In October 2021, Google announced the newest generation of its Pixel smartphone, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. I usually stay a generation behind on my devices, so I purchased a Pixel 5 (5G) phone not long after the Pixel 6 was announced.
After researching extensively, I chose the Pixel 5 for its compact size, 5G connectivity and excellent battery life.
I upgraded from a Samsung Galaxy S7, which I had used for five years and had really loved. However, the battery life was significantly reduced by that time, and I was looking for a flagship phone to replace it. My only requirements were that it was 5G capable and had a size that I could comfortably hold in my hand.
After using the Pixel 5 for several months now, here are some thoughts I have about the phone.
CONS
- No Notification/Charging LED – The Samsung Galaxy S7 had a small LED light on the front panel that was very useful. It would illuminate red when charging, green when fully charged, and blue when an unread notification was waiting. I really miss this feature as the Pixel 5 has no indicator light of any kind. If you use the always-on display, this is not a problem. There are third-party apps to illuminate a border around the screen to show charging status or unread messages. I choose not to use always-on displays as I do not like them and I would prefer extended battery life.
- Weak Vibration – Like most phones, the Pixel 5 can be set to ring, vibrate, or be completely silent. In vibrate mode, the vibration is extremely pathetic compared to my previous Samsung phone. It is so weak that it is easy to miss an incoming text if the phone is in your pocket, on a desk, or anywhere other than in your hand. I wish the vibration mechanism in the Pixel 5 was stronger.
- Internal Camera Reflections – The Pixel 5’s rear facing camera has a 12.2 megapixel sensor with a 2X optical zoom. In my use, this camera is terrible with internal reflections. A small green dot appears in many photos. I do not notice it with the ultra-wide 0.6x fisheye camera.
- Limited Camera App Controls – My old Samsung Galaxy S7 had full manual controls in the camera app to change ISO, White Balance, Exposure and f-stop. The Google Camera app on the Pixel 5 offers basic sliders for Brightness and Contrast – and that’s it. I wish that the Pixel’s camera app had full manual settings for those who want them.
- No Way to Mirror Flip a Photo – Frustratingly, there is no way to mirror-flip a photo on the Pixel 5 without installing a third-party app such as Snapseed photo editor. The built-in Gallery and Google Photos apps can crop, adjust, and apply filters, but almost unbelievably, there is no way to simply flip a photo horizontally on the device.
- Camera Filenames are in UTC – Photos taken with the Pixel’s camera have the following filename format: PXL_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSSxxxx.jpg but it uses UTC by default and there is no option to change it to local time instead.
The next two are more gripes with Android than with the Pixel itself.
- Google Search Bar on Home Screen – There is NO option to delete the Google Search Bar from the home screen in Android 12, which is incredibly annoying. You have to install a new launcher or root the device to remove the pesky search bar and clean up your home screen.
- Auto Silence Alarms, But Not Timers – Within the Clock app on Android, you can set both Timers and Alarms. With Alarms, there is a setting to silence alarms after 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, or Never. There is no equivalent setting for Timers – and I really wish there was!
PROS
- Priority Updates – Because the Pixel family of phones is made by Google, which also develops the Android software for the phones, Pixel phones are the first in line for major software updates and releases.
- Remarkable Battery Life – The battery life from the 4,080 mah battery is impressive, especially when coupled with the dark theme in Android 12.
- Compact Size – The Pixel 5 has a 6.0-inch diagonal screen, which is smaller than the Galaxy S22 at 6.1-inches, the Pixel 6 and Galaxy S21 FE at 6.4-inches, the Pixel 6 Pro at 6.7-inches, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra at 6.8-inches. This was a major consideration for me as I want a phone that I can actually hold. My previous Galaxy S7 was a comfortable 5.1 inches, but they don’t make phones that size any longer.
- Call Screening – The MUST-HAVE feature that is exclusive to Pixel phones and not found on other Android devices is the advanced Call Screening features. This phone’s ability to detect incoming spam texts and robocallers is the best I’ve ever seen. If you hate having your life interrupted by robocallers and scammers, it is seriously worth switching to a Pixel phone to have this feature.
Overall it is a really solid phone, but not a perfect phone.
