Pixel 4A 5G serves up a bigger screen and a familiar look

Back in August,  Google  unveiled the Pixel 4A, an affordable $349 (£349, AU$599) phone with an excellent camera. More recently, the company released the Pixel 4A 5G, a slightly larger phone with, you guessed it, 5G connectivity. The device costs more and launched alongside the Pixel 5.

The Pixel 5 (left) costs $699 (£599, AU$999), but both phones have the same cameras, processor and general look and feel.

With a 6.2-inch display, the Pixel 4A 5G (left) is the largest device among all three 2020 Pixel phones. 

Another size comparison of all three Pixel phones. The Pixel 4A is on top and is the smallest with a 5.81-inch display.

Like most phones, the Pixel 4A 5G's display refreshes at 60 frames per second. If you want a higher refresh rate, which makes scrolling through news feeds and webpages feel smoother and peppier, the Pixel 5 has a 90Hz display. 

Aside from the Pixel 4A 5G's slightly bigger size, it looks nearly identical to the Pixel 4A. They both have a smooth, matte design made out of polycarbonate, aka plastic.

The Pixel phones run Android 11 and there isn't a huge amount of new software things we haven't already seen since the OS has been rolling out. That includes Dark Mode, Quick Controls, a built-in screen recorder and Google Assistant.

While both phones use the USB Type-C port for file transferring and charging, only the Pixel 4A 5G has a headphone jack.

The phone is equipped with a Snapdragon 765G processor and a 3,800-mAh battery. Battery tests on the Pixel 4A 5G for continuous video playback on Airplane mode clocked an average of 22 hours, 30 minutes.

The phone features a 12-megapixel standard camera and a 16-megapixel ultrawide camera on the back.

On the front is an 8-megapixel camera. 

Another look at the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G. 

The Pixel 4A (front) only comes in black, while the Pixel 4A 5G comes in both black and white.

Though the Pixel 4A 5G (left) costs $150 more than the Pixel 4A (right), it may be worth it. On top of being able to connect to the next-gen mobile network, it has that second, ultrawide camera, the bigger display and battery and a slightly more powerful processor.

To see what makes all of the 2020 Pixel phones and the  Pixel 4  different from each other, check out this full spec-by-spec rundown. You can watch CNET's video, a Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5 spec comparison, for a deep dive on just the two new Pixel phones, too.