Is anyone else underwhelmed by the 5?

[swampbaby]

Like the title says. I was still in the middle of paying my 3 off when the 4 came out. This month I will be finished paying it off and can get the 5 if I choose to do so. However the 5 is.....meh they don't use the latest Qualcomm processors....the camera is the same as the 3...I see that they brought back the fingerprint scanner... (I have face unlock on a tablet and HATE IT) and they have reverse wireless charging....all in all the 5 is.......meh. Will anyone else be waiting for the 6 or am I the only one?

 

[dmxjago]

Like the title says. I was still in the middle of paying my 3 off when the 4 came out. This month I will be finished paying it off and can get the 5 if I choose to do so. However the 5 is.....meh they don't use the latest Qualcomm processors....the camera is the same as the 3...I see that they brought back the fingerprint scanner... (I have face unlock on a tablet and HATE IT) and they have reverse wireless charging....all in all the 5 is.......meh. Will anyone else be waiting for the 6 or am I the only one?

Besides the processor which has been proven to perform well on other phones + seeing how the P4a performs based on reviews and it's using the weaker 730/35g processor forgot which one but weaker than the 765g and still performs amazing makes me not worry about it. Then there is the extra ram, extra storage, wide angle lens, retains wireless charging, reverse wireless charging i can use for my pixel buds 2 and I'm excited for the metal frame vs glass back. I think I'll take more of a risk and use it without a case more often bc there is a lower change the phone will shatter. Oh and another big thing for me is the full bezeless display which btw gets super bright finally. To me it's a worth while upgrade over all.

 

[swampbaby]

Don't even get me started on the issues with the Pixel Buds 2...????????????*

 

[elvee68]

Besides the processor which has been proven to perform well on other phones + seeing how the P4a performs based on reviews and it's using the weaker 730/35g processor forgot which one but weaker than the 765g and still performs amazing makes me not worry about it. Then there is the extra ram, extra storage, wide angle lens, retains wireless charging, reverse wireless charging i can use for my pixel buds 2 and I'm excited for the metal frame vs glass back. I think I'll take more of a risk and use it without a case more often bc there is a lower change the phone will shatter. Oh and another big thing for me is the full bezeless display which btw gets super bright finally. To me it's a worth while upgrade over all.

I totally agree! I'm ready to let go of my 3XL that I've had almost 2 years. It's odd though I felt it was underwhelming to go from the 3XL to 4XL but looking forward to the 5.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Well, it's better than the colossal flop that was the Pixel 4/4 XL. A phone so bad Google had to roll back features they introduced to the Pixel lineup and were saying at P4's reveal that they'd be features that would be part of the Pixel hardware in future. Oops, the very next year they get scrapped. Android Central called the phone a flop, MKBHD called it the bust of the year -> so Google going in a different direction this year is a smart move.

It's not a high-end flagship. Maybe Google have woken up and realised consumers don't want to pay more for less, so they've dropped out of the high-end market. If you go just on specs, yes there are better products out on the market at that price point, like the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. But on a whole, the Pixel 5 looks like a decent enough phone for a somewhat reasonable price.

Is it underwhelming? Well it doesn't do anything to push the needle on phones, so I guess that could be underwhelming, but then again it's not a a $900+ phone, so you can't expect some bleeding edge features.

OP if you're not impressed, then don't part with your money. Only buy a product that you're happy with. Yeah your Pixel 3XL can get upgraded, but if the Pixel 5 or any other phone on the market isn't compelling you, then keep the money and spend it on a phone that you really want imo. The Pixel 3XL will still get the next android update and security patches, so it should be fine for another year.

 

[mookiekillsit]

It'd be underwhelming if the price was that of the old Pixel XL phones. For this price point, I like it.

 

[JD Moogan]

Since it's not as expensive I can live with it. I do believe they could have at least given us an 865+ and kept it at the same price point.

 

[dmxjago]

Well, it's better than the colossal flop that was the Pixel 4/4 XL. A phone so bad Google had to roll back features they introduced to the Pixel lineup and were saying at P4's reveal that they'd be features that would be part of the Pixel hardware in future. Oops, the very next year they get scrapped. Android Central called the phone a flop, MKBHD called it the bust of the year -> so Google going in a different direction this year is a smart move.

It's not a high-end flagship. Maybe Google have woken up and realised consumers don't want to pay more for less, so they've dropped out of the high-end market. If you go just on specs, yes there are better products out on the market at that price point, like the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. But on a whole, the Pixel 5 looks like a decent enough phone for a somewhat reasonable price.

Is it underwhelming? Well it doesn't do anything to push the needle on phones, so I guess that could be underwhelming, but then again it's not a a $900+ phone, so you can't expect some bleeding edge features.

OP if you're not impressed, then don't part with your money. Only buy a product that you're happy with. Yeah your Pixel 3XL can get upgraded, but if the Pixel 5 or any other phone on the market isn't compelling you, then keep the money and spend it on a phone that you really want imo. The Pixel 3XL will still get the next android update and security patches, so it should be fine for another year.

I disagree i enjoyed my pixel 4 xl even though j had soli turned off since it was useless for me except for using face unlock. But the experience was great + battery for the xl model was decent. However you are right upgrading from the pixel 3 xl to the 4xl was just a tiny upgrade... I ended up missing the self wide angle camera from the 3 xl solo much. Which google added it back.

 

[dmxjago]

Since it's not as expensive I can live with it. I do believe they could have at least given us an 865+ and kept it at the same price point.

The problem here is qualcomm charges took much for the 5g processors so they would not be able to give it to us for that cheap.

 

[L0n3N1nja]

It's obviously not meant to be a flagship device but should still be a solid phone especially for those who prefer stock Android. I wouldn't worry about the SOC much.

 

[mustang7757]

I disagree i enjoyed my pixel 4 xl even though j had soli turned off since it was useless for me except for using face unlock. But the experience was great + battery for the xl model was decent. However you are right upgrading from the pixel 3 xl to the 4xl was just a tiny upgrade... I ended up missing the self wide angle camera from the 3 xl solo much. Which google added it back.

I felt going from 3xl to 4xl was big improvement to me , with face id , better looking phone and feel all around .

 

[Guyinbox]

I felt going from 3xl to 4xl was big improvement to me , with face id , better looking phone and feel all around .

I thought performance on the 3xl was pretty inconsistent. Tons of jank and issues with apps closing in the background. The 4xl felt like a step up for me because it actually feels fast

 

[Torisen1]

Since it's not as expensive I can live with it. I do believe they could have at least given us an 865+ and kept it at the same price point.

That would have been more expensive. The 865+ does not come with an integrated 5g modem unlike the 765g which does so the 865+ chip would need to be ordered along side of the 5g modem chip, dolla dolla bills y'all. Sure Samsung can get away with it since they can order so many, they get a discount for bulk.

 

[mustang7757]

I thought performance on the 3xl was pretty inconsistent. Tons of jank and issues with apps closing in the background. The 4xl felt like a step up for me because it actually feels fast

Yeah plus the 90hz screen on the pixel 4xl and extra ram , what is it 6gb ? I forget lol

 

[Morty2264]

Besides the processor which has been proven to perform well on other phones + seeing how the P4a performs based on reviews and it's using the weaker 730/35g processor forgot which one but weaker than the 765g and still performs amazing makes me not worry about it. Then there is the extra ram, extra storage, wide angle lens, retains wireless charging, reverse wireless charging i can use for my pixel buds 2 and I'm excited for the metal frame vs glass back. I think I'll take more of a risk and use it without a case more often bc there is a lower change the phone will shatter. Oh and another big thing for me is the full bezeless display which btw gets super bright finally. To me it's a worth while upgrade over all.

Agreed. Lesser-powered processors still perform well, even under pressure. My husband's LG Velvet has a weaker processor and it runs games, or multiple apps, or podcasts without stuttering or issue. He jumps from app to app without any lag either. I'm very impressed. I don't think one would notice even a hiccup of a difference between an upper-mid-range- and a flagship-level processor.

 

[Torisen1]

Yeah plus the 90hz screen on the pixel 4xl and extra ram , what is it 6gb ? I forget lol

It is 6gb on the 4/4Xl, 8 on the 5.

 

[sulla1965]

For me the biggest drawback is the small size. A 6.5 screen is the smallest I'd like to see on a phone.

 

[Lepa79]

I would have been happy if they added XL to it. Suckers left us big screen lovers dry. Disappointed.

 

[Apple2Droid]

I felt going from 3xl to 4xl was big improvement to me , with face id , better looking phone and feel all around .

Agreed. I'm really liking my 6-week old 4XL, especially face unlock. The only issues I've had are rapid battery discharge twice within the first 2 weeks I had it, but no issues since then. I also have the Note 20U, and the Pixel is the one I'm using as my phone--because I like it so much. The Note is a backup and I'm using it as a small tablet.

 

[mustang7757]

It is 6gb on the 4/4Xl, 8 on the 5.

Thanks