To me, it seems like the 4a 5G is the better phone (slightly larger screen, audio jack!!!) and is cheaper by a couple of 100 dollars. Is the wireless charging and water-proof worth the extra 200?
The 5 also has 2GB more RAM, 200mAh more battery life, a 90hz screen with more contrast (1M:1 vs 100K:1 ratio), aluminum vs. plastic body, and Gorilla Glass 6 vs. 3.
It also looks like the 4a 5G has two sub-models for different networks, whereas the 5 has them all in one model. So if you desire more portability between 5G networks, the 5 is a better option there.
That's pretty much all I could see as notable differences. Not saying any of that is worth the price difference, but perhaps it explains it a bit. I am definitely going to wait for the inevitable Black Friday deals they do shortly after release. They discounted $200 in past years, which makes the 5 much more palatable to me.
> The 5 also has 2GB more RAM, 200mAh more battery life, a 90hz screen with more contrast (1M:1 vs 100K:1 ratio), aluminum vs. plastic body, and Gorilla Glass 6 vs. 3.
After a while of use, some of those (more RAM/battery/screen/body material) are not tangible changes you notice. But, yeah, am with you on needing separate devices for different networks and that maybe 5a might be the right value-for-money.
The A-series of phones has consistently been better than the "full" phones. They have a headphone jack; are usually slightly smaller; are much cheaper; the backs are sometimes made out of better materials (glass is the worst material for a phone back). You'd be a fool not to wait for the 5A's improvements.
No, those features are not worth it. I can't use a phone while it is wireless charging, but I can use it while it is plugged in and charging. That feature is worthless to me. A headphone jack, on the other hand, reduces the number of devices I need to charge, which is very useful.
Totally agree, the Pixel 4a 5G for $200 less ($499) seems to be the better value.
Effectively you're just paying for 90hz screen, 2GB+ RAM, IP68 rating, wireless charging, but also losing the 3.5mm headphone jack and a bit screen real estate. Same storage (128GB) and SOC (765G).
One thing to remember is that these Pixel phones are likely produced by different teams at Google. The flagship phones are made by the US team, whereas the *a-series made by the former HTC team based in Taiwan (which Google acquired a few years ago). Latter has more experience with phone-making so perhaps unsurprising the outcome.
