The Google Pixel 5: A Mini-Review - Small Package, Small Value?
by Andrei Frumusanu on January 22, 2021 9:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
- Pixel 5
GPU Performance
One larger negative of using a lower-end SoC such as the Snapdragon 765 versus a flagship design, is the fact that Qualcomm’s Adreno GPU here is actually significantly weaker than you’d expect the “one tier” lower status of the SoC. The Adreno 620 is actually significantly smaller and lower performance compared to not only previous generation flagship SoCs, but actually even flagship SoCs even a few generations old. Last year we had seen the LG Velvet perform more like a Snapdragon 845 device, lagging substantially behind the competition. Let’s see how the Pixel 5 performs:
I’m not exactly sure what Google has done here to the Snapdragon 765, but something is definitely very different compared to other devices employing the same chipset. The Pixel 5 here posts significantly lower performance than a comparable LG Velvet or an OPPO Reno3 Pro 5G, with some of the scores even coming in at half performance. When I got the phone I initially thought this must be some firmware issue, but even now in January it’s still the same.
Measuring power consumption of the phone, the SoC barely uses 1W of power under a 3D load (total device power minus idle), which is far less than what we saw of other Snapdragon 765 devices.
I have no idea as to why the Pixel 5 is set up this way, however the end result is that gaming performance is just horrible. If other Snapdragon 765 devices roughly matched the 845 in gaming, the Pixel 5 is only half of that. Playing a modern-AAA title like Genshin Impact on the phone is horrendous unless you set it to the lowest possible settings, and even then, it’s not a good experience.
If you’re looking for a decent gaming smartphone, the Pixel 5 is not it, and I recommend users to give it a wide berth.
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Ananke - Wednesday, January 27, 2021 - link
$700 is a lot of money without the corresponding value.In this regards "value for money" is iPhone SE for $400
otonieru - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
It would be stupid to pay $700 for this specifications.dontlistentome - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
Wife an I both have Pixel 5s to replace Samsung S8s. Perfect for what we needed - smallish, not too bothered about mega res screen, good battery, google sw, waterproof, wireless charging and the front camera was about as unintrusive as they get nowadays.On launch in the UK the phone was £600 but they bundled Bose QC35II headphones. Quick bit of ebaying netted £150 so the phones were a much more acceptable £450 (having said that, they gave the phones with the 4a too...).
Overpriced? Probably, but we paid for the lack of irritations and for those 3 or 4 features we'd got used to.
eclectech - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
I read this whole review on my Pixel 5. Fortunately the phone didn't consume a lot of power while doing it.Billjriv - Sunday, January 24, 2021 - link
Just buy the phone with an already cracked screen that way you save 2/3rds the cost it's like buying a Mustang from CopartPeskarik - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
This phone is not worth upgrading from my Pixel XL which is why I did not upgrade.Put a better processor in it, put 3.5mm jack back in, put a good battery - I will buy.
Take Google camera and put it into a Sony Xperia 5II phone (you can take 5G out, for what I care) - I would buy that.
Zan Lynx - Monday, January 25, 2021 - link
I bought a Pixel 5 when it came out. I wanted the 5G and my older Pixel 3 XL was getting old and scratched up.I love the battery life. With my usage it can make it through almost two days without a charge.
The 90 Hz update was new to me and I really like it. When scrolling it feels so much better.
I haven't noticed any speed problems on web pages. They all seem fast enough for me. The sites that are slow are also chunky and slow on my Ryzen 5950X desktop, so the problem there really isn't with the phone. It's with the web developers.
I think it is about the same as the Pixel 3 but I also like the charge time. 30 minutes on the USB-C cable and it is up to 80%. With the great battery life that's enough for the rest of the day.
johnmartin123 - Tuesday, January 26, 2021 - link
.johnmartin123 - Tuesday, January 26, 2021 - link
I brought this phone few weeks ago and I have to say this one is far better than pixel 4 because the battery runtime is much better, the speed is better and I'm experiencing the best with the phone. I've a business in social media management Alexandria and I do most of my work with this phone. https://www.course1.com/ check our website.zsdersw - Thursday, January 28, 2021 - link
Google's UI on the Pixel phones is far superior to all other makers' UI skins, and that overcomes all of the idiotic "concerns" made in this article.