If you’re confused by Google’s new Pixel lineup, you’re not alone. After releasing the $349 Pixel 4a earlier this year, the tech giant is back with the $499 Pixel 4a 5G and the $699 Pixel 5. Confusingly, the Pixel 4a 5G has more in common with the Pixel 5 than its less expensive sibling, and then there’s the $599 Pixel 4a 5G UW, which is the model you need for 5G on Verizon. Confusion aside, the Pixel 4a 5G is a solid midrange phone with excellent cameras, fantastic software, and 5G access for as low as $499. That said, it doesn’t offer the same all-day battery life, wireless charging, and water protection as the Pixel 5, and if you want the $600 Verizon model, the value proposition lessens. Design and Durability  The Pixel 4a 5G sports a boxy and utilitarian design that feels uniquely Google. Measuring 6.1 by 2.9 by 0.3 inches (HWD) and weighing 5.9 ounces, the Pixel 4a 5G is the company's largest phone this year, though it's still relatively light when compared with other 5G pho...

The Pixel 4a 5G offers excellent camera performance, a top-notch Android experience, and 5G connectivity for under $500, but Google's Pixel 5 ultimately delivers better value in the long run.

Excellent cameras; Solid performance; Guaranteed OS upgrades and security updates for three years; Headphone jack

Questionable durability; No wireless charging; Adding Verizon mmWave connectivity costs $100

One of the allures of the Google Pixel series of devices is its clean OS. The Google Pixel 4a 5G (and Pixel 5) run Android 11 right out of the box, with no funky skins or stylized customization to speak of – it’s just Android as Google intended.

Great Battery Life, Clean Android OS, Excellent Camera Quality, Reliable Fingerprint Sensor, Good Display, Solid Build, Good Speaker Quality / Output, Headphone Jack!

Trails In The Benchmarks, Only 60Hz Display, Non-Expandable Storage, No Wireless Charging, No Dust / Water Resistance

The Google Pixel 4A 5G is a good phone for reasons that have almost nothing to do with the “5G” in the name. The ostensible reason for the phone to exist is to offer 5G connectivity to customers who want a more affordable phone. It starts at $499 for most carriers but costs $599.99 on Verizon.

6.2-inch OLED screen, Great camera, including ultrawide, Good battery life

No IP68 water or dust rating, No wireless charging, 5G tax increases price, especially on the mmWave version

Google has heard us and made the Pixel 4a 5G a battery life champ! And no, we're not joking.

Big, bright screen, Impressive battery life, 128GB of storage out of the box, The famous Pixel camera, Ultra-wide camera finally, Big battery that can finally last all day, No more gimmicks like Motion Sense & Active Edge, There's a headphone jack

No IP rating, Available in two different 5G models (Sub-6 or mmWave), Only one storage variant - 128GB, Available in one color - Black, Face Unlock is gone

More like the Pixel 5 Lite, the Google Pixel 4a 5G is a cracking, affordable camera phone...

The Pixel 4a is Google’s affordable and entry-level smartphone with a £349 price tag and, of course, it features the Pixel camera.

Lightweight design, Smooth and fluid software experience, Great camera software and processing

No wireless charging, Only one camera lens, Portrait mode not always accurate

There’s a thing magicians do called misdirection, where they catch your eye with one thing while something more important happens elsewhere. Whether modern smartphones count as magic is probably a little too philosophical for here, but I certainly got the misdirection feeling from the Pixel 4a 5G.

Affordably priced, Excellent camera performance, Android has some truly useful features, Great battery life

You pay more for faster 5G, No waterproofing or wireless charging, Plastic design is unremarkable

Overall, the Pixel 4a is a great affordable device that includes the features of a more expensive flagship including a great camera.

Compact design despite its 5.8-inch screen, Good battery life, Three years of software and security updates, Great camera with excellent night mode, The headphone jack is back, Pixel Imprint sensor works well, Reasonably priced

Only available in one colour and one screen size, No wireless charging, No 90Hz display

The Pixel 4a 5G is the best mix of battery life, price and capability of this year’s Google smartphones. It isn’t as nice to hold as the £599 Pixel 5, but the rest of the experience is essentially the same, just with a slightly bigger screen and longer battery life of more than two days.

Pros: great camera, good screen, great software and update support, great battery life, relatively inexpensive, headphone socket, 5G.

Cons: no expandable storage, no water resistance, plastic body is a bit plain.

Earlier this year, Google released the Pixel 4a, a relatively cheap device at $349 with no real interesting characteristics besides from it being a cheap Google phone with a good camera. For some, maybe that’s good enough. Now, we have a beefed up version of that device called the Pixel 4a 5G...