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Newest Google Pixel 5 leak reveals very small battery for 5G flagship

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By Joshua Swingle

Published: Aug 19, 2020, 6:20 AM

Newest Google Pixel 5 leak reveals very small battery for 5G flagship

Alleged Google Pixel 5 CAD-based renders

Samsung and Huawei have embraced massive batteries inside their premium smartphones but Google has resisted. The company believes it can fully optimize smaller batteries and that idea is unlikely to change with Pixel 5.

A bigger battery than previously, but still very small

Google equipped the first Pixel smartphone with a 2,770mAh battery but later reduced that to only 2,700mAh in the Pixel 2. The company was more generous with the 2,915mAh cell found inside the Pixel 3, although it again went backward with the Pixel 4 and its 2,800mAh battery.

Keeping with tradition, Google is now said to be preparing an increase for its next flagship smartphone. The information shared by Jason C and reported by Android Headlines, which should be taken with a pinch of salt, points towards a 3,080mAh battery inside the Google Pixel 5.

That increase will undoubtedly be welcomed by consumers, but it still falls ridiculously short of the 4,000mAh and 5,000mAh battery capacities that are often attached to rival flagships and even some cheaper phones.

Conflicting reports about the display size

On paper, the increased battery capacity should result in better battery life, but that might not be the case. The Pixel 5, as Google itself has already confirmed, will support 5G networks as standard at launch, which means the battery drain will be higher than previously.

There are rumors of a larger OLED display too. Some sources claim it will feature a 5.8-inch display, something that was seemingly corroborated by an official Pixel 5 marketing shot, while others say the flagship boasts a 6.7-inch display.

Although the latter seems unlikely at this stage, if it turns out to be true that could drastically impact battery life. Especially when combined with the other features Google has planned.

Specifically, the display on the Google Pixel 5 looks set to skip the usual Full-HD+ resolution in favor of QHD+, which means the device will have to power a lot more pixels. The Pixel flagship would then support either a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate depending on the impact on battery life.

The Snapdragon 765G will guarantee 5G connectivity

In regards to internal specs, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G will likely be present inside the flagship alongside 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. MicroSD card support isn’t likely, but pricier configurations should be available.

Like all other Pixel flagships, the Pixel 5 is going to ship with the next version of Android – Android 11 – pre-installed coupled a promise of 3 years of OS updates. Other features look set to include NFC and wireless charging, although a headphone jack isn’t on the cards.

Google Pixel 5 announcement, price, availability

Google has confirmed its plans to release the Pixel 5 this fall in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. It will be accompanied by the $499 Pixel 4a (5G).

Although the company hasn’t officially announced the unveiling date, an accidental blog post recently suggested the Pixel 5G lineup would debut on Thursday, October 8, with pre-orders starting later that day.

Shipments are likely to commence the following Friday, October 16. As for pricing, rumor has it that the Google Pixel 5 will retail at $699 in the US at launch, meaning it’ll be more expensive than the $599 LG Velvet 5G but cheaper than the 5G iPhone 12 series.