Google Pixel 5: News, rumours, and the latest leaks

The Pixel 4 was a flagship filled with promise, that delivered in some key areas but underwhelmed in others. Will the Pixel 5 be the full package?

While the Pixel 4 maintained Google’s tradition of excellent photography standards, there were a couple of disappointments with the finished product, especially with regards to the insufficient battery capacity.

There’s every chance we’ll see a mid-range Pixel 4a released in mid 2020, but we’re really excited to see where Google takes its flagship phone next.

Google Pixel 5 – Release Date

It’s highly likely that the next Pixel flagship will make its appearance in October 2020 – it’s no wonder why we think that, based on the historical record so far:

• Pixel 4: October 2019
• Pixel 3: October 2018
• Pixel 2: October 2017
• Pixel 1: October 2016

But as with all tech launches this year, there’s a possibility that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic may cause a delay to this schedule, as it is rumoured to have done with the iPhone 12 series.

Google Pixel 5 – Price

Last year’s Pixel 4 cost £629 upon release, which contrary to the trends across the rest of the market was actually a significant decrease compared to the Pixel 3‘s starting price of £739. What’s more, it’s likely that the Pixel 5 could have another price cut, as from the rumoured specifications the chipset is likely to be downgraded from the flagships present in both predecessors.

Google Pixel 5 – Design

From what we’ve seen so far, the Pixel 5 could introduce a radical new design to the range typically known for understated handsets.

Prototype Pixel 5 render, front and back.

Forehead is slightly smaller than Pixel 4 – still giving room for the Soli Radar system.

I still hope this isn’t the final design.

Think it looks better in white? pic.twitter.com/lOtQkyY5fY

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 20, 2020

While the bezels on the front of the phone have been shrunk down, the rear camera module takes up far more space in the form of an inverted parabola, which contains three sensors. While it certainly will catch the eye, that might not be for the right reasons…

According to the video embedded above, one of those new sensors is an ultrawide lens, making it the first of google’s phones to feature such a snapper.

Google Pixel 5 – Specs

According to Neowin, the Pixel 5 will be the first since the series’ inception not to boast Qualcomm’s flagship sensor of the year. Last year the Pixel 4 ran on the Snapdragon 855, but this time round it looks like the Pixel 5 will run on the Snapdragon 765G. While this is still a fast, snappy piece of silicon that offers integrated 5G connectivity, it does mean that the Pixel 5 won’t be able to post performance scores rivalling the likes of the OnePlus 8. On the upside, it should mean a reduction to the price, making the device more affordable this time around.

• Why the Pixel 5 can shake the smartphone world

Although there hasn’t been much hard information yet released about the Pixel 5, that still hasn’t stopped up from creating a wishlist of new features that we reckon it should adopt:

Google Pixel 5 – Six changes we’d like to see

1. Lose the forehead

Perhaps the most divisive thing about the Pixel 4 was its jarringly asymmetrical design. Or to put it less politely, its Frankenstein’s monster of a forehead.

The top bezel of the Pixel 4 was made thick – real thick – in order to cram in a bunch of sensors, including an innovative radar module. This enabled both a Face ID-like biometric authentication system and a novel gesture-sensing provision.

But this came at the expense of simple good taste. We wouldn’t call the Pixel 4 ugly, but its design runs counter to the minimal-bezel standard we’ve all come to expect this deep into the second decade of the 21st century.

The Pixel 5 really needs to reduce that top bezel and restore a little visual balance.

2. Improve battery life

Our biggest criticism of the Pixel 4 had nothing to do with its quirky looks, which tend to grow less jarring the more you use it.

Conversely, the phone’s flat-out bad battery life will only get more painful with use.

The Pixel 4’s 2800mAh battery unit simply wasn’t anywhere near big enough for its specifications – especially with a 90Hz display to power. This resulted in some deeply unimpressive stamina, with Google’s current phone struggling to get through a single day of above-moderate usage.

Make no mistake: the Pixel 5 really needs to pack in a bigger and better battery.

3. Use a cutting edge CPU

We wouldn’t go so far as to say that the Pixel 4 was underpowered. But the Snapdragon 855 CPU it came equipped with wasn’t the very best processor on the market at the time. It wasn’t even the best that Qualcomm had to offer.

That honour would belong to the Snapdragon 855+. As the name suggests, it’s only an incremental improvement over the Pixel 4’s Snapdragon 855. It packs a slightly higher CPU clock rate and a 15-percent boost to GPU performance.

But the simple fact is that the Pixel 4 – which is supposed to represent the best that Android has to offer – had less poke than contemporaries such as the OnePlus 7T and the Asus ROG Phone II.

The Pixel 5 really should utilise the very best silicon available to it in 2020.

4. Include an ultrawide camera

Google went dual-camera with the Pixel 4 when its rivals were going triple and even quad-camera.

We’re not actually too bothered with the camera count from a purely numerical standpoint. The Pixel 3 managed to whip its rivals with just a single sensor, after all.

But having decided to adopt a second camera, it felt like an odd move for Google to make it telephoto rather than ultrawide. A wide-angle lens is generally held to be more useful than a zoom lens in the world of cameraphones.

It’s also possible to achieve a zoom effect (albeit not a perfect one) with clever software tricks, which Google excels at. Good luck pulling off such a trick without any wide-angle source material to work with.

We’re not saying Google should necessarily go with a triple-camera system for the Pixel 5 – though that would seem to make the most sense – but it should definitely include an ultrawide lens next time around.

5. More distinctive and premium design

You know what an iPhone looks like. You know what a Galaxy S looks like. But what does a Pixel look like?

We’re four phones into the Pixel project, and we’re still not really sure what the answer to that is, beyond the tendency to sport some funky tones.

While we’re at it, isn’t it about time that Pixel phones looked and felt truly premium, like those aforementioned Apple and Samsung flagships? After all, Google’s phones are no longer particularly cheap.

Like we said above, the Pixel 4 wasn’t an ugly phone. But we dearly hope that the Pixel 5 can evoke more than such ‘damning with faint praise’ sentiments.

6. Add 5G connectivity

If the Pixel 5 doesn’t have 5G – or at least a 5G option – then it will be a huge missed opportunity for Google. The nomenclature alone practically begs for such an inclusion (all hail the Pixel 5G!).

But even beyond that, Google is not going to want to skip 5G connectivity next time around. We can just about swallow Google’s explanation for 5G’s omission from the Pixel 4. It’s undeniable that 5G is a niche proposition in 2019, with limited coverage and inefficient components.

Can you imagine how bad the Pixel 4’s battery would have been with 5G thrown into the mix? We shudder to think.

Come the end of 2020, though, the 5G market should be more mature all round. It’ll be a lot tougher to excuse 5G’s omission from the Pixel 5 – especially given the rumours that the next iPhone will have it.

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