Pixel 4a/5G Vs Pixel 5a: Should You Upgrade?

The successor to the Pixel 4a, the Pixel 5a, is now official. It brings significant improvements over the 4a and addresses quite a few problems that people faced. In this article, let’s compare the Pixel 4a with the Pixel 5a and find out if you should be upgrading to the latter.

The Pixel 4a that launched in 2020 was delayed for almost a year, resulting in Google launching it at a lower price, i.e., $350. A lot of people bought it became one of the best-selling phones in the U.S. Will the Pixel 5a carry the same legacy as the 4a? Let’s find out.

Pixel 4a Vs Pixel 5a: To Upgrade Or Not Upgrade?

Display and Internals

The Pixel 4a features a 1080P OLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. In contrast, the Pixel 5a has the same display resolution and ratio but features a slightly taller screen (6.2-inches) compared to 4a’s (5.7-inches) similar to the size of Pixel 4a 5G. Both the phones look identical when looked at from the front.

What isn’t identical is the internals. The Pixel 5a is powered by the Snapdragon 765G, similar to the Pixel 5, which offers a 30% improvement in performance compared to 730G on the Pixel 4a. For starters, the 765G is an octa-core SoC that’s as powerful as the Snapdragon 845 in terms of CPU performance.

Now, many people might not like Google’s approach for offering Snapdragon 765G since its successor, the Snapdragon 778G, is around the corner. While I completely agree with this point, the difference in the performance of both isn’t going to be huge but barely noticeable.

Cameras And Battery

The Pixel 5a has the same camera setup as the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G, i.e., a 12MP wide-angle lens and a 16MP ultra-wide-angle lens. The Pixel 4a, on the other hand, was praised for its flagship-level single 12MP snapper, thanks to Google’s software processing.

The imaging will be great on all of them, but the extra 12MP ultra-wide snappers in the 4a 5G, and 5a might come in handy in some situations. Hence, if you own a 4a and want to upgrade for that extra camera, you might want to pick the Pixel 5a.

The Pixel 5a comes with a 4680mAh battery, the largest battery size in any Pixels launched to date. Compared to that, the 4a’s smaller 3140mAh and 4a 5G’s 3800mAh cells will run out of juice sooner than the 5a. We’ve already seen how great the battery life on the 4a 5G is. As they rock the same processor, Pixel 5a should yield an extra one or two hours of screen-on-time compared to the 4a 5G

Design And Pricing

Pixel 5a’s design looks pretty identical to the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G, except that there’s only one color variant to choose from, i.e., Just Black. The camera bump is also similar, but the phone is made of metal. It is also the first “A” series phone from Google to have IP67 water resistance.

The phone is priced at $450 compared to $350 for the 4a and $499 for the 4a 5G. The $100 price difference is quite significant compared to the 4a’s price, but does it justify it? Absolutely yes. For the extra $100 you pay, you get a larger display (if you don’t have a 4a 5G), bigger battery, processor, and cameras (if you have 4a), and I think that’s very well worth it. Sure, $400 would’ve been sweet, but again, Pixels have always been pretty expensive.

The 5a, however, is cheaper than the 4a 5G, and that’s kind of expected because they rock the same processor (which is quite old now), cameras, and design.

Pixel 4a/5G Vs Pixel 5a: Should You Upgrade?

Yes, but not now. The Pixel 5a is definitely a worthy upgrade coming from the 4a, but considering that the latter will be receiving one more major Android update, upgrading to the 5a doesn’t make sense unless your budget allows you to. This also applies if you have a 4a 5G since all you’re missing out on is the larger display and bigger battery, which is not that big of a deal.

I recently wrote about how the Pixel 4a can compete with the likes of the OnePlus Nord 2 and Poco F3 GT. I will probably want to use the 4a until the next major Android release if I’m budget-conscious. And, by the next year, maybe I can get the Pixel 6a if Google decides to release it, that is.

Let us know in the comments section below if you would upgrade to the Pixel 5a. Also, don’t forget to share your opinions on the specifications and the pricing.