Pixel 4a Launched and Pixel 4a 5g and Pixel 5 Coming Soon

[zeusthemoose]

Summary

 A couple of hours ago, Google announced three new Pixel phones. The first one, the Pixel 4a, has been widely talked about over the last few days. The other two, the Pixel 4a 5g and Pixel 5, have had some rumors over the past few days.

 The Pixel 4a will retail for only $350! It is available for preorder now and the shipping date is August 20th. The tech specs are as follows:

• 5.8" oled screen
• 3140mAh Battery (around 9 hours)
• 6gb LPDDR4x Ram
• 128gb Storage
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 Processor
• 12.2 MP Rear Camera
  • 1.4 μm pixel width
  • Autofocus with dual pixel phase detection
  • Optical + electronic image stabilization
  • ƒ/1.7 aperture
  • 77° field of view
  • Supported Video
    • 1080p @ 30, 60, 120
    • 720p @ 30, 60, 240
    • 4k @ 30fps
• 8 MP Front Camera
  • 1.2 μm pixel width
  • Fixed Focus
  • ƒ/2.0 aperture
  • 84° field of view
  • Supported Video
    • 1080p @ 30
    • 720p @ 30
    • 480p @ 30
• Fingerprint Sensor on the Back
• 18W Fast Charging
• USB C Charging Port
• Headphone Jack
• More Available Here

Google also announced the Pixel 4a 5g and Pixel 5 today. The only information given was that the Pixel 4a 5g will start at $500 and they are coming soon. Both are shipping this fall.

 The consensus seems to be that it is a great all-around phone that is recommend for those going for phones in this price range.

 

Quotes

Quote

With the Pixel 4a, Google has once again delivered a device I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone who wants the best phone for the least amount of money. It does practically everything well — it has a pretty display, solid performance, lots of base storage, a well-built design and especially, a stunning camera. About the only area in which it comes up short is battery life, but even then, that’s not a deal breaker.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The midrange phone market is flush with options, and many will naturally shop the Pixel 4a against its two best competitors — the iPhone SE (which is faster) and the OnePlus Nord (which has a better display, bigger battery and 5G).

But overall, the Pixel 4a strikes the absolute best balance between affordability, performance and quality in the market today. Like its predecessor, it makes you wonder why anyone should spend twice or three times as much on a so-called flagship. Though it’s a shame Google was unable to release the Pixel 4a sooner, those who have waited for its arrival will certainly be rewarded.

(Tom's Guide)

Quote

Google is officially announcing three Pixel phones today. First is the $349 Pixel 4A, which is available for preorder now and will ship on August 20th. Next is the Pixel 5, which will have 5G and is shipping sometime this fall. Finally, there’s the Pixel 4A 5G, which will cost $499 and also ship sometime this fall.

In other words, Google is just up and admitting that it has two more phones to release at the very same time as it’s actually releasing another phone. It’s messy but necessary because this month’s Pixel 4A is coming out significantly later than expected. Google says that issues relating to the pandemic kept the 4A from hitting virtual store shelves earlier.

Since we have it in hand and have reviewed it, we know everything there is to know about the $349 Pixel 4A already. Google is keeping the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G mostly under wraps, but we can glean a few things already from today’s announcement.

(The Verge)

 

My thoughts

 I think this is an awesome phone. For the price, you are not getting the best specs, but it seems to be worth every cent. Especially since one of its main competitors, the One Plus Nord, is not available in much of the world, I think this will be a very successful phone.

 

Sources

 The Verge

 The Verge Review

 Pixel 4a 5g and Pixel 5 Homepage

 Pixel 4a Homepage

 Tom's Guide

 

Thread Discussing the leaks:

Quote

 

 

[Commodus]

I dig it. I don't think the Pixel 4a is necessarily better or worse than the iPhone SE or OnePlus Nord, since there are clear tradeoffs for each, but it's likely the best overall for camera performance and will get the best long-term OS support among Android phones. That $349 price for 128GB of storage is compelling, too, even if you can't expand it or get a 256GB version.

 

Also, I want to see the "I won't buy a phone without a headphone jack" holdouts put their money where their mouth is and buy the Pixel 4a without question. No, it doesn't matter that it's not much faster than your two-year-old phone, you said you'd only ever buy phones with headphone jacks... you're due for an upgrade, prove it!

[zeusthemoose]

1 minute ago, Commodus said:

I dig it. I don't think the Pixel 4a is necessarily better or worse than the iPhone SE or OnePlus Nord, since there are clear tradeoffs for each, but it's likely the best overall for camera performance and will get the best long-term OS support among Android phones. That $349 price for 128GB of storage is compelling, too, even if you can't expand it or get a 256GB version.

In countries where you cant get the Nord, people in the Apple ecosystem will get the SE and Android ecosystem will get the 4a. I doubt there will be many people deciding between the two unless they are unsure which os they want.

[soldier_ph]

lol this is exactly what most of the leaks and renders suggested. I feel like Google is leaking all of the specs and renders in months advance on purpose now. There's now way that all of the engineers and third parties who work on these devices leak so much and then they're so detailed too. The Phone itself looks decent to me but what I really hate are the pinhole Front facting Selfie cam and the fact that the Fingerprint reader is on the Back, I've got the Oppo Renoz 2Z with a Pop Up Camera and a under Display Fingerprint reader and I will never go back. This is the perfect competitor for the OnePlus Nord. Looking forward to the Durability Test and Teardown from JerryRigEverything. 

@zeusthemoose Also good write up 

[D13H4RD]

$349 for 128GB. Yeah, this is looking great. For how I use my phone these days, this is all I really need. Heck, it's more than I really need.

 

Nice job, Google....for continuing to prove that while you suck at selling high-end phones, you really know your shit when it comes to the midrange.

[zeusthemoose]

4 minutes ago, D13H4RD said:

you really know your shit when it comes to the midrange.

They really do make great mid-range phones.

 

Thank you @Pascal...!

[dizmo]

Glad to see they are coming out with an XL version, even if it isn't large enough to make me consider it....plus the screens bezels are a little thick for my liking.

I really hope the regular Pixel this year is a step up in terms of design and performance. Particularly in the battery department. You designed the OS Google. You should be absolutely dominating in terms of optimization.

 

7 minutes ago, D13H4RD said:

$349 for 128GB. Yeah, this is looking great. For how I use my phone these days, this is really all I really need. Heck, it's more than I really need.

 

Nice job, Google....for continuing to prove that while you suck at selling high-end phones, you really know your shit when it comes to the midrange.

It's really quite baffling. It's almost like they think "hey, we're big like Apple, our fans will buy our devices just like Apples fans do."

Sorry, but no.

[zeusthemoose]

6 minutes ago, BlueScope819 said:

The main problem I have with the SE is the awful battery compared to the processor,

On paper its pretty bad, but from what i've seen, it gets 9-13 hours.

[S w a t s o n]

The 5G variant of the 4a costing $150 more is a meme. Not worth it at all and by the way, Qualcomm is really fucking us over here. I just watched the verge go on and on about how the iphone SE is faster and will last longer due to the faster CPU. There's no reason this needs to be true. Qualcomm could have not forced 5G on the 865 and had lots of cheaper phones with it but they also need to just get gud and stop over segmenting like Intel was guilty of. They are making Android less competitive because of their need to print more money.

Iphone SE with A13 Bionic makes the pixel 4a with the 730G look like a child's toy, except for the screen.

[GoodBytes]

34 minutes ago, Pascal... said:

lol this is exactly what most of the leaks and renders suggested. I feel like Google is leaking all of the specs and renders in months advance on purpose now.

Well it gets people to talk... free advertisements, and helps gets greater amount of people pay attention when the reveal of the phone occurs.

It can also boost awareness, and those who might not even know about this phone series, now knows about it, which can also, result in additional sales.

People tend to like to know what is "all the fuzz" when media talks about leaks.

[S w a t s o n]

1 minute ago, BlueScope819 said:

 

So you guys are saying the extra $50 for the SE is worth it? From a lot of the reviews I've read it seems to me like the SE battery is fine for general standby use but I don't really need anything crazy more than that. I think I'm going to see what iFixit has to say about the 4a.

I never buy Apple but Qualcomm needs to get their shit together. Buy the Nord if you can.

[Fasterthannothing]

Looks like I'm buying a new phone since they actually put a headphone jack on it. I'm going to wait till the 5G version is out. I'm starting to hold on to phones longer and longer now that no more phones get headphone jacks.  The processor is about the same speed as my s9+ but with more features so I don't feel like I'm loosing anything going with a non 8 series processor. What would be amazing is if the 5 came with a headphone jack.

[zeusthemoose]

6 minutes ago, BlueScope819 said:

 

So you guys are saying the extra $50 for the SE is worth it? From a lot of the reviews I've read it seems to me like the SE battery is fine for general standby use but I don't really need anything crazy more than that. I think I'm going to see what iFixit has to say about the 4a.

I think it’s worth it if you want Apple but if you want android do the 4A. 

[Nowak]

Before anyone says "But the OnePlus Nord!", guess what isn't available in the United States?

[S w a t s o n]

17 minutes ago, Nowak said:

Before anyone says "But the OnePlus Nord!", guess what isn't available in the United States?

You posted after I said that, but I also said "if you can"

[Gino Motyka]

This is Great for us who don't want to go back into the Apple echo system or have to wait for the Nord to come to the States. I Do agree with people that the Nord is a better phone with its screens and 5G but one thing I have learned since I stopped focusing on whats inside is the company behind the product. It's like anything, you can have a hot new product from a Some what new company (like OnePlus) is relation to Samsung and google but down the line will it still be supported. I hold on to the phones for more then the 3 years that many surveyed say they do so this is very important to me. 

 

To each there own though  

[suicidalfranco]

yeah.. nope

If my V10 hits the fan, 5 years in and only swapped batteries twice: worth every penny out of those 300€, i'll go to something akin to the Nord and combine it with the FiiO M5 (thanks linus for making me want something i didn't know i needed in my life)

[Senzelian]

3 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

ship on August 20th

This is what I don't understand.
These phones have been sitting around for literally 3 months and now Google lets us wait even longer.
I guess to get us talking about it...

[zeusthemoose]

Just now, Senzelian said:

This is what I don't understand.
These phones have been sitting around for literally 3 months and now Google lets us wait even longer.
I guess to get us talking about it...

I don’t understand either. Even more because their other phones are coming quite soon so they will get even more attention then and I would assume they want this out as soon as possible to sell more.

[D13H4RD]

2 hours ago, dizmo said:

It's really quite baffling. It's almost like they think "hey, we're big like Apple, our fans will buy our devices just like Apples fans do."

Sorry, but no.

Agree. The flagship Pixels always seemed to have some kind of deal breaking flaw for some, whether that's the screen on the 2XL, the battery on the 4 or just general availability. 

 

But the 3A and 4A? Pretty much nailed it especially for the North American market. Yes, the OnePlus Nord exists but unless you're a OnePlus superfan who would import one, the 4A is gonna be the default recommendation for the midrange. 

[dizmo]

37 minutes ago, D13H4RD said:

Agree. The flagship Pixels always seemed to have some kind of deal breaking flaw for some, whether that's the screen on the 2XL, the battery on the 4 or just general availability. 

 

But the 3A and 4A? Pretty much nailed it especially for the North American market. Yes, the OnePlus Nord exists but unless you're a OnePlus superfan who would import one, the 4A is gonna be the default recommendation for the midrange. 

Yeah. I'd 100% import a OnePlus Nord, especially since the Indian version has all the bands I need and it's very cheap; $399. Though, I'd have to get a charger and pay for shipping, which still makes it cheap but has me thinking I might wait to see what else comes out. Zenfone 7 in particular.

 

The Pixel is exactly what 90% of people want from a phone. Works, can store lots of porn music and apps, has an amazing camera. I think if they put a ton of work into their selfie cam, they'd get even more sales. I just wish they'd produce something cool, but I have to remember they're not really a hardware manufacturer.

[Kisai]

15 hours ago, zeusthemoose said:

My thoughts

 I think this is an awesome phone. For the price, you are not getting the best specs, but it seems to be worth every cent. Especially since one of its main competitors, the One Plus Nord, is not available in much of the world, I think this will be a very successful phone.

 

I was asked earlier today what I thought and I was just like, "Gee Google... you know the ones that end support for things at their whim, just know that I would not trust those devices to last 4 years"

 

Aside from that, the Pixel 4A is too expensive for what it offers, but probably is needed to to ensure that competitors like Samsung and LG actually start making their own devices last as long as Google's otherwise people may just buy the Google devices as their first option since they last longer.

[maartendc]

15 hours ago, Commodus said:

 

 

No, it doesn't matter that it's not much faster than your two-year-old phone, you said you'd only ever buy phones with headphone jacks... you're due for an upgrade, prove it!

Well that is pretty contrary no.. "it is not much faster than your old phone" .... :"You're due for an upgrade".

 

Is it really an upgrade over a 2 year old phone then?

 

I have a Pixel XL first gen currently, and I even wonder, what does this phone do that my current one doesn't? Nothing much, it seems like. The screen to body ratio is better. That's about it. I would guess it is not much faster than a 4-year old flagship snapdragon 821. It has the same fingerprint reader, oled display with slightly worse PPI.

 

I really need a new phone because my battery has degraded. But other than that, I am not really that excited about getting this "new" phone.

 

Sure, I could get a new flagship, but even those don't really excite me. Wireless charging? Don't see the need. High refresh screens? Again, totally not needed. Face unlock? No thanks. No headphone jack? Ugh!

[Doobeedoo]

Overall it's ok though what it offers spec wise for price is minda meh really. While not wasting on useless 2MP cameras still a single, it's solid ye. No faster charging. I mean flagship will be more interesting. 

[Commodus]

4 hours ago, maartendc said:

Well that is pretty contrary no.. "it is not much faster than your old phone" .... :"You're due for an upgrade".

 

Is it really an upgrade over a 2 year old phone then?

 

I have a Pixel XL first gen currently, and I even wonder, what does this phone do that my current one doesn't? Nothing much, it seems like. The screen to body ratio is better. That's about it. I would guess it is not much faster than a 4-year old flagship snapdragon 821. It has the same fingerprint reader, oled display with slightly worse PPI.

 

I really need a new phone because my battery has degraded. But other than that, I am not really that excited about getting this "new" phone.

 

Sure, I could get a new flagship, but even those don't really excite me. Wireless charging? Don't see the need. High refresh screens? Again, totally not needed. Face unlock? No thanks. No headphone jack? Ugh!

The point was really to note that the people who insist on a headphone jack, the ones who say they'd happily forego the latest flagship features to avoid using a dongle or Bluetooth, have an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is.

 

The Pixel 4a definitely isn't dramatically faster. I can imagine there are some under-the-hood tweaks that come with getting a newer chip, like camera processing, but you're not buying it for the speed or a feature bonanza. Really, it's that you're getting a modern phone design with decent performance and good camera tech for $349 at a time when many upper-mid-range phones cost roughly twice as much.