having the most impressive camera specs.

Just because a phone has a 108MP camera, it doesn’t mean it’ll be any good. The software has to be just as good as the hardware, but as is often the case on a lot of budget and mid-range phones, the software isn’t that good.

The Pixel 5’s screen is a 6″ OLED, with a 90Hz refresh rate & 1080p resolution. There’s a rear fingerprint reader, and 18W fast charging. It all sounds good on paper.

But, it’s only available with 128GB internal storage, and there’s no Micro SD card slot. Although not ideal, if the internal storage was bigger – at, maybe, 256GB – I guess I could cope with no expandable storage.

But considering I’ve got used to two years of an S9 Plus with 128GB internal storage & a 128GB Micro SD card – a total of 256GB – cutting my app & photo/music/docs storage down by 128GB is going to be a huge ask.

Also, unlike the Pixel 4a, there’s no 3.5mm headphone port. It’s not as big of an issue as the storage, but it’s one less feature that I’m not really willing to give up.

And to be honest, to take away two things I’ve become so reliant on since the days of my Nokia Lumia 820 Windows Phone – almost 7 years of using phones with a Micro SD card slot and 3.5mm headphone port – it’s going to be a huge task for me to get used to a new phone without either of these features.

I know… that’s the compromise of using a simpler device. But I’m not sure I’m ready to give both up at the same time.

Finally, I’m not that keen on the default Pixel launcher. Sure, I can download another one like Nova, but with internal storage space capped at 128GB – and that’s for all my music, games, apps and photos & videos – I wouldn’t really be willing to install third-party apps to re-add features I loved on my S9 Plus but that are missing from the Pixel 5. Especially if they took up too much room.

Nova itself doesn’t take up too much room – just 30.48MB on my S9 Plus – but again, with the 128GB cap on internal storage, those numbers would soon add up, and the Pixel 5 would feel less like a portable media player, and more like ‘just‘ a phone and portable camera.

The Pixel 5 has also suffered a few manufacturing defects that have plagued news headlines and subreddits since its release: things like the screen gap issue, the lack of wireless charging support, and – when it does work – the wireless charging ring burning through the back of the phone.

With all the compromises and reported issues, the Pixel 5 doesn’t really fit my checklist for a phone.

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Unfortunately, although I really wanted a Pixel this year – and one with a small screen – neither the Pixel 4a, nor the Pixel 5, are ideal for me.

It means that, sadly, both are knocked off my shortlist.

In my next post, I’ll discuss my thoughts on the Galaxy S21.

Stay tuned for more!

– Chris JK.