Google Pixel 5a: Price, Release Date, Specs, and News

Cheaper and larger than the Pixel 5

By
Tim Fisher
Photo of Tim Fisher, Lifewire GM and Writer
Tim Fisher
Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability
  • Emporia State University

Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the SVP and General Manager of Lifewire.

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Updated on August 17, 2022

The Pixel 5a looks basically identical to the Pixel 4a 5G, which is nearly a twin to the Pixel 5. In other words, the Pixel 5 and 5a are hard to tell apart by just looking from the outside. This phone has a 6.34" display, 12.2 MP dual-pixel camera, and punch-hole selfie camera. It works on 5G networks and shipped with Android 11 preinstalled.

Google Pixel 5a Release Date

The Pixel 5a was officially announced on August 17, 2021, and began shipping on August 26.

Google stopped selling the Pixel 5a sometime after the release of the Pixel 6.

Pixel 5a Price

Early rumors turned out to be accurate: the Pixel 5a is listed at $450:

The Pixel 5 starts at $699. For comparison, at the launch of the Pixel 5, the Pixel 4 was $799 and the Pixel 4a was $349.

Pixel 5a Design

Unsurprisingly, the Pixel 5a looks essentially identical to the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5. With the same punch-hole camera at the top left and a square camera module on the back, it's hard to tell this phone apart from the last few iterations.

Like other phones with a fingerprint reader, the 5a positions it just below and to the center of the rear-facing camera.

Google Pixel 5a

Google

Pixel 5a vs Pixel 4a

It'd be pointless for Google to develop a phone that 100% mimics a previous phone. So, while they might sound similar, there are some differences between the Pixel 5a and Pixel 4a. That said, it is pretty similar, at least in looks, to the Pixel 5.

The Pixel 5 lost Face Unlock and the gesture-sensing technology that the Pixel 4 has, which is due to its edge-to-edge display. Those sensors are housed in the top bezel, which is missing from the Pixel 5. This is also the case with the 5a.

The Pixel 4a 5G supports 5G, while the Pixel 4 and 4a don’t. There's a different setup this time around: there's only version, Pixel 5a with 5G.

Here are some other differences between the 4a 5G and 5a 5G phones:

  • Pixel 5a has a slightly larger screen at 6.3" instead of 6.2", though the height and width are the same
  • Now Playing is available on the 5a
  • The 4680 mAh battery is larger than the 4a's 3885 mAh battery
  • Only the 4a includes a spectral and flicker sensor
  • Noise suppression is included in the Pixel 5a
  • Pixel 5a comes with IP67 water and dust resistance
Pixel 5a covered in water

Google

The Pixel 5 and 5a are also a bit different from each other. For example, there's more RAM in the Pixel 5 (8 GB vs 6 GB), plus it includes fast wireless charging and battery share.

Pixel 5a Specs & Hardware

Below are the Pixel 5a specs and hardware details.

Pixel 5a Specs
Display FHD+ (2400x1080) OLED / 6.34 inches
Battery and Charging 4680 mAh / fast charging / 18W USB-C power adapter
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G
Memory and Storage 6 GB RAM / 128 GB
Camera 12.2 MP dual-pixel rear cam / 8 MP front cam
Sensors Proximity / Accelerometer / Fingerprint (rear-mounted) / Gyrometer / Compass / Barometer
SIMs Single Nano SIM and/or eSIM
Audio Stereo speakers / Two microphones / 3.5 mm headphone jack
Wireless Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2x2 MIMO; Bluetooth v5.0 + LE, A2DP (HD codecs: AptX, AptX HD, LDAC, AAC); NFC; Google Cast
Network LTE / 5G sub-6 / 5G mmWave
Colors Mostly Black
OS Android 11

The Latest News About the Pixel 5a

You can get more smartphone news from Lifewire. Here are some early rumors and other stories about this Google Pixel:

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