Specs Appeal: Google Pixel 5 vs Pixel 4a 5G vs Pixel 4a

Today, Google announced its next-generation Pixel phones, and it's something of a change from what we're used to. Normally at this time, the Mountain View firm takes to an NYC stage to show off a flagship phone that uses the latest Snapdragon 8 series chipset, and then there's an XL version of that.

That's not the case this year. This year, the lineup is closer to mid-range. The Pixel 4a launched in August, and one of the phones we got today was a 5G version of that, and the Pixel 5 looks really similar to the Pixel 4a 5G, despite costing $200 more.

So what exactly is the difference? We're here to help. Here's a full comparison:

	Pixel 5	Pixel 4a 5G	Pixel 4a
Colors	Just Black, Sorta Sage	Just Black, Clearly White	Just Black
Body	144.7x70.4x8mm, 151g	153.9x74x8.2mm, 168g	144x69.4x8.2mm, 143g
Network	Sub6 5G		4G LTE
Display	Full-screen 6.0-inch (151 mm) display 19.5:9 aspect ratio FHD+ (1080 x 2340) Flexible OLED at 432 ppi Always-on display Now Playing Touchscreen Smooth Display (up to 90 Hz) >1,000,000:1 contrast ratio HDR support Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors	Full-screen 6.2-inch (158 mm) display 19.5:9 aspect ratio FHD+ (1080 x 2340) OLED at 413 ppi Always-on display Now Playing Touchscreen >100,000:1 contrast ratio HDR support Full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors	Full-screen 5.8 in (148 mm) display FHD+ (1080 x 2340) OLED at 443 ppi HDR Support 19.5:9 aspect ratio Always-on display Ambient EQ 100,000:1 contrast ratio Touchscreen
Battery	Typical 4080 mAh Fast wireless charging All-day battery Battery Share: Charge other devices wirelessly	Typical 3885 mAh All-day battery Fast charging	Typical 3140 mAh All-day battery Fast charging
Design	Recycled aluminum Corning Gorilla Glass 6 cover glass Water resistant	Soft touch Polycarbonate unibody	Polycarbonate unibody Corning Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass
Memory and storage	8GB LPDDR4x RAM 128GB storage	6GB LPDDR4x RAM 128GB storage
Security	Titan M security module Pixel Imprint
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with Octa-Core Adreno 620		Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G Adreno 618
Rear camera	12.2MP dual-pixel 1.4μm pixel width Autofocus with dual pixel phase detection Optical + electronic image stabilization ƒ/1.7 aperture 77° field of view 16MP ultrawide 1.0 μm pixel width ƒ/2.2 aperture 107° field of view		12.2MP dual-pixel ƒ/1.7 aperture Auto-focus with dual-pixel phase detection Optical + electronic image stabilization 77° field of view 1.4 μm pixel width
Front camera	8MP 1.12μm pixel width ƒ/2.0 aperture Fixed focus 83° field of view
Camera features	Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Super Res Zoom Motion Auto Focus Live HDR+ Frequent Faces Dual exposure controls Cinematic Pan Ultrawide Lens Portrait Light		Night Sight Top Shot Portrait Mode Live HDR+ Dual exposure controls Motion Auto Focus Super Res Zoom Group Selfie Cam Frequent Faces
Audio	Stereo speakers USB-C audio	Stereo speakers USB-C audio 3.5mm audio jack	USB-C audio 3.5mm audio jack
Starting price	$699	$499	$349

As you can see, these are all very similar yet different devices. One key value proposition of the Pixel 5 is that it has the 90Hz display that debuted on the Pixel 4 series, and of course, that it has wireless charging. It's also got more RAM and it's made of more premium materials.

The Pixel 4a 5G seems to be more in the Pixel 5 family than the Pixel 4a, but it's still one of the most inexpensive 5G phones that you're going to find. And then, of course, the regular Pixel 4a is a solid value for your dollar at $349.