However, owing to the current global chip shortage new Pixel, new Pixel 5 models are difficult to come by. It was connected to Wi-Fi most of the time and a mix of LTE and 5G when out of the house.Īs of October 2021, just weeks away from the likely launch date of the Pixel 6, the Pixel 5 is available at discounted prices at some retailers, as opposed to the $700 launch price. This review was written primarily using a Canadian unlocked Sorta Sage Pixel 5 connected to 5G on Telus, a national carrier. In the U.S., for instance, Google has already sold through Regional availability varies - for instance, brand new Pixel 5s are easier to come across in Europe than North America. The Pixel 5 launched in nine countries: Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the U.S., and Canada. It's also limited to a single storage size, 128GB, with no option for expansion through microSD. If you're able to find it on sale, the Pixel 5 usually costs around $500 USD and is available in two colors, Sorta Sage (green) and Just Black, and in one size configuration - there is no Pixel 5 XL, unless you count the cheaper Pixel 4a 5G (you shouldn't). In 2020, still a year away from the ambitious Pixel 6 series, the middle was exactly where Google wanted to be. Its success, and the Pixel 4 series' subsequent failure, made it clear what needed to happen: as nearly every smartphone maker went higher and higher, exploring new materials, form factors, and technologies, Google wasn't going anywhere. In 2019, though, Google seemingly found its footing with the Pixel 3a, a $399 handset that refactored how the company builds phones. As the classic Stealers Wheel song goes, they were stuck in the middle with you. At the high-end, Pixel phones could never compete with Samsung, LG, Huawei, and OnePlus (among others) on sheer brute-force specs and on the value side, Pixels cost too much to attract the value-conscious buyers of Motorola and Nokia products.
But influence doesn't sell phones, and Google's Sisyphean journey to bring its own Android experience to more people just hasn't really worked.