It’s been a busy month, and next on the agenda for virtual phone announcement events is Google with its Sept. 30 “Launch Night In.” Google previously unveiled the Pixel 4A budget phone in August, confirming on the same day the existence of its next flagship, the Pixel 5, and the upcoming Pixel 4A 5G, both of which will have support for 5G. The invitation for Google’s September event confirmed that “new Pixel phones” would be among the products unveiled, along with a new Chromecast and a new Nest-branded smart speaker.
Read more:Pixel 4A officially has the best camera for the money
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The Pixel 5, like Google’s previous flagship phones, has been poorly protected from leaks (or perhaps, as CNET’s Lynn La suspects, the leaks are part of an intentional strategy on Google’s part). We got a first look at the design of the Pixel 5 last week, when photos surfaced along with details about the new phone’s processor, display, cameras, battery life and more. Rumors suggest that Google’s next flagship will include a hole-punch camera, a fingerprint sensor on the back (unlike the Pixel 4, which swapped it for Face Unlock), wireless charging and no headphone jack. Not much is officially known about the Pixel 5, other than its support for 5G, but leaks suggest a price of 629 euros (roughly $735, £575 or AU$1,035), with color options reportedly including green and black. The phone’s on-sale and release dates are not yet known.
Google’s new Chromecast streamer (code-named Sabrina) has also attracted a flurry of rumors. According to photo leaks, the device will come with a remote, a first for the Chromecast family.
Google is teasing 5G for its Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A 5G.
Google’s virtual Launch Night In event will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 30, streaming online at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. BST). The event will be hosted on a webpage set up by Google (which is currently streaming some interactive elevator music to entertain you while you wait — check it out). The livestream will also be available on Google’s YouTube channel.
In addition to the Pixel 4A 5G and the Pixel 5, Google announced the Pixel 4A, a budget phone that costs $349, £349 and AU$599. It’s available for preorder and will ship out Aug. 20.Read CNET’s full Pixel 4A review.
The phone has a plain, polycarbonate body and a 5.81-inch OLED display. Unlike past years, it only comes in one color (black) and one size (there is no Pixel 4A XL).
Unlike its Pixel 4 counterpart from 2019, the Pixel 4A doesn’t have a second telephoto camera, a 90Hz display, wireless charging, water resistance or motion-sensing features.
It does, however, have a headphone jack, a slightly larger screen and a bigger battery. And while its processor isn’t as powerful as the Pixel 4, the 4A does come with 128GB of storage right off the bat.
The phone measures 5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 in (144 x 69.4 x 8.2 mm) and weighs 5.04 oz (143g). It uses USB Type-C for charging and file transfering and has dual speakers.
Because the phone doesn’t have the Pixel 4’s Google Soli sensor chip for facial scanning, it has a fingerprint sensor on the back for unlocking the screen.
Unlike its Pixel 4 counterpart from 2019, the Pixel 4A doesn’t have a second telephoto camera, a 90Hz display, wireless charging, water resistance or motion-sensing features.
The Pixel 4A’s camera feature includes Night Sight, super res zoom, astrophotography and taking portrait photos.
On the front is an 8-megapixel hole-punch camera.
The phone comes with Android 10 out of the box and features a few new updates. And like all of Google’s phones, the Pixel 4A will be one of the first phones in line to receive OS and software updates when they’re ready to roll out from Google.
The Pixel 4A has a better battery life than the Pixel 4. Tests for continuous video playback on Airplane mode averaged 18 hours and 45 minutes, which is an excellent time. For comparison, the Pixel 4 clocked in only 10 hours.
There is an abundance of $400 phones that are out now, including the iPhone SE (2020) and the Galaxy A51. Regardless, the Pixel 4A stands out for its price — $50 cheaper — and its great camera.
The Pixel 4A features a Snapdragon 730G chipset and 6GB of RAM. On benchmark tests the Pixel 4A consistently outperformed the Galaxy A51. But, as expected, it fell behind the Pixel 4 flagship, which has a superior Snapdragon 855 processor. The iPhone SE, with its proprietary A13 Bionic processor from Apple, beat all the phones comfortably.
Overall, the Pixel 4A has one of the best cameras for its price. Considering it also receives prompt software updates, has a long-lasting battery life (so far) and a headphone jack, it’s a great value worth considering.Read CNET’s full Pixel 4A review
14/14 SLIDES
Pixel 4A review: Impressive camera and a battery that beats the iPhone SE
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