Pixel 5a - fuzzy pictures, timer alarm waits till screen is on - is this EOL?

[xnote]

I have a pixel 5a that's been pretty solid since Oct 2021, three years. However for the last month or so two issues are biting.

[1] Photos are frequently out of focus. Particularly close ups, what I find is that at first they are very out of focus, but if I switch to use the selfie camera and then back to the main camera, it attains a clear focus. More recently plain photos in good lighting, outdoors, are not at all crisp. Anyone heard of what this issue might be?

[2] I use the timer feature for exercise. Starting a few weeks ago, the timer alarm will not sound until I make the screen come on. By then it's usually past the time I set it to, so it alarms right away. I can't imagine that there is a setting that would make the phone behave this way, but it is true that my better half was fiddling with this phone's sound settings a while ago.

The phone did get it's first hard drop a few months ago. It has a case, and a glass screen protector. The screen protector was cracked by the fall.
Are these issues that signal that the phone needs replacing or is there anything I can do to try to fix? It did get an andriod update in the period since these two issues started up.

 

[PowrDroid]

I have a pixel 5a that's been pretty solid since Oct 2021, three years. However for the last month or so two issues are biting.

[1] Photos are frequently out of focus. Particularly close ups, what I find is that at first they are very out of focus, but if I switch to use the selfie camera and then back to the main camera, it attains a clear focus. More recently plain photos in good lighting, outdoors, are not at all crisp. Anyone heard of what this issue might be?

The phone did get it's first hard drop a few months ago. It has a case, and a glass screen protector. The screen protector was cracked by the fall.
Are these issues that signal that the phone needs replacing or is there anything I can do to try to fix? It did get an andriod update in the period since these two issues started up.

The photos out of focus was the first step in the slow death of my Pixel 2XL. Like you, I found that if I switched to the selfie camera and then back to the rear camera it would take photos in focus. Eventually that technique would not work. Finally, simply opening the camera would cause the camera to shut down after about a half second and the phone would revert to the home screen. I found that if I opened the camera repeatedly after it closed I could find a point where the camera would stay open and I could take a normal picture. Eventually, this technique would still open the camera and keep it open after several tries but the pictures were out of focus.

Several emails with Google and they said the camera module was broken and the only way to make it work was to repair it. By then my 2XL was almost four years old so I got the Pixel 5a.

IIRC, the 2XL and the 5a use essentially the same camera so I fear you are on your last legs with your 5a.

I'm thinking of getting the Pixel 9 Pro XL when it is heavily discounted. I will always remember my 5a fondly as the battery in this thing is an absolute beast. If reports of the 9 Pro XL battery stamina are true, it might have a better battery than my 5a.

As to the timer issue, I can't comment as I have no experience with that failing.

 

[xnote]

Yeah - that's useful input, not exactly good news but more or less what I expected.
I too have been very satisfied with the 5a, in particular the batter life. My primary axe to grind with phone manufacturers is that they don't allow for replacing the battery like my Note 4 phones did. This phone had such good legs up until recently. I guess 3 years can be considered a good run.
Thank you!

 

[xnote]

And, is there something particularly better about the pixel 9 vs the pixel 8 that would make it worth waiting for (at a good price)?

 

[PowrDroid]

And, is there something particularly better about the pixel 9 vs the pixel 8 that would make it worth waiting for (at a good price)?

I'm looking at either the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL, not the base Pixel 9.

48 MP Telephoto lens on camera (Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL); 12 MP on Pixel 8
8K video recording capability
Facial unlock
Much brighter screen (50% brighter) with higher resolution
Improved Gorilla glass
Bigger battery (especially Pro XL)
16 GB Ram vs. 8GB in Pixel 8
Faster/Better CPU
Up to 1 TB storage optional (128 GB std.); Pixel 8 tops out at 256GB
All the new Gemini AI features
Seven years of Android OS updates

 

[xnote]

Any idea how long it usually takes to see the substantial discounts on a new unit like the pixel 9 pro etc? I know that can't be predictable, but if the pixel 9 is newly arrived (which I think is true), and my phone is fading, I probably can't wait very long for a new phone. May have to do with a pixel 8, at $500.

 

[PowrDroid]

Any idea how long it usually takes to see the substantial discounts on a new unit like the pixel 9 pro etc? I know that can't be predictable, but if the pixel 9 is newly arrived (which I think is true), and my phone is fading, I probably can't wait very long for a new phone. May have to do with a pixel 8, at $500.

I'm not sure, but I would guess not until Black Friday in November.

I fell into the same bad timing as you are experiencing. My 2XL camera had failed in August 2021. I really wanted to get the Pixel 6 but it wasn't coming out until mid-October, so I bought the Pixel 5a. I've been surprised at how great of a phone it's been.

 

[xnote]

Yeah the 5a has been great for my needs. Thanks a ton for your input on this!