Long Term Pixel 5 Review 2021 | Tech Blokes By Luke Kelly

Alrighty guys, Google Pixel 5, is it still worth your time and money in 2021? So look guys. I was really unsure about this phone. It's the first pixel that I've every kind of purchased and wasn't 100 sure about, because there was so many conflicting reviews online about it. A lot of people loved it. They said it was the best pixel they've ever used and then a lot of people were like, don't buy it. It's not worth your money, it's got the mid-range chipset, it's basically, you know a mid-range phone.

So I'm going to share my review with you. I've used this phone on and off for a couple of months. I've used it basically between an iPhone 12, I just kind of swapped back and forward, and I'm going to share my review all the good things I liked about it. There's some there are some negatives and whether I think you should still pick it up in 2021. You know there's a lot of great phones.

The s21 is probably the one that comes to mind because it is a similar price um and offers a lot more. In terms of specs, so let's go through it, so the camera, in my opinion, is still the best point and shoot camera on any smartphone. I love the pixel for the camera, and it doesn't disappoint this time around. In my opinion, it still remains the best point and shoot camera in terms of you know, pick it up open the camera shoot a picture, and you still get a fantastic image. Almost every single time, Google has done something with the algorithm where a moving subject, especially children, it just seems to capture an incredible photo every single time you open the camera app and shoot it at a moving target.

Now I've got the iPhone 12. It does a perfect job too, but I personally think that the color science and the image that comes straight out of the camera app is better in the pixel. I often find with my iPhone I ha I take the photo. It looks like a good photo, but I need to go in and make edits to make it a great photo and there's nothing wrong with that. But out of the pixel, it is a great photo without generally any kind of edits and the bouquet is beautiful.

The image is always in the frame correctly. It's always in focus correctly, and I just I love the pixel for the camera, and I'll continue to buy the newest pixel, because the camera is always great. Now they are using the um, the same image sensor from the Google Pixel 3 and the 4, and there's nothing wrong with that. You know it's still a great sensor, but looking at all the newer cameras right now, we've got like 64 megapixels, 108, megapixel, um and to be fair, it does keep up with those phones, but it is definitely due for an up update so cross. Your fingers, Google Pixel 6, are going to have a new camera sensor.

That would be amazing all right, so camera still awesome. Video has improved a lot um I'll leave a link below to a video I took recently. The 60 frames per second at 4k is on point. It is as good as my iPhone 12. Uh, it's buttery, smooth.

The colors are great one thing that has improved a lot is actually the microphone quality that comes from the cameras that was always kind of a bit uh a bit hit-and-miss with pixels, but they've done something in these new phones and the mic. Quality is perfect. Even on the forward facing camera. I would say it's as good as an iPhone nowadays, so no issues with the microphone quality really, really good. Now the chipset, I was concerned that it might not be up to snuff um, but after using it now on and off it is perfect.

It's there are no issues. It's buttery, smooth, probably the only minor thing is when you take a number of photos in quick succession. There is this tiny little of lag where it's processing the HDR. It's doing it in the background. It's only a couple of seconds, and you know unless you're, like literally you know, trying to snap something running past you at 100 miles an hour you're, probably not going to even notice it.

Furthermore, it is really, really good the chipset's fine. I think you'll have no issues for the next couple of years. With this um the think it's the seven series chipset in it, I was initially worried, but after using it for a while multitasking, whatever it can handle whatever you throw at it. Okay battery life, I've always found battery life to be really, really good in pixel phones, and this one is absolutely no slouch just ignore you can see it says full charge. Last four days, it's been on standby for a couple of days.

So that's why it's sort of coming up with these things, but typically I'm getting about six to eight hours screen on time. I have got it to about nine hours one day, but it completely depends on your usage and what you do day to day, if you're, a huge gamer you're, probably gonna, kill it in about four hours. If you're like me, I use email, I use social media web browsing and text messaging and Facebook, and it will last me all day and then into the next day. It still has the USB type-c fast charger at 18 watts and obviously has wireless charging. Now I think 80 watts is kind of lagging behind the pack.

Now they really need to bring that up to at least 25 45 would be ideal.60 would be amazing. I don't think google's going to do 60 watt charging anytime soon. You know they're generally a little behind the pack, but yeah battery life. Absolutely awesome! Pixels have gotten better and better year after year and the more you use your pixel, the better it gets with battery life, so battery life really, really rock solid, okay, 90 hertz display. Look, I'm going to be honest with you.

I don't think the 90 hertz display is as good. I just don't think it's up to speed. Furthermore, I think the 120 hertz is really where it's at. You can notice a huge difference in between a 60 hertz and a 120 hertz, 60 and 90. It's so small, like I only even notice it when I'm on Instagram, when I'm scrolling through my feed and things are scrolling past just that little smoother.

That's when I notice it. I find the 60hz display on an iPhone is very good. Anyway. I wouldn't pick this phone up just for the 90 hertz display. If you really want that buttery smooth effect pick up something with 120 hertz.

You know pick up the s20 pick up. You know uh the OnePlus device pick up the s21. The refresh rate is good, it's just not as amazing as probably what it sounds: okay, stock android. I still find that stock android is my personal favorite um having dark mode is great. It's just so smooth, there's, never any lag.

I love getting pixel updates fairly regularly. You know you come to a pixel because you want stock android, there's no bloatware. Everything is smooth and again it doesn't disappoint. This pixel will continue to get updates for years and years, and you know that's why a lot of people get pixels because they want the newest software features. There are a lot of features built in that I really love, one of which is the flip to quiet the phone perfect.

When you're on Zoom meetings, you can just flip your phone over. You don't get annoying notifications here in Australia. Unfortunately, we miss out on a lot of the um. The call screening features in the US. I see a lot of people where they have Google come in, and they'll screen the call we don't get those here in Australia at the moment, I'm sure we'll get them at some stage, but right now, unfortunately, those features are missing.

Okay, speak quality. I was initially concerned that speaker quality was going to be pretty average um. You know it's its one of the first phones that has the speaker underneath the display, but it's actually pretty good um. Taking calls listening to music. I've had no issues.

Even the loudspeaker is perfect. Taking calls with the phone up to your ear, no issues, it's really, really clear. Probably the only thing I'll say is when you're I've noticed this when I watch a movie. So if I'm watching, like let's say an avengers movie and there's like explosions and stuff, the phone will kind of vibrate, because it's so loud, it's not a big deal. It's not a dealbreaker.

I wouldn't buy this phone because of that that particular speaker quality. All in all, I think, they're, fine, I've had no issues um, you know watching YouTube, jumping on Spotify. It's fine, there's, no issues at all. Don't worry about the speakers. You'll have no issues with them.

Okay. One thing I really like is: how light this phone is. It's really refreshing to have a phone that is light, and you know a lot of the time. I don't even notice it's in my pocket, so I also use it without a case. It's one of the few phones, I've used in probably the last five years that I actually feel confident to use without a case, and it's because of this kind of bio, resin texture.

Actually, I'm really glad google went with that particular recycled material. I picked up the black initially. I was really excited about the sage color, but now that I've got the black, I actually prefer it over the sage. It does a fairly good job of hiding fingerprints. Although in this light you can see them but day to day it looks perfect uh.

It's just kind of you know low profile, it's not flashy or showy, and I think that's really what a Google phone's about I'm actually really glad they. They put a wide angle as opposed to the tally lens. I've never really been a big fan of tell lenses. It's all right! I just don't like the way you actually have to go into it. It's much more intuitive to be able to just tap a button and get to that wide angle lens.

Let's talk about the one thing that, in my opinion, has been an issue since, like the pixel 2, and it's the fingerprint sensor. So I really like a lot of things about the fingerprint sensor. I like how you can swipe down to get to your notifications, but you can see it's I'm so right now, I'm I'm going like this trying to activate it, and it's super it's very unreliable. You know I don't have calluses or anything on my finger. You know I don't have any issues with any other phone only with pixel phones.

Do I find that it's unreliable? It only works for me about 70 of the time it kind of makes up for it for the fact where you can swipe down to get to notifications, I really enjoy that anyway. I just find it personally a little annoying that it doesn't work as often as it should so not a dealbreaker again, but I just wish you know. Maybe they'd have a bigger sensor, or they would get a new way to unlock. Maybe they'll bring back face, unlock, which was quite good in the pixel 4. Um, just a very minor thing where you just got to really concentrate and be mindful about where you put your finger to unlock the device.

Often I just kind of double tap swipe up and then unlock to get into the phone. So that's probably one of the things I don't like. The other thing is the vibration motor uh. It's really not that good, it's probably about as good as what was in the pixel 3, which was okay, but when you compare it to a lot of the modern smartphones that have these really sharp um, very refined vibration motors. This is just not up to speed it's its sort of loose it.

Doesn't it's not tight, it doesn't give you that really nice feedback. When you get a notification, they definitely need to improve it. It's funny, though, because the pixel 4 had a very good vibration motor. I don't know if maybe they couldn't fit in this device, or they're trying to save money, they need to definitely look at that so that they can. You know, improve that in the next device, all right guys.

So do I recommend this phone wholeheartedly and the answer is actually not as much as I love a lot of things about this phone, I can't recommend it because there's one thing that kind of annoys me, and it's the actual size of the phone. It's the first pixel I've owned. Where I actually had a lot of trouble. Reading the text the standard text size on this phone, I find it way too cramped to type on. So I'm a know, I'm a two thumb typer and I just it's.

I just cannot get used to the size of the keyboard. I've always found the g board keyboard very, very good, but on this particular phone it is just too small. I it really is a one-handed phone. If you love one hand of drones, you're, probably going to love this thing. Personally, I prefer to type with two fingers.

I prefer to be a bit of a speed, typer um and I just can't get used to the smaller size. I had to increase the font size on this phone because you know looking at like the time. Let me bring that up there. Looking at the time, uh reading text messages looking at font on chrome, I just really struggled. I actually had to go in increase the font size just so I could use this phone day to day.

What I probably should have done is gone into store and looked at the difference between the pixel 5 and the pixel 4 a5g, because I think the 5g would probably be a better phone for me because it's got more screen real estate, and it is a bigger phone if you're not concerned with having a smaller phone, if you prefer to have a smaller phone um, the pixel 5 ticks so many boxes. It's just. It really is a great phone. In a lot of regards, I love that it's going to continue to get updates continue to get better, but for me personally, I've actually decided I'm going to sell the pixel 5. I just cannot get used to being so small and hard to type on so um.

Unfortunately, as much as I like it as much as I think it um has one of the best cameras out there, it's just too small. So I hope you enjoyed this review, guys I'd love to hear what you guys think. Have you got the pixel 5? Do you think you'll pick it up? Do you think that even in 2021, it can still keep up with the big boys, the s21, the ultra etc. ? Um? Do you think it's worth the money? Let me know drop a comment below guys, and thanks for watching the video cheers.

Source : Luke Kelly