We're mere hours away from the highly anticipated Pixel 5 launch event, and although we've seen Google's next "flagship" handset repeatedly rendered in recent weeks by multiple reliable sources, there's nothing like witnessing a high-quality real-life leak of such an... interesting unreleased product.
That's precisely what we're getting today, and naturally, there are no big surprises we can glean from the two glorious hands-on pictures tweeted by Jon Prosser to completely ruin the search giant's big day. Still, this is by far our best look yet at the 5G-enabled Google Pixel 5, "confirming" pretty much everything we heard about the phone's design of late after its price tag and commercial release date were also recently reported with a high degree of confidence.
Uniform bezels and a... metal back?!
At first glance, the high-end upper mid-range Pixel 5 5G may seem familiar to owners of the mid-end 4G LTE-only Pixel 4a, but if you look closely, you'll notice that the more premium model sports even bezels around its 6-inch or so screen, which many people on Twitter sound genuinely excited about.
Of course, that's hardly what we'd call a radical change, especially in combination with pretty much the same hole punch as on the Pixel 4a purportedly housing an identical 8MP selfie camera. Meanwhile, the rear cover includes a familiar and conventional fingerprint sensor, but as far as build materials go, it's fairly obvious things will be different here.
After a bit of uncertainty and confusion, another noted Twitter leaker feels confident predicting the Pixel 5 5G will come with a "100 percent recycled aluminum back", as well as state-of-the-art Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection on the front.
In case you're wondering, yes, we still fully expect this device to support wireless charging, even though the Qi standard doesn't generally play well with metal. Quandt assumes there will be some sort of a "cutout" in the coated metal back to allow for the technology to work, but we'll just have to wait and see if that proves to be the case later today.
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Alongside the pictured Just Black model, Google's Pixel 5 5G is tipped to come in a green flavor dubbed Sorta Sage or Subtle Sage as well that was leaked in a promotional image next to the Nest Audio last week.
No XL variant, no true flagship
Instead of fighting a losing battle against Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 duo and Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 family in the high-end arena, Google is preparing to take on the likes of the LG Velvet, Galaxy A71 5G, Motorola Edge, Galaxy A51 5G, and yes, even the OnePlus Nord with the Snapdragon 765-powered Pixel 5 and 4a (5G).
Priced at $700 and $500 respectively, the two stock Android-running smartphones are virtually guaranteed to share a general design language, the aforementioned non-flagship chipset, 128 gigs of base storage, and not much else.
Curiously enough, the cheaper model is expected to come with a larger 6.2-inch screen but a smaller 3,800mAh battery than the 6-inch Pixel 5, which reportedly packs a 4,000mAh or so cell. In order to keep the price point low, the Pixel 4a (5G) will utilize a plastic back and plastic frame, as well as cut a few corners in the imaging department with an 8MP secondary ultra-wide-angle lens instead of a 16MP sensor of the same type.
Although there's no Pixel 5 XL in the pipeline, the Pixel 5 and 4a (5G) will be joined by a thoroughly leaked Chromecast with Google TV and a Nest Audio smart speaker at today's virtual #LaunchNightIn event.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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