Modern phones are focused on excess, but this phone came out as a flagship at a reasonable price and just focused on making the best practical phone. It does everything all the other phones do, but it is a nice size and weight.... I mean I literally just got rid of my new iPhone 15 Pro Max because I had to wear a belt or it would constantly pull down my trousers. I couldn't even go running with it in my shorts as it was this giant flapping weight, something I do not have a problem with the much lighter Google Pixel 5. The screen is still 6 inch and 90hz, I do not need a 7 inch screen where I have to use two hands to use it or be Marques Brownlee. It has a great amount of ram and standard storage, it has USB-C, stereo speakers, a rear fingerprint sensor (the perfect position for both left and right handed people) and it has two fantastic cameras without a giant camera bump and NFC/Wireless charging. The other important thing is despite being small it still has a relatively big battery of 4000mah instead of whacking several cameras on the back that no one ever uses and they take up so much space.
The most important thing it did was it used a mid ranged SoC and using stock Android it has no bloat to slow it down. It seems like every other phone needs the fastest SoCs or all their software running in the background struggles. I love this move as SoCs now are just too powerful, no one ever uses 50 percent of their potential and they just use too much power and generate too much heat. So we now have modern phones with the same battery life as before, despite being giant and having huge batteries. Everyone complains the Pixel 6 and 7 Pro have terrible battery life and get too hot, where my Pixel 5 outlasted them and was every bit as fast. I get no stutter and after 3 years and a couple months with the phone, I was still getting over a day's worth of battery life. I just replaced the battery myself and I'm back to two solid days, despite the phone being so slim and compact. That was another amazing thing, the screen is so easy to take off anyone can do it and the back isn't glass so it doesn't smash! Which means I do not use a case and despite dropping it loads, the thinh holds up.
I think it is the perfect phone and supporting Graphene OS makes it even better. Just a shame no one replicated since and Android 14 will be the last update it gets despite only being 3 years old and not having the slightest bit of slowdown.
Just funny to me that I started a new contract and got a new phone, but I cancelled it and went back to this phone. Modern phones are too impractical to live with :/ That goes for every single Pixel since the 5.
The most important thing it did was it used a mid ranged SoC and using stock Android it has no bloat to slow it down. It seems like every other phone needs the fastest SoCs or all their software running in the background struggles. I love this move as SoCs now are just too powerful, no one ever uses 50 percent of their potential and they just use too much power and generate too much heat. So we now have modern phones with the same battery life as before, despite being giant and having huge batteries. Everyone complains the Pixel 6 and 7 Pro have terrible battery life and get too hot, where my Pixel 5 outlasted them and was every bit as fast. I get no stutter and after 3 years and a couple months with the phone, I was still getting over a day's worth of battery life. I just replaced the battery myself and I'm back to two solid days, despite the phone being so slim and compact. That was another amazing thing, the screen is so easy to take off anyone can do it and the back isn't glass so it doesn't smash! Which means I do not use a case and despite dropping it loads, the thinh holds up.
I think it is the perfect phone and supporting Graphene OS makes it even better. Just a shame no one replicated since and Android 14 will be the last update it gets despite only being 3 years old and not having the slightest bit of slowdown.
Just funny to me that I started a new contract and got a new phone, but I cancelled it and went back to this phone. Modern phones are too impractical to live with :/ That goes for every single Pixel since the 5.