Google Pixel 5 twist gives fans an unexpected upgrade

Google's Pixel 5 is shaking up the flagship formula

Google Pixel 5
(Image credit: Google)
Shabana Arif
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Now that Google has announced a release date for the Pixel 4a, fans are waiting with baited breath for the tech giant to spill the beans on its next flagship. As with other smartphone manufacturers, the pandemic has pushed device launch dates back; we were expecting to see the Pixel 4a launch months ago, but as it stands, it's releasing on August 20 in the US (for $349), and on October 1 in the UK (£349) although pre-orders open on September 10.

Apple has had similar problems with the iPhone 12, and is said to be staggering the launches of the handsets, and pushing the base model's release from September to October. 

The Pixel 5 is also rumoured to be making its debut in October - on October 8 along with the Pixel 4a 5G according to recent reports - but there's a surprise twist that could split fans' reactions. 

Twitter leaker Jason C claims that the Google Pixel 5 will only be available in a single variant. This isn't too much of a surprise given that we heard something similar just last month. However, at the time, it seemed that the Pixel 5 XL model was the one that was going to be scrapped, but Jason C has just dropped a bombshell that says the complete opposite. 

According to him, Google will be launching just one version of its next flagship, and it's going to be the Google Pixel 5 XL, powered by the Snapdragon 765G, and will start at $699.

We've heard that the Pixel 5 is going to be on the lower-end of the smartphone scale, dropping true flagship features to err on the mid-range side of things. A leaked benchmark shows that the smartphone isn't going to be that much of an upgrade on the Pixel 4, so it'll hardly be an iPhone 12 contender.

At that price point, it's going to find it tough to beat competition like the OnePlus Nord which will undercut the price by at least a couple of hundred pounds here in the UK; the Nord isn't releasing in the US just yet, but OnePlus is rumoured to have a second budget phone on the way in the form of the Aurora for the US that could be even cheaper. 

Google is attempting to preemptively bolster Pixel 5 sales by discontinuing the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL just nine and a half months after launch, but with potentially lacklustre specs and such a high price tag, we doubt it's going to recapture the success of the Pixel 3a.   

Source: Ubergizmo

Shabana Arif
Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.

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