Google unveils Pixel 5a with headphone socket and huge battery

Google announces Pixel 5a with massive battery for $450
(Image credit: Google)

Google has officially announced the Pixel 5a. As predicted, the tech giant's latest budget smartphone features a large 6.34-inch OLED bezel-less screen and the biggest battery of any Pixel phone yet.

A Google blog post titled "Get to know the Pixel 5a with 5G" details the spec in full, and it's very similar to the Pixel 5. There's the same dual-camera set-up, same mid-range Snapdragon 765G chip, and same IP67 water and dust resistance (a first for the Pixel A-series).

The big difference? Its massive battery. The Pixel 5a boasts a 4680mAh battery versus the Pixel 5's 4080mAh unit. There's also an "Extreme Battery Saver" mode, which supposedly helps the 5a last up to 48 hours on a single charge.

The other standout feature is the 3.5mm headphone socket (last seen on the Pixel 4a). This means you can plug in your wired headphones without having to worry about what the best wireless headphones are to partner it with.

The Pixel 5a comes in one colour – "Mostly Black" – and sports an olive-hued power button. Not a fan of black? Google is offering protective cases in four colours, should you wish to jazz up your 5a.

The Pixel 5a will ship with 128GB of storage and Android 11. It's priced at $449 in the US (around £350, AU$650). Google has opened pre-orders today, with the handset due to hit the Google Store, as well as Google Fi in the US and SoftBank in Japan, from 26th August.

This isn't the only new phone Google has in store. It recently confirmed the Pixel 6 will launch this autumn/fall, with a 120Hz screen and Google-made processor.

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Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.