Bottom line: The Pixel 5 will likely be just a larger version of the Pixel 4a with no headphone jack, a more powerful rear camera module, and a slightly better chipset. If Google nails the price, it could have a winner on its hands for people who want a well-rounded smartphone that covers all the basics.
When Google announced the Pixel 4a, it also promised that it would bring a 5G variant as well the much-awaited Pixel 5. The two phones are expected to arrive in October, but the company didn’t go into any details about the next Pixel flagship, only showing a side view of the device.
Now we have a better idea of what the Pixel 5 will look like, courtesy of new renders obtained by OnLeaks, who has a good track record and previously leaked the Pixel 4a design seven months in advance.
Interestingly, Google’s new flagship smartphone doesn’t stray too much from the design of the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4. For those of you who prefer a fingerprint sensor, it looks like there’s a traditional one on the back of the device. Google could have easily included an in-screen fingerprint sensor, but it’s possible the company is aiming for a lower price just as it did with the Pixel 4a.
The Pixel 5 will supposedly have a 6-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of 90 Hz. There’s a hole-punch front camera, and the rear camera module consisting of three sensors, one of which could be a time-of-flight sensor.
The body has a matte finish just like the Pixel 4a, and there’s no headphone jack. Most notably, there’s no fancy hardware on the top bezel of the Pixel 5 — there’s no face recognition module and no Project Soli radar for air gestures, which have proven to be more of a gimmick in practice.
The renders tell us little about the internals of the Pixel 5, but we do have some clues on what to expect. According to Android Headlines, the device will feature a 3,080 mAh battery at a time when Android flagships tend to have 4,000+ mAh batteries. On the flip side, it could have support for reverse wireless charging.
As for the SoC, it will most likely be the Snapdragon 765G that phone makers have come to prefer over the more expensive Snapdragon 865 that requires a separate modem for 5G connectivity. In terms of pricing, there’s rumors the Pixel 5 could start as low as $499 for 6GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, even though the past few generations of flagship Pixel phones have been more expensive (and proven unpopular). In any case, we’ll know more details in a month, when Google officially launches these devices.