Pixel 4A 5G review: If you want affordable 5G, you'll want this phone

Back in August, Google unveiled the Pixel 4A, an affordable $349 (£349, AU$599) phone with an excellent camera. Fast-forward to October and the company launched its main flagship, the Pixel 5, and a 5G version of the Pixel 4A, aptly called the Pixel 4A 5G. This phone not only connects to the next-gen mobile network; it also has a second, ultrawide camera, a bigger display and battery and a slightly more powerful processor than the 4A. Naturally, the extra hardware goodies mean the phone costs more, at $499 (£499, AU$799).

But the price bump is worth it, especially if 5G is available in your area or you're preparing for its arrival. The Pixel 4A 5G's solid battery life, fantastic dual rear cameras, reliable performance and robust software support from Google also make it a worthy choice among other 5G phones, like the Motorola One 5G, which will receive only one major OS update. Because of these features and its competitive price, it's one of our favorite phones of the year, and it has earned CNET's Editor's Choice.

And while it's easy to be tempted by the $699 (£599, AU$999) Pixel 5, I'd still lean toward the Pixel 4A 5G. True, Google's marquee handset does have attractive features like a 90Hz display, wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. But outside of those differences (plus a few more that I'll describe below), the two Pixel phones share the same cameras, processor and general look and feel. If you're looking to save money, the Pixel 5 isn't quite worth that extra $200.

Because of the similarities between the Pixel 4A 5G and the Pixel 5, be sure to check out CNET's Pixel 5 review for more details on both phones' cameras and Android 11 software. Otherwise, read on to know about the Pixel 4A's key spec differences, design and performance.

Read more: The best phone to buy for 2020

Pixel 4A 5G vs. Pixel 5: What's the difference?

To see what makes all of the 2020 Pixel phones and the Pixel 4 ($390 at Amazon) 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. In any case, the main takeaways about the Pixel 4A 5G and the Pixel 5 are:

Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5 differences

	Pixel 4A 5G	Pixel 5
Display	6.2 inches	6 inches
Headphone jack	Yes	No
Battery	3,800mAh	4,000mAh
Refresh rate	60Hz	90Hz
Water-resistant	No	Yes (IP68)
Wireless charging	No	Yes
Reverse wireless charging	No	Yes
RAM	6GB	8GB

Pixel 4A 5G's bigger screen and budget looks

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, or plastic. While I do like that it has a hole-punch camera display and thinner bezels than last year's Pixel 4, overall the Pixel 4A 5G still feels as "budget" as the Pixel 4A. It definitely lacks the high-gloss, elevated looks of its competitors, like the Motorola One 5G and the lustrous LG Velvet ($271 at eBay).

The phone's display is sharp and bright, and easy to view in direct sunlight. 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 and the Motorola One have 90Hz displays. And still other phones have 120Hz screens, like the OnePlus 8 ($392 at Amazon) and Galaxy S20, but they cost much more. 

Pixel 4A 5G performance and battery

The Pixel 5 and 4A 5G have a Snapdragon 765G processor. It's a slight upgrade from the Pixel 4A's Snapdragon 730G chipset, but not as powerful as many other high-end phones, including the Pixel 4's Snapdragon 855 processor. Still, the Pixel 4A 5G is speedy and scored comparable benchmark numbers to other devices with the same chipset, like the Motorola One and LG Velvet. Keep in mind the Pixel 4A 5G also has less RAM than the Pixel 5 (6GB compared with 8GB), but between the two I didn't notice any difference in performance for daily tasks like launching the camera and opening apps.

3DMark Slingshot Unlimited

Google Pixel 4A 5G

3,818

Motorola One 5G

4,378

LG Velvet

4,463

Geekbench v.5.0 single-core

Google Pixel 4A 5G

573

Motorola One 5G

587

LG Velvet

586

Geekbench v.5.0 multicore

Google Pixel 4A 5G

1,567

Motorola One 5G

1,755

LG Velvet

1,939

The Pixel 4A 5G has a 3,800-mAh battery, which has been observably great so far. It lasted more than 24 hours without a charge with mild usage. I remember back in 2019, the Pixel 4's battery drained noticeably fast through the day. Thankfully, that's not happening with this phone. Battery tests on the Pixel 4A 5G for continuous video playback on Airplane mode clocked an average of 22 hours, 30 minutes. That's nearly the same as the LG Velvet, which has a 4,300-mAh battery. The Motorola One's massive 5,000-mAh battery outlasted both phones, however, with nearly 25 hours. If you're really worried about battery life, though, the Pixel 4A 5G has a new Extreme Battery Saver mode that severely limits app usage to extend battery life. 

Pixel 4A 5G spec comparison

	Google Pixel 4A 5G	Google Pixel 4A	Motorola One 5G	LG Velvet	Google Pixel 5
Display size, resolution	6.2-inch FHD+ OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels	5.81-inch OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels	6.7-inch LCD; 2,520x1,080 pixels	6.8-inch OLED; 2,460x1,080 pixels	6-inch FHD+ OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels
Pixel density	413ppi	443ppi	409ppi	395ppi	432ppi
Dimensions (inches)	6.1x2.9x0.3 in	5.7x2.7x0.3 in	6.61x2.91x0.35 in	6.58x2.92x0.31 in	5.7x2.8x0.3 in
Dimensions (millimeters)	153.9x74x8.2mm (Sub-6 only) 153.9x74x8.5mm (mmWave + Sub-6)	144x69.4x8.2mm	168x74x9mm	167.2x74.1x7.9mm	144.7x70.4x8mm
Weight (ounces, grams)	5.93 oz; 168g (Sub-6 only) 6.03 oz; 171g (mmWave + Sub-6)	5.04 oz; 143g	7.41 oz; 210g	6.35 oz; 180g	5.33 oz; 151g
Mobile software	Android 11	Android 10	Android 10	Android 10	Android 11
Camera	12.2-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (ultrawide)	12.2-megapixel	48-megapixel (main), 5-megapixel (macro), 8-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (depth camera)	48-megapixel (standard), 8-megapixel (wide-angle), 5-megapixel (depth-sensing)	12.2-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (ultrawide)
Front-facing camera	8-megapixel	8-megapixel	16-megapixel (main), 8-megapixel (ultrawide)	16-megapixel	8-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Storage	128GB	128GB	128GB	128GB	128GB
RAM	6GB	6GB	4GB	6GB, 8GB	8GB
Expandable storage	No	No	Up to 1TB	Up to 2TB	No
Battery	3,800mAh	3,140mAh	5,000 mAh	4,300mAh	4,000mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Rear	Rear	Side	In-screen	Rear
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Special features	5G-enabled; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); fast charging	Dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); fast charging	5G-enabled, TubroPower charging, Macro camera ring flash, HDR 10, 90Hz-refresh-rate display	5G-enabled; water-resistant (IP68); wireless charging, Fast Charging 4.0	5G-enabled; water-resistant (IP68); 90Hz-refresh-rate display; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); reverse wireless charging; fast charging
Price off-contract (USD)	$499	$349	$445 (AT&T), TBD (Verizon)	$600 (AT&T), $700 (Verizon)	$699
Price (GBP)	£499	£349	Converts to about £341	Converts to about £460	£599
Price (AUD)	AU$799	AU$599	Converts to about AU$618	Converts to about AU$830	AU$999

*prices are at launch

First published Oct. 14.