Google took the wraps off its newest Pixel smartphones, the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, at its hardware event earlier this week. These are the company’s first-ever 5G phones and bring along a major shift in Google’s hardware strategy. It hasn’t really unveiled a true $1,000 flagship smartphone with Pixel 5. Instead, it’s closer to the Pixel 4a 5G in terms of both design and internal specifications.

Pixel 4a 5G vs Pixel 5: Features

  • Design

Starting off with the design, both the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 look identical on the front and the rear. It will not be easy to discern between the phones because they both have a square camera module and a fingerprint sensor on the rear, and a punch-hole cutout at the top left on the front. A dead giveaway will, however, be the presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack (just look at the top edge) aboard the Pixel 4a 5G.

Design

If it wasn’t for the different finishes and colorways, it would be a little difficult to tell the two apart from each other. It should not really matter though as both the phones don’t only look the same but share a lot of hardware similarities as well.

Display

Moving to the display, it is essentially the same for both phones but with really minor differences here and there. The Pixel 4a 5G features a slightly bigger 6.2-inch Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080) OLED display as compared to the 6-inch FHD+ OLED panel aboard the Pixel 5. The bezels around the display are minimal, even the bottom chin that’s usually a little thicker.

  • Processor

Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are Google’s first-ever 5G-enabled phones. While it was initially rumored that the Pixel 4a might be powered by the Snapdragon 690 SoC, both the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G are backed by the same Snapdragon 765G chipset under the hood. It’s the same chipset found aboard the OnePlus Nord.

Processor

The only difference between the two phones under the hood is that the Pixel 4a 5G will come with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM as opposed to 8GB RAM aboard the Pixel 5. Both of the phones include 128GB built-in storage, which is not expandable. The Pixel Neural Core chip is missing in action (and does not result in any lack of features) but the Titan M security chip is still present onboard.

  • Cameras

Apart from the processor, Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 also feature the exact same camera system. You will find a square cutout with a 12.2MP (f/1.7) primary camera and a 16MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide camera with a 107-degree FOV on the rear. It’s great that Google finally listened to the feedback and swapped out the telephoto camera for an ultra-wide one.

Cameras

Battery

Google has also decided to address another major issue, i.e appalling battery life, with its previous-gen flagship phone. Pixel 5 sports a huge 4,080mAh battery as compared to the measly 2,800mAh battery aboard the Pixel 4. The new Pixel 4a 5G, on the other hand, comes equipped with a 3,885mAh battery — bigger than the 3,140mAh battery pack of the standard Pixel 4a.

  • Wireless Charging

The mid-range Pixel 4a 5G does not support it but the flagship Pixel 5 does come with both wireless charging, as well as reverse wireless charging, support. This means you can use a Pixel 5 to charge your smartwatch or TWS earbuds on the move. Pixel 5 supports up to 12W Qi wireless charging, as per its official listing.

Wireless Charging

Water Resistance

As you might guess, it’s the Pixel 5 that supports IP68 water and dust resistance. The Pixel 4a 5G does not carry an official IP rating but it does include a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is missing from the Pixel 5. This is good news for many users and so is the dual stereo sound experience.

Now that you know almost everything about the Pixel 4a 5G vs Pixel 5, here’s a quick round-up of the specifications of the two phones:

Pixel 4a 5G vs Pixel 5: Which One Would You Buy?

The choice should be simple. If you are simply looking for a 5G-enabled smartphone with Google’s version of Android and some amazing cameras, then go for the Pixel 4a 5G for an attractive price of $499. It’s the go-to device for users who don’t care about an IP rating or wireless charging.