Google Pixel 5 vs Pixel 4a
Here we compared two smartphones: the 6-inch Google Pixel 5 (with Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G) that was released on September 30, 2020, against the Google Pixel 4a, which is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G and came out 2 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 5
- Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
- Comes with 940 mAh larger battery capacity: 4080 vs 3140 mAh
- Higher display refresh rate – 90 Hz
- Shows 18% longer battery life (31:36 vs 26:51 hours)
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- Supports wireless charging up to 12W
- 22% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (385K versus 316K)
- Has an ultra-wide angle camera lens
- Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
- Slow-motion recording at 240FPS
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 4a
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.1)
- Delivers 15% higher peak brightness (801 against 697 nits)
- Has 2 SIM card slots
- Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
- Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port
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Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Performance
CPU/GPU performance in apps and games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview score
Final comparison evaluation
Value for money
You can enter your local price of these phones (in USD or any other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | OLED | OLED |
| Size | 6 inches | 5.81 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels | 1080 x 2340 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 432 ppi | 443 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 700 nits | 700 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10 |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 85.9% | 83.3% |
| Display features | - Always-On Display | - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | 97.4% | 95.3% |
| PWM | 367 Hz | 255 Hz |
| Response time | 5 ms | 6.2 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 144.7 mm (5.7 inches) | 144 mm (5.67 inches) |
| Width | 70.4 mm (2.77 inches) | 69.4 mm (2.73 inches) |
| Thickness | 8 mm (0.31 inches) | 8.2 mm (0.32 inches) |
| Weight | 151 g (5.33 oz) | 143 g (5.04 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | No |
| Rear material | Metal | Plastic |
| Frame material | Metal | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Green | Black |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, rear | Yes, rear |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G |
| Max clock | 2400 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 1 + 6) | 8 (2 + 6) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 475 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 1 core at 2.2 GHz: Kryo 475 Gold (Cortex-A76) - 1 core at 2.4 GHz: Kryo 475 Prime (Cortex-A76) |
- 6 cores at 1.8 GHz: Kryo 470 Silver (Cortex-A55) - 2 cores at 2.2 GHz: Kryo 470 Gold (Cortex-A76) |
| Lithography process | 7 nanometers | 8 nanometers |
| Graphics | Adreno 620 | Adreno 618 |
| GPU clock | 750 MHz | 825 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~700 GFLOPS | ~422 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 102395 | 101186 |
| GPU | 105316 | 79209 |
| Memory | 74762 | 59587 |
| UX | 106676 | 78244 |
| Total score | 385320 | 316604 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 38.6 °C | 41.4 °C |
| Stability | 89% | 99% |
| Graphics test | 6 FPS | 6 FPS |
| Graphics score | 1084 | 1003 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 2.1 | UFS 2.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) | Android 10 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | Stock Android | Stock Android |
| OS size | 16.6 GB | 15 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 4080 mAh | 3140 mAh |
| Charge power | 18 W | 18 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes (12 W) | No |
| Reverse charging | Yes | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (30% in 30 min) | Yes (50% in 25 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:45 hr | 1:27 hr |
| Web browsing | 10:13 hr | 08:45 hr |
| Watching video | 15:02 hr | 11:16 hr |
| Gaming | 05:39 hr | 04:05 hr |
| Standby | 104 hr | 99 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 12.2 megapixels | 12.2 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4290 x 2800 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (1080p) | 120 FPS (1080p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 107° | - |
| Lenses | 2 (12.2 MP + 16 MP) | 1 (12.2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 12.2 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 27 mm - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX363 (CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization |
- 12.2 MP - Aperture: f/1.7 - Focal length: 27 mm - Pixel size: 1.4 micron - Sensor: 1/2.55", Sony IMX363 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 16 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 24 mm - Pixel size: 1 micron |
- |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Samples | Photo samples of Google Pixel 5 from DxOMark | Photo samples of Google Pixel 4a from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 3264 x 2448 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 24 mm | 24 mm |
| Pixel size | 1.12 microns | 1.12 microns |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor size | 1/4.0" | 1/2.8" |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.1 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 1 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | 15 | 15 |
| 5G support | Yes | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | Yes |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Mid-range |
| Announced | September 2020 | August 2020 |
| Release date | October 2020 | October 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.96 W/kg | 1.37 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.39 W/kg | 1.39 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Google Pixel 5 is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 149