Google Pixel 5 Review - Redefining the Flagship? By Pocketnow

This is the pixel 5, what google calls the ultimate 5g google phone and what I'm going to call proof to the theory that I had earlier this year, see as I revisited the Pixel 4 XL with android 11 in June. I came to the conclusion that google no longer cares to compete. Forget the curves. Forget the glass forget the flagship. I think google has realized. The numbers game is unsustainable.

None of it makes common sense. If the product doesn't sell. We saw how the company tested the waters and succeeded with the Pixel 3a and then confirmed it with the Pixel 4a, but I don't think that anything prepared us for what the Google Pixel 5 represents. This is not what many of us would call a flagship, but I think that we have a misconception of what the word means. The OnePlus 8t is proof that you can launch a phone with all the best specifications that doesn't really guarantee the best experience.

If you were to search the definition of flagship, it's really just a representation of the best the company has to offer, and not necessarily a list of specs and here's. The thing google is a software company, and it seems that google is trying to tell the world that you don't need to pay four figures to get flagship experiences so long as the software is tuned right, I'm Rivera with pocket now and let's find out, if that's true in our review of the Google Pixel 5. This is one of those reviews that just couldn't be rushed because it's easy to let the numbers cloud, your judgment, I'm going to ask you a couple of fundamental questions: does your phone need to be made of glass to be considered high quality because I'm the one to prefer any other material that won't break? Do you want a phone, that's fast, responsive and can last all day or would the guts matter more because, frankly, I've tested just too many phones this year with great specifications and large form factors, but with clunky software that ends up draining the battery in no time also, do you want great photos, or do you still believe that megapixels and lenses matter more, because I think 2020 is proof that a phone can be called ultra cost you four figures and fail, and really our economy currently demands more a phone that can deal with the essentials well and not necessarily be extravagant, like the Pixel 4a I'd also call the pixel 5 cute? Its design is like a Frankenstein homage of years past the plastic coated aluminum, with a back fingerprint scanner, is pixel 2, an invisible cutout for wireless charging is pixel 3. The design of the minor camera hump is pixel 4 and unless you look real close, the front is all Pixel 4a, there's no pixel 5 XL, or at least not yet, if you're looking for a larger footprint, you'll be limited to the more affordable less premium, but yet just as powerful pixel 4 a5g. That said, if you do the math, this is technically not a small phone at 6 inches diagonal.

The display is only a hair shorter than what we have on the 4a5g and even the old 4xl. It's simply a more efficient design, with some of the smallest bezels I've seen and no notches or chins. It's a very vibrant panel at 1080p plus resolution with great color saturation and hdr10 plus capabilities. Furthermore, it also offers variable 90hz, refresh rate, which only kicks in when needed. I wouldn't call it my favorite when it comes to brightness and keep in mind that only one of the speakers is loud.

As the obsession for reducing bezels meant, the death of the earpiece in favor of vibrating phone manages glasses. I do like the combination of this nearly borderless flat panel, matched with the materials. The back provides enough texture for it not to be slippery, and the display size is optimized enough that it's ideal for one-handed use and let's be real, this sort of sage color is sort of unique and cool. It's seriously refreshing to use a phone, you don't have to constantly wipe clean, and I'd call this the first phone in years that I've been comfortable enough to use without a case but keep in mind, gorilla, glass, 6 at the front or not glass can break. So if you don't trust yourself channel sponsor subcase, has you covered the award-winning up pro continues to be one of our favorites, given all the perks and protection you get for the affordable price? What made this phone controversial is that for the first time ever, and I'm talking way back to the times of the nexus 1, this would be the first google phone to launch without the latest Qualcomm snapdragon processor, ram and storage are decent at 8 28, but it's not the fastest.

There is, and then Wi-Fi is dated and Bluetooth is close to getting there and about. The only thing to celebrate is the massive battery the IP rating and the fact that it supports all flavors of 5g, even with its one-handed footprint. The only question left is that this phone can behave like a flagship if it's running on mid-range specifications, and I think that the company has already proven that with the Pixel 3a and also the 4a so far, the Google Pixel 5 has almost everything I care about in a phone starting with android 11. Guys. This update was so essential that it made me switch back to the 4xl a couple of months ago now no pixel has ever been slow by any means, so repeating the same fast and fluid statement gets boring.

For me, it's really about the perks like finally having order in the notification pane, as conversations are now stacked at the top, it's being able to control my smart home essentials from the power button. It's the little things like a practical, always on display that even tells me what song is playing or the convenience of calling on notifications with the fingerprint scanner. Best of all guys, you can cry about the lack of that snapdragon 865. All you want. I think that google made the conscious decision to not adopt it in order to favor endurance with this phone.

This is seriously a two-day phone and I think the sacrifice needed to not give us a tank-sized device was to choose a more power, efficient chip, not sure if it has to do with my choice, to continue using google phi, as my preferred carrier for its way to jump between networks and, at the same time provide 5g. Oh, and if you're worried about phone calls given the glass earpiece, don't I actually find it crazy, convenient in crowded environments as this implementation is really loud. And yes, you did hear the almost everything right. I can't believe that I'm going to say this, but I do miss the squeeze feature for the Google Assistant and I also miss the facial recognition for privacy with notifications, like I don't need the most secure form of it, but something good enough to not show me notifications unless my face is detected, which I really miss from the pixel 4. What's left to be discussed out of the three essentials that we began, this video with is photography and that's where things get interesting.

We finally get the ultra-wide we've been begging for years, but then we also lose the pixel core chip that made photo processing a breeze, which would be a weird move for a company that uses software to compensate for the lack of lenses or specifications so yeah. I expect to see the processing indicator quite often, but I don't think that you should worry about the results. That said, photos remind me of every other pixel and even last year's pixels. So the lack of innovation actually worries me. During the day, photos are some of the most balanced you'll find with subtle, color and computational photography, pulling some hard punches at a time when gloom is making it really hard for any camera to get dynamic range right.

I even noticed this new grain effect and the shallow depth of field produced by the sensor that I really like during the day, and then you can easily switch focal links, though, that ultrawide is actually not too aggressive to avoid distortion. I actually think that the whole idea of doing the digital crop for the telephoto was a smart decision, as Google has already shown us how good it can compensate with software on the previous pixels. Just word of advice. Don't think that 7x is gonna, do a great job now in the topic of night mode. Once again, it is pixel quality, which means it reminds me of the pixel 4 that even the iPhone 11 was able to beat in certain scenarios like grain and detail and listen.

This is not to say that photos are bad, but I wouldn't call the pixel a king in this department anymore and yes, I would have loved to give you samples of macrophotography, but it's been overcast for weeks now. In the case of portraits, I do feel that the software found some improvements. I noticed less aggressiveness and the results and skin tones that I saw with the pixel 4, though keep in mind, depending on your hairdo. It will miss it sometimes really. My biggest problem with the pixel 5 is video.

This is not a vlogging phone. The results are no better than the pixel 4, which means 4k at 60 only from the primary, and even if you can finally switch to the three focal lengths, it doesn't compensate for the warping or the grain in low light. And now, if you really want to talk dated, let's discuss the selfie shooter, which is still being stuck at 1080p and again with simply too much grain in anything but the brightest conditions. I seriously would call this a great camera for stills, but video feels at least three generations old. To conclude, I think that the slogan that Google uses to identify this phone says most of what we should know.

It's the ultimate 5g google phone terms that talk more to the average consumer than to us tech nerds. This phone is an answer to what consumers need at the moment and not necessarily what us geeks want we're currently in one of the worst pandemics in history, leaving us with one of the worst economies ever registered. Like seriously, can people buy a more expensive phone? Is 5g enough to justify the added price and most important? Should you really get a mediocre phone just because it's less expensive? I think the answer to all of these questions is no, and I believe google is more in touch with reality, with the pixel 5 than ever before. There are no more gimmicks, no more scandals, no more hefty price tags and sure very little innovation, but at a time when I feel that other things are more important. Yes, we have to admit the Google Pixel 5 is not the perfect phone by any means, but what it can do it can do so well that it's slowly creeped up to being one of my favorite phones of 2020.

Let us know what you think about the Google Pixel 5 in the comments down below and while you're at it follow us on social media subscribe to our channel for more videos like this. One also follow me on my personal handles to see me be surprised at Google's new approach to hardware. Please give this video a thumbs up. If you liked what you saw, I'm Jaime Rivera thanks so much for watching we'll see you on the next one.

Source : Pocketnow