Google is not giving up on its Pixel dream anytime soon. The launch of Pixel 5 is proof of that. But the tech titan has done a course correction with the Pixel 5 roadmap, taking a more realistic approach - be it in terms of sales targets or price tags.
Google launched the Pixel 5 for $699, with availability limited to 5G markets at first, which include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan, the UK, and the US. No, Pixel 5 isn't coming to India, but the company has a Pixel 4a 5G priced at $499 coming to India this month.
Google's Pixel phones haven't gained as much success as other brands such as Samsung, Apple or even OnePlus. The camera, which was the biggest USP, no longer made relevance when year after year Google chose to stick to its own pace of innovation. It lagged in other aspects, which gave other brands an edge.
Humble targets
2020 is certainly different. Google has set humble targets. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, Google is planning to produce short of a million phones, as low as 800,000 units this year. This is the lowest target set by Google considering it had shipped 7.2 million Pixel phones last year, as per IDC data.
But 2020 has been slow - and that's not just for Google, thanks to COVID-19 pandemic. The company sold some 1.5 million Pixel phones in the first 6 months of 2020.
"Google gave a relatively conservative order forecast this year because its flagship Pixel 4 did not sell well last year, and because COVID-19 is causing their team to stay on the safe side concerning handsets for now," a source close to Google told Nikkei.
Pixel 5 - low price at a cost
Pixel 5 has ditched the Snapdragon 800 series for Snapdragon 700 series in order to keep the cost low. The Snapdragon 765G processor, despite not being a flagship, bags some crucial features such as 5G, Wi-Fi 6, computer vision image processing and support for 120Hz display. But the Pixel 5 comes with a 6-inch Full HD+ OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. The punch hole accommodates the selfie camera. There's 8GB RAM onboard, so go crazy with multi-tasking.
On the camera front, Pixel 5 comes with a 12.2MP main sensor with OIS and a 16MP wide-angle sensor with a 107-degree field-of-view. On the front, there's an 8MP sensor. The smartphone has also got a big upgrade in terms of battery, packing a 4,080mAh unit - which is almost twice the size of Pixel 4. There's support for 18W wired and wireless fast charging.
The Pixel 5's design is identical to the Pixel 4. It is made up of 100-percent recycled aluminium enclosure, water-resistant design and has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Buyers get to choose from Just Black and Sorta Sage colours.
