The Pixel 5 has a plain metal back (Image credit: Google) From the front these phones look quite a lot various, as while the Google Pixel 4 has a large bezel above the screen, which houses its front-facing cam, the Google Pixel 5 has a more modern (and Pixel 4a-like) punch-hole cam and minimal bezel. However, one thing you get with both phones is water and dust resistance.
As for measurements and weight, the Google Pixel 5 can be found in at 144.7 x 70.4 x 8mm and 151g, while the Pixel 4 is 147.1 x 68.8 x 8.2 mm and 162g, so theyre extremely comparable in size, but the Pixel 5 is a little much shorter, larger, thinner and lighter.
Screen.
The Pixel 5 has a larger screen than the Pixel 4: its a 6-inch 1080 x 2340 OLED show, with 432 pixels per inch and a 90Hz refresh rate.
The Google Pixel 4, meanwhile, has a 5.7-inch one with a marginally lower resolution of 1080 x 2280 and 444 pixels per inch. Its still OLED though, and likewise has a 90Hz refresh rate, so interactions should feel simply as smooth.
The Google Pixel 4 has a telephoto lens (Image credit: Future) The reality that the Pixel 5 has the very same primary cam isn; t necessarily a bad thing, as the Google Pixel 4s snapper is excellent– in our evaluation we called it “great” and we discovered that it carried out well even in low light.
But we were likewise fond of the telephoto electronic camera, so whether the change to an ultra-wide on the Pixel 5 will show the best choice remains to be seen.
Battery life.
One big upgrade in the Google Pixel 5 is its battery, as the phone has a 4,080 mAh cell, while the Pixel 4s is available in at just 2,800 mAh.
Whether that will cause much better life from the Pixel 5 remains to be seen– while Google claims that both phones offer “all-day” life, in our Pixel 4 evaluation we discovered that the phone had “frustratingly brief” battery life, with the phone typically failing to make it through a full day.
The Google Pixel 5 is the current flagship from Google, and the follower to 2019s Google Pixel 4. The brand-new phone isnt as much of an upgrade as you may anticipate– in reality, its perhaps not an upgrade at all, as the chipset is mid-range and the cost is temptingly low.
As such, you may be wondering whether its much better to simply get a Pixel 4 rather, or if its worth upgrading from the Pixel 4 to the Pixel 5. To help you address those concerns weve compared the 2 phones based on their core specs and functions and– in the case of the Pixel 4– our hands-on experiences..
Read on to see how the brand-new Google Pixel 5 stacks up against the older Google Pixel 4 in all the areas that matter– from the screen to the video camera, and the all-important cost.
Design.
From the back the Google Pixel 4 and Google Pixel 5 appearance quite comparable. They both have a square camera block in the top-left corner and a Google logo near the bottom, and are otherwise near featureless single-color slabs.
There are 2 key distinctions. To start with, the Pixel 5 has a finger print scanner on the back, whereas the Pixel 4 does not have a finger print scanner at all. The other huge difference is that while the Pixel 4s back is made of glass, Google has chosen the uncommon option of utilizing aluminum for the Pixel 5.
The colors of the back likewise vary– the Pixel 4 can be found in black, white, and orange tones, while the Pixel 5 is readily available in an option of black or green.
The Pixel 4 has less RAM but a potentially much faster chipset (Image credit: Future) In terms of software application, both phones run Android 11– although while the Pixel 5 runs it out of the box, the Pixel 4 released with Android 10 and will probably stop getting updates before the Pixel 5 does.
When it comes to features, among the most significant functions on the Pixel 4 was Motion Sense. This allows the phone to spot when youre near it and instantly turn the screen on. It likewise allows you to carry out air gestures above the screen, so you can communicate with your handset without touching it.
However, we discovered that its usefulness was limited, and that it was a huge battery drain, so its perhaps unsurprising that Google has dumped the function for the Pixel 5.
Something you do get on the Google Pixel 5, however, is a fingerprint scanner. This lies on the back of the phone, and its something the Pixel 4 does not have at all– its instead dependent on facial recognition.
Cost and accessibility.
The Google Pixel 5 expenses $699/ ₤ 599/ AU$ 1,079. Its not yet readily available to purchase at the time of writing, however you can pre-order it now, and its landing on October 15.
The Google Pixel 4 has actually of course been on sale for a while, and begins at $799/ ₤ 669/ AU$ 1,049 for 64GB of storage, increasing to $899/ ₤ 769/ AU$ 1,199 for 128GB.
So the Pixel 5 is really more affordable than its predecessor, thanks probably to its lower chipset– though naturally the Pixel 4 is likely to begin being heavily discounted now that the Pixel 5 has actually landed, so you may well have the ability to find the older phone for less than the brand-new one.
Surprisingly, the Pixel 4 is the more expensive of the two (Image credit: Future) Takeaway.
Based upon very first impressions the Google Pixel 5 is a little bit of an oddity– its a clear upgrade on the Pixel 4 in some ways, using a bigger battery, 5G, more RAM and a bigger screen.
However the chipset is arguably a downgrade, and some other elements are either much the same or various without necessarily being better, such as the change from a telephoto lens to an ultra-wide one.
The phone is priced appropriately, however as a follower to the Pixel 4 it might disappoint people wishing for a 2020 Google flagship. Well need to put it through a full evaluation to know for sure though– and the lower rate might end up providing the phone more traditional appeal than its predecessor.
The Pixel 5 has a finger print scanner on the back, whereas the Pixel 4 doesnt have a fingerprint scanner at all. The other huge difference is that while the Pixel 4s back is made of glass, Google has gone with the uncommon option of utilizing aluminum for the Pixel 5.
Its arguable whether the Pixel 5s chipset is even an upgrade on the Pixel 4s, which is the Snapdragon 855. Its paired with simply 6GB of RAM in the Pixel 4, along with either 64GB or 128GB of storage. Its likewise worth keeping in mind that while the Google Pixel 5 supports 5G, the Pixel 4 doesnt.
The Google Pixel 5 (Image credit: Google) So we certainly hope the bigger capability translates into a significantly longer life expectancy. Its likely to have done, but well let you know for sure once weve fully examined the Pixel 5.
Both phones support 18W fast charging, and both support cordless charging.
Features and specs.
The Google Pixel 5 has an upper mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. While those specs are sensible, the processor isnt a match for the likes of the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 865 Plus, discovered in phones such as the OnePlus 8 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Its debatable whether the Pixel 5s chipset is even an upgrade on the Pixel 4s, which is the Snapdragon 855. Its likewise worth noting that while the Google Pixel 5 supports 5G, the Pixel 4 does not.
The Pixel 5 (above) has a bigger screen than the Pixel 4 (Image credit: Google) Really on paper then theres very little distinction between these two screens– the Pixel 5s is a little bit larger, but thats about all. Of course, it might carry out better in practice, but we wont know that until weve put the phone through our testing process.
For what its worth, we were fairly impressed with the Pixel 4s screen, calling it “colorful and brilliant” in our evaluation.
Cam.
As with the screen, theres not a big amount of distinction between the electronic cameras on these 2 phones, a minimum of on paper.
They both have a dual-lens cam with a 12.2 MP f/1.7 main snapper, although while the Pixel 4 has a 16MP f/2.4 telephoto electronic camera (with 2x optical zoom), the Pixel 5 swaps it for a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one. Both phones have an 8MP camera on the front.
