Google Pixel 5

At Rs. 49,999, the Google Pixel 5 is worth it mainly for buyers who put camera quality, a compact premium build and a good OLED screen first. Its strongest points are IP68 water resistance, a metal body, 12W wireless charging and photos with natural colours and strong dynamic range.

The compromises are just as clear:

• It no longer receives Android or security updates from Google.
• The Snapdragon 765G is a mid-range chip, fine for daily use but not built for heavy gaming.
• A PTA-patched unit can suffer weaker signal, faster battery drain and banking apps that do not work.

The Google Pixel 5a 5G (Rs. 51,999) is the obvious alternative, with the same chip and a bigger battery but a less fluid screen without 90Hz.

Verdict: a good buy for a camera-focused buyer who can confirm the unit's PTA status; a risky one if only patched units are on offer.

The Pixel 5 has a 6.0-inch OLED display with 1080 x 2340 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, protected by Gorilla Glass 6.

• Real-world use: contrast is strong, blacks look deep and colours are vibrant, so films and shows on Netflix look good.
• Visibility is good both indoors and outdoors.
• The 90Hz rate makes scrolling and animations clearly smoother than on the Pixel 4a 5G, whose screen feels slightly slower in animations.
• An always-on display is available.

At 6.0 inches the screen is small by current standards: easy to use with one hand, but games and videos get less room. The fingerprint reader is on the back, not under the display.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage (no memory card slot) is a mid-range setup. Everyday apps, social media and casual games run well, and touch response is good.

• In a CPU throttling test the Pixel 5 held its performance better than the Pixel 4a 5G, which uses the same chip with 6GB RAM.
• The phone gets slightly warm under sustained load.
• PTA-patched units are rooted, which can mean occasional app freezes, extra battery drain and some banking apps not working.
• In areas where coverage is already weak, patched units can lose signal or drop calls.

Choose it for smooth everyday use and casual gaming rather than long, demanding gaming sessions.

The rear setup pairs a 12.2 MP main camera with OIS and a 16 MP ultrawide; the selfie camera is 8 MP.

• Daylight: detail is good, colours look natural and exposure is handled well, with highlights and shadows kept under control. Photos are ready to share without editing.
• Night mode: results are good, with bright lights and dark areas well balanced.
• Ultrawide: decent quality.
• Zoom: there is no telephoto lens, so zoom is digital only.
• Portraits: rear portraits are strong. The single front camera creates the blur in software, so selfie portraits need some distance from the subject for clean edges.
• Video: 4K at up to 60fps, and stabilisation at 1080p 30fps is strong. Selfie video tops out at 1080p.

Next to many mid-range phones at this price, the Pixel 5 camera stands out for dynamic range and natural colours rather than megapixel counts.

The Pixel 5 has a 4080 mAh battery with 18W wired charging, 12W wireless charging and 5W reverse charging for topping up earbuds or another device.

• Battery life is better on official units; PTA-patched (rooted) units drain faster.
• Wireless and reverse charging give the Pixel 5 an edge over the Pixel 4a 5G, which supports neither.

No reliable screen-on time figure is available for this phone, so the capacity alone should not be read as a promise of all-day endurance.

The Pixel 5 launched with Android 11 and was upgraded up to Android 14, running Google's own Pixel software. The Google Photos app includes editing tools for adjusting colours and fine-tuning shots.

• Updates: Google's support page lists the Pixel 5 among phones that no longer receive Android version updates or security updates. That matters for banking apps and long-term security.
• Patched units: a rooted, PTA-patched phone can have trouble running banking apps.

Buy it knowing the software will not change from here.