The Google Pixel 5 is Google's current top of the line pixel phone and was released last
October.
I've been using one for over the past six months and I've been surprised at how continually
drawn I've been to using this phone, so let's dive into what makes the pixel 5 an interesting
phone and first up,
I've got to talk about weight.
This has been one of the most surprising things about using the pixel 5 over the long term,
it feels great to hold for an extended period of time.
This is often an overlooked part of smartphones but wait matters when you're going to be holding
a thing in your hand for hours on end.
The back material Google used also contributes to this comfortable feel that's a non-slip
material that feels pretty grippy and even if you put Google's recycled plastic fabric
case on it like I do it still feels great.
I love Google cases so much like honestly, I've tried to find a case like this for my
other phones with no luck, it's something that I think other phone manufacturers and
case makers should look at copying because Google just makes really good cases.
Okay, so that's how the phone feels but what about Actually using it the pixel version
of Android on the pixel 5 is good just as it was with previous pixels the pixel 5 offers
a slim down version of Android that doesn't have as many features as Samsung for example,
but you don't get the bloatware or ads that you do in Samsung's one UI either so it's
a trade-off personally.
I prefer Google's pixel version of Android especially when you consider the pixel specific
features like call screening which allows you to use the Google Assistant to screen
out spam calls.
Hold for me is another feature addition to the pixel OS that allows you to use the Google
Assistant to wait on hold for you when someone comes back on the line the Google Assistant
will give you a notification and bring you back into the call saving you a lot of time
in my experience and it's worked quite well also the pixels get Android updates first,
so if you're a die-hard Google fan, you should definitely look at getting a pixel phone and
if you're a super fan and you have multiple Android phones the pixel 5 makes a really
good phone for downloading Android betas as well as developer previews the pixel also
gets new feature drops every quarter with some pretty cool features that are exclusive
to pixel phones.
The pixel 5's digital wellbeing features are another thing that have made a difference
for me over the long term especially bedtime mode.
The Pixel lets you schedule bedtime mode which allows you to turn off certain apps and turns
the screen to grayscale making everything look less enticing and exciting.
I found this mode actually makes me use my phone less at night and the grain out apps
like social media apps helps reduce the temptation to stay on my phone longer at night.
Song recognition is another standard pixel feature that I love on this phone.
When you enable this setting the phone will show you what song is playing in the background
on the always-on display.
If you have that enabled as well as the lock screen.
Next up battery life, the Pixel 5 is thankfully not like the Pixel 4 in this regard.
The Pixel 5 has superb battery life that should last you all day and well into day two.
Google has done a good job to optimize the battery life of this phone and in general
I get better screen time with the pixel 5 than I do with my iPhone 12.
Also, the screen, The Pixel 5 screen is good.
The 90 Hertz display makes animations in the user interface feel fluid.
Also, if you're looking at the Pixel 4A versus the 5 the screen to me is one of those major
differences between the two phones.
With the Pixel 5, you don't get the weird purple distortions that you do on the Pixel
4 A's OLED panel and the 90 Hertz capacity of the display does make the Pixel 5 feel
a lot faster.
Next pixel buds.
Google is slowly getting better at creating an ecosystem of products around the pixel
and the pixel buds are a perfect example of this.
Not only do they instantly pair to the Pixel like AirPods do with my iPhone but the Pixel
5 has reverse wireless charging for the buds case, perfect for when you're in a bind and
need a quick charge.
I also love the recorder app.
I find it's translation is very good in US English and it's more accurate than YouTube's
automatic closed captions and it's what I use to create the captions for all of our
YouTube videos.
Overall, the performance of the pixel 5 has been great.
I haven't run into any significant slowdowns for what I use the phone for, which is mainly
reading, recording, taking photos and videos, phone calls, and video calls.
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Alright, the last main part of the pixel 5 that I really like is the camera specifically
for still photos.
This phone takes excellent photos given its sensor is the same as the one on the Pixel
2.
The Pixel 5 like the pixels before it produces great photos with a cool contrasty look.
The HDR+ capabilities are great in situations with really bright elements in your shot like
the sun and the added wide angle camera gives you the flexibility in the shots you want
to take.
Compared to another phone around its price like my iPhone 12, both take decent photos
that look pretty similar in terms of resolution and sharpness.
The main predominant difference between their photos are their overall look.
The iPhone produces a warmer tone with its photos and likes to punch up the highlights
a bit too much in certain situations.
I'd say where the Pixel 5 is a great job balancing highlights and shadows and overall has a cooler
higher contrast look to its photos.
Now where these phones differ quite a bit is in video quality, and this leads me to
my first downside with the Pixel 5.
At the end of the day, the Pixel 5's video quality is just not where it needs to be when
you compare it to the competition.
Take this shot for example, normal streetscape.
The iPhone produces a pretty good image.
It looks crisp but when you look at what the pixel does when you zoom in on it, it looks
like a cartoon, it just looks really odd and this is a perfect illustration of the issues
I've had with the pixel’s video capabilities.
At first things look okay, but when you look at it a little closer, especially on a larger
screen, it just doesn't perform as well as you expect.
Another example is this panning shot I took at peak fall here in North Carolina.
Notice as the shot pans the white balance goes haywire, constantly shifting and making
this footage unusable.
Now am I saying that the Pixel 5 isn't going to be able to get you any good video footage.
No, absolutely not, especially shots that have great direct light.
The new stabilization modes they added are pretty useful and especially the cinematic
mode which can produce some pretty gorgeous footage.
But overall, I'm still disappointed that the pixel 5's video quality just isn't as consistent
as the iPhone's making it less reliable to use.
Another downside to the pixel 5 is the lack of an ability to open the assistant when the
phone screen is off through a button or squeeze.
Google removed the squeeze for assistant hardware found in the Pixel 4 and after 6 months I've
concluded that this is a feature I do miss because they didn't replace it with anything.
I wish there was a way to quickly bring up the assistant by using one of the buttons
on the side like you can do on an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device.
Another unfortunate thing with the Pixel 5 is the lack of a larger size for those who
want a larger premium pixel.
The only big phone Google released last year was the Pixel 4A 5G which does have some but
not all of the features that the Pixel 5 has.
Now one major downside with the Pixel 5 for some people out there is there's no flashy
premium cutting-edge tech in this phone.
Unlike the Pixel 4 and 4XL ,the Pixel 5 doesn't have some flashy new hardware features like
a soli radar chip, but at the same time it doesn't have the battery woes of the four
and comes at a cheaper price.
But there are also a lot of great other Android phones and iPhones at this price that the
Google Pixel 5 is competing with.
So who exactly is this phone for and do I recommend it.
I do recommend the Pixel 5 and here are some groups that I think this phone is for.
First Google die hards who already bought a Pixel 3 or older?
I think the Pixel 5 offers you enough to justify that upgrade.
Now if you have a Pixel 4 or 4 XL I don't think there's enough there to justify the
upgrade to the five.
You may not even see it as an upgrade but you may also want to consider it if your battery's
already shot.
The Pixel 5 is also a great phone for Pixel 3A or even 4a customers who want a more premium
phone with the same great Google experience.
And then in general, I think if you want an Android phone that has simple software with
a great camera at a decent price with fantastic battery life, it gets Android updates fast
and consistently with some awesome Google Assistant exclusive features, then I think
the Pixel 5 is a great choice.
Now, I know what you're going to ask me if you've seen our other pixel videos on the
channel.
Is the pixel 5 my main phone?
Unfortunately, no, it's not.
I put my SIM card in my iPhone 12 for two reasons: video quality and ecosystem.
Now as I said before the video quality on the Pixel 5, unfortunately is just not reliable
enough for me to produce consistent footage.
Now my comment about the ecosystem is a bit more complicated and actually leads me to
my last downside around the Pixel 5, which is lack of a compelling accessory ecosystem
like a smartwatch that rivals the Apple Watch.
Before Google speakers were the entry point for me into the Android ecosystem, I mainly
had Apple products.
Apple is a dominant brand here in the US and well yes they are more of a premium brand
and technology, they do make just some really good products that integrate with each other
extremely well.
You can copy something on an iPhone or an iPad and paste it directly on your Mac.
You can unlock your phone or Mac using your Apple Watch, your messages effortlessly sync
across all of your devices through iMessage, etc.
Right now Google's Pixel devices just don't have enough to make it worth it to switch
out of Apple's ecosystem for me.
Especially if you already have a Mac, IPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod Mini, or use
iMessage, even have AirTags, now etc.
Once you buy an iPhone and then a few more Apple products the switching cost is something
like a pixel is huge because Apple just does a damn good job at building an ecosystem around
their major products like the iPhone and then integrating all of their products together
to work extremely well.
And Apple's not the only one who tries to create an ecosystem around its products.
Both Samsung and OnePlus are trying to do this as well and to be fair to Google they
are trying to go in this direction as well with the launch of the Pixel Buds last year
which we've reviewed and I love using.
Once someone switches to a Pixel they need a reason to stay and when you look at where
the smartphone market is going, I just don't think it's enough to have a phone and wireless
earbuds.
I think Google needs to build more of an ecosystem around the pixel.
To me, Google can do two things this year to make the pixel ecosystem more compelling.
Come out with a smart watch that can rival the Apple Watch and then build better integrations
between the Pixel and Google Assistant devices.
Like being able to hand off a phone call from the Pixel to a Nest Audio or send a text message
through an Nest Hub.
Now that's just my opinion I know this is a tricky subject so let me know in the comments
what you think does Google need to build an ecosystem around its pixel phones to be competitive?
How do Android manufacturers and the fact that Google makes Android come into play and
complicate Google's hardware strategy?
I'm really interested to see what people think so let me know in the comments.
All right, so that's why I think this phone is for and why I don't use the Pixel as my
main phone.
Though it's still a device I use every day especially to read on a night because it's
a great feeling phone to have in your hand, the software is snappy, and the battery life
is superb.
Now the last question you may have is whether or not you should go with the Pixel 5 or the
Pixel 4a.
In general I think if you can swing the price, the Pixel 5 is worth it especially when you
consider its wireless charging, better camera system, better screen, and it's water resistance.
The wireless charging and better screen for me are the things that would definitely sway
me over to the Pixel 5.
All right, well, I hope you found this video helpful and useful and if you did and liked
it, make sure you hit that thumbs up button below and subscribe to the channel to see
more six months later reviews on Google and other tech products.
For 6 Months Later, I'm Josh Teder, thanks for watching.