Google Pixel 5a vs. Pixel 5: What's the difference?

Google Pixel 5a Rear 2
Google Pixel 5a Rear 2 (Image credit: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

Google Pixel 5a

Pixel 5a 5g Render Both Sides Adjusted

The Pixel 5a is a phone ready to head out on a chargerless weekend or an all-day Reddit and reading marathon, packing the same Pixel 5 performance into a much more affordable package. This will be the best mid-range phone of 2021 — at least in the U.S. and Japan.

Google Pixel 5a

Better battery and value

Same processor/specs as Pixel 5
Same solid cameras
Lower price tag
Much longer battery life
Finally has water resistance
Only available in U.S. and Japan
No wireless charging

Google Pixel 5

Google Pixel 5 Sorta Sage Render

Last year's Pixel is easier to use one-handed and supports faster wireless charging than Samsung's latest phones, but who wants to pay 2021 prices for a 2020 phone? Well, at least the Pixel 5 is widely available (for now).

Google Pixel 5

On its way out

Smaller screen and profile
mmWave support
15W wireless charging
Available in more countries
Much more expensive
About to be replaced with Pixel 6
Average battery life

The Pixel 5a is here, and now that it's arrived, the Pixel 4a 5G is getting discontinued — in the two markets the Pixel 5a is launching in, anyway. However, I'm not sure why the Pixel 5 isn't going away immediately, too. While at first, this match might seem to be a classic case of mid-range value vs premium features, the Pixel 5a actually has two of the three features that distinguished the Pixel 5 from the Pixel 4a 5G last year.

If you're thinking about grabbing a Pixel 5 on sale before the Pixel 6 replaces it, here's why you should stop what you're doing and buy the Pixel 5a instead.

Google Pixel 5a vs. Pixel 5: Size, battery, and wireless charging are the only real differences

When the Pixel 5 launched last fall alongside the Pixel 4a 5G — which it shared almost all specs with — it could at least distinguish itself from the larger, less premium device with wireless charging, water resistance, and the aluminum unibody design that came in that delicious Sorta Sage green. With a $100-$200 gap, it was easier to recommend the Pixel 5 for a more pocket-friendly phone that could withstand rainy days and featured a crisp 90Hz screen.

Unfortunately, the Pixel 5a picked up water resistance alongside its much beefier battery, meaning that among this sea of same specs below, there's far less for the Pixel 5 to use to justify its price tag.

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Header Cell - Column 0 Google Pixel 5aGoogle Pixel 5
Operating systemAndroid 11Android 11
Display6.34-inch 60Hz OLED2400x1080px (20:9)HDR, Gorilla Glass 36-inch 90Hz OLED2340x1080px (19.5:9)Gorilla Glass 6
ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 765G1 x 2.4GHz A761 x 2.2GHz A766 x 1.8GHz A55Adreno 620Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G1 x 2.4GHz A761 x 2.2GHz A766 x 1.8GHz A55Adreno 620
RAM6GB8GB
Storage128GB128GB
MicroSD slot
Rear camera 112.2MP, f/1.7Optical and electronic image stabilizationDual pixel phase autofocus4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps12.2MP, f/1.7Optical and electronic image stabilizationDual pixel phase autofocus4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps
Rear camera 216MP, f/2.2Ultrawide lens117-degree field-of-view16MP, f/2.2Ultrawide lens117-degree field-of-view
Front camera8MP, f/2.0Fixed focus lens83 degree field of view8MP, f/2.0Fixed focus lens83 degree field of view
ConnectivityWi-Fi 802.11acBluetooth 5.0NFC, A-GPSWi-Fi 5 (802.11ax)Bluetooth 5.0NFC, A-GPS
5GSub-6: N1, 2, 5, 12, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78mmWave: ❌Sub-6: N1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 28, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78mmWave: N258, 260, 261
Audio3.5mm jackStereo speakersStereo sound
Battery4,680mAh18W wired charging3,885mAh18W wired charging15W wireless charging5w reverse wireless charging
Water resistanceIP67IP68
SecurityRear Pixel ImprintTitan M security moduleRear Pixel ImprintTitan M security module
Dimensions156.2x73.1x8.8mm183g144.7 x 70.4 x 8mm151g
ColorsMostly BlackJust BlackSorta Sage

Pixel 5 vs Pixel 4a 5G

Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central This is the Pixel 4a 5G with the Pixel 5, but the size comparison still fits perfectly. (Image credit: Source: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)

If you're a fan of small phones, the Pixel 5 might win you over, but the Pixel 5a offers the same performance. (OK, gamers might appreciate that extra 2GB of RAM.) Even though the Pixel 5a screen is only 60Hz, it's still easy to read outside and you'll be able to keep it on much, longer before needing to find a charger.

The Pixel 5a is worth it for the battery alone.

I averaged over seven hours of screen time per charge on the Pixel 5a, which will last a normal user 36-48 hours. I got 11 hours of screen time from a two-day single-battery cycle, and I could've probably gotten another half hour if I hadn't plugged in at 5% because I wanted to finally go to bed. Wireless charging would've been nice, but with numbers like these, I can forgive its absence.

The Pixel 5a is also the first a-series Pixel to get water resistance, which brings it one step closer to being one of the best affordable Android phones on the market. You also get water resistance with the Pixel 5, but it still falls further behind thanks to its premium price tag.

Google Pixel 5a

Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central (Image credit: Source: Ara Wagoner / Android Central)

The only real reason to pick the Pixel 5 over the Pixel 5a comes down to availability: the Pixel 5a is only launching in the U.S. and Japan. In every other market Pixels currently sell in, you're still stuck with the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 — at least until the Pixel 6 arrives this fall.

Ara Wagoner

Ara Wagoner was a staff writer at Android Central. She themes phones and pokes YouTube Music with a stick. When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. If you see her without headphones, RUN. You can follow her on Twitter at @arawagco.