Design and Build

The Pixel 5a 5G is a highly durable device, utilizing an aluminum unibody covered in plastic for extended strength and a Gorilla Glass 3 front for screen protection. Its design is very simple and only comes in Mostly Black with a green power button, however, the Pixel 5a is very comfortable to hold due to its small size (6.1 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches) and light weight (183g). Some people say that the rear fingerprint sensor position is not good, however, the phone is IP67-rated, which means it is water-resistant up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. This phone also has a USB-C 3.1 port and can use both nano-SIM and eSIM. The Pixel 5a lacks wireless charging and has a plastic finish, but it is still a good mid-range phone with solid build quality and necessary features.

• Aluminum unibody, Gorilla Glass 3, plastic coating
• IP67 rating (water and dust resistance up to 1m for 30 min)
• Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, no face unlock
• USB-C 3.1 port
• Physical nano-SIM + eSIM

Pixel 5a 5G Display

The Pixel 5a 5G features a 6.34-inch OLED display (1080 x 2400 resolution or 413 PPI) that has also been improved by HDR. The display's refresh rate of 60Hz is quite outdated if the Pixel 5's 90Hz is considered the standard, furthermore, the screen brightness only reaches ~700 nits, which is not enough even for a bright day. Gorilla Glass 3 is only the minimum protection, and scratches are the problem. The bigger screen is really nice for playing new media. However, people pointed out that the scrolling is not as smooth as they had expected.

• 6.34-inch OLED
• 1080 x 2400 resolution, 413 PPI
• HDR support
• ~700 nits (peak)
• Gorilla Glass 3 protection
• 60Hz refresh rate

Performance and Software

The Pixel 5a 5G is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (7nm) chipset which comes with an octa-core CPU (1x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A76, 1x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A76, 6x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55), Adreno 620 GPU, and Google's Titan M security chip for data protection. The device also features 6GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB of internal storage (non-expandable), which provides a smooth experience for everyday activities. The phone runs Android 11 by default, and the Pixel 5a can be updated to Android 14. It was assured that the phone will receive OS and security updates for 3 years, but this service is no longer available after April 2025. The Pixel 5a is still good for general tasks, however, playing games for a long time or shooting 4K video might cause heating and dropping of performance, as the phone will limit the power to cool down.

• Snapdragon 765G with 8-core CPU, Adreno 620 GPU, Titan M
• 6GB LPDDR4 RAM
• Storage: 128GB
• Android 11 (3 years updates, ended August 2024)
• Optimized for AI, photography

The Snapdragon 765G is adequate for its price but lags behind the Pixel 6a’s Tensor chip in AI tasks. Users praise the clean software but criticize the expired update support and occasional camera app crashes post-update.

Camera System

The Pixel 5a 5G has a 12.2MP main camera (f/1.7, 27mm, OIS) and a 16MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2, 107° FOV) in its back, while the 8MP front camera (f/2.0) does not have the function of autofocus. Google's computational photography technology brings out very crisp photos with vivid colors, especially the part in low light where Night Sight really shines, although 4K 60fps video recording, comparing to that of flagships, is still soft in terms of quality in most cases.

• Rear: 12.2MP Main (f/1.7, OIS), 16MP Ultra-wide (f/2.2)
• Front: 8MP (f/2.0)
• Video: 4K 60 fps (rear), 1080p (front)
• Modes: Night Sight, Portrait Mode, Astrophotography
• LED flash

Battery and Charging

The Pixel 5a 5G has a 4680mAh battery that can work for about 14 hours of video playback or 12 - 14 hours in real-world use. This certainly outperforms the 10-hour battery of the Pixel 4a 5G. With a 50% charge in 40 minutes from 18W wired charging the battery can be recharged, but it is not compatible with Qi wireless charging. As a result, the package does not include a charger. Except that the battery is widely recognized for being long but here is the issue with charging, as well as the fact that the phone can get warm during this process as well as during heavy use

• 4680mAh battery
• Up to 14 hours video playback, ~12–14 hours real-world
• 18W wired charging (50% in 40 min)
• No wireless charging
• No charger included (USB-C cable only)

Connectivity

The Pixel 5a 5G supports sub-6GHz 5G connectivity, along with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0, ensuring reliable wireless performance. It includes location support for GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS, providing accurate navigation across regions. For added flexibility, the Pixel 5a offers both nano-SIM and eSIM compatibility, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack—an increasingly rare feature. However, it’s important to note that the device does not support mmWave 5G, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), or satellite connectivity.

• 5G modem (sub-6GHz)
• Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
• Bluetooth 5.0
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Physical nano-SIM + eSIM
• No mmWave, UWB, or satellite connectivity
• GPS: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS