Google Pixel 5

[mikejeep 4,906]

Rumors about the Pixel 5 are flying, and it is expected to be officially unveiled next week, with availability starting October 8. Improvements over the Pixel 4 include 5G support, 8GB of RAM instead of 6GB, thinner bezels but larger (6") screen, and my favorite --  a 4080 mAh battery instead of 2800 mAh. Some are unhappy about the mid-range Snapdragon 765G processor, but that's probably what gets the price to $699.. $100 less than the 128GB Pixel 4 was and several hundred dollars lower than the new Samsung line. 5G and a much larger battery are worth the CPU sacrifice to me. It might impact gaming I guess, but that's not my thing.

Sources:
https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/09/01/it-sure-looks-like-the-pixel-5-and-pixel-4a-5g-just-passed-through-the-fcc/
https://9to5google.com/2020/09/22/pixel-5-render-leak/
https://www.tomsguide.com/news/google-pixel-5-just-fully-leaked-heres-the-final-design-and-specs
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/22/21450764/google-pixel-5-design-specs-leak-hardware-software-camera

[Grabber5.0 204]

I don't know if the CPU should be what gets the price down. If OnePlus can get the price of the 8 with an 865 in it, why can't Google with the Pixel?

[jefbal99 1,483]

I'm thinking about making the jump, I've been disappointed with my Pixel 4XL and my son cracked the screen a couple months ago.  Going to wait for black friday to see what the deals are at that point.

[Swordfish 7]

I've owned the Pixel 1,2,3,4 and to be honest they have been average but nothing too wild. The first pixel was a huge improvement, however; each subsequent phone has been doing things on the margins. The main thing keeping me coming back has been the price. I think the Pixels for the price are competitive vs. Samsung or Apple which are crossing the $1,000 mark.

 

Will have to see what Black Friday rolls around. Debating Pixel 5, or the new Oneplus 8T

[mikejeep 4,906]

On 9/23/2020 at 1:10 AM, Grabber5.0 said:

I don't know if the CPU should be what gets the price down. If OnePlus can get the price of the 8 with an 865 in it, why can't Google with the Pixel?

Maybe the difference is simply organizational.. higher overhead costs and/or profit margin targets? I think it's safe to presume that the 865 chip costs more than the 765.. we'll find out for sure tomorrow when the official specs and official pricing is announced. OnePlus seems to be the leader in combining price and specs these days.

I'm looking forward to the announcement. I've been using a Google phone as my daily driver since the Nexus 5.. initially because I loved the phones compared to the competition, and while I still am pretty happy with the phones, it's also easier to test SignalCheck. First in line for OS updates, no third-party OEM issues that might muddy the waters, unlocked for all carriers, and (usually) simple rooting methods makes for a very solid testbed. I can't afford to buy every LG, Samsung, and Motorola that comes out.

I don't have many complaints about my Pixel 4, but I would love a larger battery and access to 5G (more for testing than my own personal needs). I didn't use Soli/gestures, and while I like face unlock there are too many apps that unfortunately still use the old fingerprint API (looking at you, Target!) so it'll be nice to go back to that. The slightly larger screen will be ok, but hopefully 6" is the ceiling for "smaller" devices moving forward. I want a phone, not a tablet!

[belusnecropolis 1,333]

5 hours ago, mikejeep said:

Nexus 5

I still miss that phone to this day.

[jordanlong20 96]

in 4 later. 

 

Google official documentation does not mention support for mmwave on TMO

[mikejeep 4,906]

4 hours ago, jordanlong20 said:

Google official documentation does not mention support for mmwave on TMO

These are the 5G networks supported according to the Pixel 5 official specs:

"5G Sub-6: Bands n1/2/3/5/7/8/12/28/41/66/71/77/78
5G mmWave: Bands n258/n260/n261"

I believe T-Mobile mmWave uses n260 and n261.

[jordanlong20 96]

Thanks @mikejeep

With the above in mind, the lack of support for mmWave or even "mmWave coming soon" for Sprint/Tmobile in the cells below is confusing.

It is even more confusing when you look at the cell for Fi... "mmWave coming soon". I must be missing something big because there are discrepancies here 

 

 

[jordanlong20 96]

Also @mikejeep from your above post - 

 

I did some reading from industry analyst(s) who provided cost estimates of various mobile SoCs over the years. 

If those are correct, Qualcomm's price for the 865 is approximately $120-$130. This is still not including the required 5g modem. 

He pegs the 765G at $40. 

Looking backward to the the unit cost of the SoC in the P3 & P4 ($ ranging in the forties and fifties) indicate that, at $40 , Google's selection of the 765G represents a very similarly priced part to their previous models. This is obviously only one part in the whole bill of materials amidst the entire development and cycle of a phone (engineering, parts (BoM), assembly, marketing, etc)

 

[mikejeep 4,906]

18 hours ago, jordanlong20 said:

With the above in mind, the lack of support for mmWave or even "mmWave coming soon" for Sprint/Tmobile in the cells below is confusing.

It is even more confusing when you look at the cell for Fi... "mmWave coming soon". I must be missing something big because there are discrepancies here

The "coming soon" is probably referring to something on the software side, or hardware choices that were changed at the last minute. As far as hardware goes there's only a Verizon model and an unlocked model -- but both reportedly have the same network capabilities. The article below pointed out that adding mmWave to the unlocked model added $100 to the price. Perhaps at some point Google was considering excluding mmWave from the unlocked model.

https://www.androidcentral.com/google-had-option-launch-599-pixel-5-us

[DurhamHusker 66]

From what I understand, the mmWave antennas are very expensive. And adding them to the design is not trivial.

I've seen Google employees on message boards report that they are working with TMobile to get the Pixel 5 mmWave approved for the network. No timeline, though.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk

[mikejeep 4,906]

Release day! I received my pickup notification from Best Buy shortly after closing last night. I will be grabbing it today. Looks like many nearby stores are already out of stock.. hopefully due to demand, not supply.

[mikejeep 4,906]

Liking my Pixel 5 so far.. after finally getting used to face unlock on the Pixel 4, I catch myself staring at the Pixel 5 for a second before remembering to use the fingerprint reader.. no problems so far, the phone seems very snappy. I really like the matte back. Screen and camera are very good as always. The minimal front bezel and punch hole selfie cam is cool.

I was a Sprint customer, but the Pixel 5 is preferring T-Mobile, while showing the roaming 'R' when connected to Sprint sites. I learned that this is because it's a newer 5G-capable device so ROAMAHOME was added.

I have connected to T-Mobile NSA 5G, but no standalone yet. Looking online, is sounds like the only official response is that standalone is "coming soon" -- has anyone connected to SA with the Pixel 5 yet?

[Sprke 129]

23 hours ago, mikejeep said:

Liking my Pixel 5 so far.. after finally getting used to face unlock on the Pixel 4, I catch myself staring at the Pixel 5 for a second before remembering to use the fingerprint reader.. no problems so far, the phone seems very snappy. I really like the matte back. Screen and camera are very good as always. The minimal front bezel and punch hole selfie cam is cool.

I was a Sprint customer, but the Pixel 5 is preferring T-Mobile, while showing the roaming 'R' when connected to Sprint sites. I learned that this is because it's a newer 5G-capable device so ROAMAHOME was added.

I have connected to T-Mobile NSA 5G, but no standalone yet. Looking online, is sounds like the only official response is that standalone is "coming soon" -- has anyone connected to SA with the Pixel 5 yet?

How the RF performance on the Pixel 5? I’m hearing reports that it’s not as good as the 4...Comments?

[mikejeep 4,906]

11 hours ago, Sprke said:

How the RF performance on the Pixel 5? I’m hearing reports that it’s not as good as the 4...Comments?

I haven't noticed a difference, better or worse. It is a tricky comparison because my P4 preferred Sprint, and the P5 prefers T-Mobile.. since each network has different LTE bands, it's not apples-to-apples. Nothing has stood out that makes me believe that performance is worse.

[nexuss4g 212]

On 10/30/2020 at 4:04 PM, mikejeep said:

Liking my Pixel 5 so far.. after finally getting used to face unlock on the Pixel 4, I catch myself staring at the Pixel 5 for a second before remembering to use the fingerprint reader.. no problems so far, the phone seems very snappy. I really like the matte back. Screen and camera are very good as always. The minimal front bezel and punch hole selfie cam is cool.

I was a Sprint customer, but the Pixel 5 is preferring T-Mobile, while showing the roaming 'R' when connected to Sprint sites. I learned that this is because it's a newer 5G-capable device so ROAMAHOME was added.

I have connected to T-Mobile NSA 5G, but no standalone yet. Looking online, is sounds like the only official response is that standalone is "coming soon" -- has anyone connected to SA with the Pixel 5 yet?

Are you using a physical SIM or E-SIM? hope  its possible to remove the ROAMAHOME as T-Mobile service where I live is terrible. 

[mikejeep 4,906]

5 hours ago, nexuss4g said:

Are you using a physical SIM or E-SIM? hope  its possible to remove the ROAMAHOME as T-Mobile service where I live is terrible. 

I am using a physical Sprint SIM right now. I initially had eSIM on my Pixel 4, but I accidentally discovered that was preventing me from activating an LTE plan on my a Samsung Galaxy Watch. When I switched to a physical SIM, the watch plan was able to be activated.

[Jeffrey_J 136]

On 10/31/2020 at 5:44 PM, Sprke said:

How the RF performance on the Pixel 5? I’m hearing reports that it’s not as good as the 4...Comments?

I got the Pixel 5 using the eSIM on Sprint and at home it is on the Sprint network with about the same signal as I had on the Pixel 2. The Pixel 5 does stay on B26 more then the P2 did.

The P5 will go to T-Mobile and stay on it when I get about 3 miles from the house, I have a Sprint tower about 2 miles to the NE of me. The only other cell network that works at home is AT&T. Verizon is low signal and T-Mobile is 0 signal.

This is in NE Texas area I am NNW of 75455.

[nexuss4g 212]

On 11/2/2020 at 5:21 PM, mikejeep said:

I am using a physical Sprint SIM right now. I initially had eSIM on my Pixel 4, but I accidentally discovered that was preventing me from activating an LTE plan on my a Samsung Galaxy Watch. When I switched to a physical SIM, the watch plan was able to be activated.

Can you share the SIM Card number you are using for your Pixel 5? 

[mikejeep 4,906]

On 11/23/2020 at 8:29 PM, nexuss4g said:

Can you share the SIM Card number you are using for your Pixel 5? 

I used the one from my Pixel 4. It is a Sprint-branded SIM, the ICCID begins with 89312530, and the other string printed on it is SOI0003a. A rep at a T-Mobile store installed it so I don't have any packaging or paperwork showing anything else.

[nexuss4g 212]

9 hours ago, mikejeep said:

I used the one from my Pixel 4. It is a Sprint-branded SIM, the ICCID begins with 89312530, and the other string printed on it is SOI0003a. A rep at a T-Mobile store installed it so I don't have any packaging or paperwork showing anything else.

Is it a Sprint branded SIM? 

Seems i have the SG10003a on my Pixel 3 XL

[mikejeep 4,906]

14 hours ago, nexuss4g said:

Is it a Sprint branded SIM?

 

On 11/25/2020 at 3:59 AM, mikejeep said:

I used the one from my Pixel 4. It is a Sprint-branded SIM, the ICCID begins with 89312530, and the other string printed on it is SOI0003a...

😜

[jordanlong20 96]

Officially a member of the P5 family now. 

 

Anyone requested to revert back from ROAMAHOME? It seems it's inclusion on my device/line is automatic, but I have Sprint 5g at my home, and my Sprint LTE service (historically speaking) has been better than the TMO LTE service. 

Even with that said, TMO 5g is strong, and I've had no issues with TMO LTE, but just am guessing Sprint is better, and frankly, I'd prefer the ability to do some light testing. Any feedback is appreciated. 

[Swordfish 7]

I got a Pixel 5 recently. The phone defaults now to all T-Mobile bands. At least where I am at, the connection and speeds are worse which I didn't think was possible. The reception is probably slightly better, but overall the speeds are garbage, even "5G".

 

From what I understand, all new 5G phones automatically default to T-Mobile bands unless it is roaming. For me Sprint 25/26/41 were pretty good in terms of download speeds. The T-Mobile Band 66 "5G" is worse than Sprint's B41.

 

With respect to the phone itself, I'm probably one of the few who actually liked the fingerprint vs. face unlock. I found the fact unlock really unstable and flaky.

 

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by Swordfish