Pixel 5 is here - the journey from my OG Pixel XL and first impressions

 In October of 2016 I bought a Pixel XL (first generation, larger model) phone.  I reviewed that phone here. Today I received my Pixel 5.  This post is first impressions but I have a feeling I won't have a huge amount more to say about it later, as it's a pretty basic phone, and I have pretty basic expectations.  

Interestingly, I went back to re-read that old Pixel XL review and the section at the beginning where I talk about myself and my expectations has changed almost not at all in 4 years.  I have reasonable expectations, but I want a new phone to be fast, and I want a very good camera.  If we're at the point where we are quibbling over minor differences between the top 3 or 4 phone cameras available I think I'm going to be satisfied, and that's where we are right now.

I used my Pixel XL longer than Google intended me to - late last year they announced the end of software updates, although they did provide a full upgrade to Android 10 (the phone was originally on Android 7) as well as a final set of security and bug fixes.  That was part of what prompted me to begin thinking about updates, because frankly that Pixel XL was still a rock-solid phone going on three years.  It was fast, reliable, took great photos, everything I ever wanted in a phone.  Plus it had ZERO bloatware, which is one of the things I LOVE about the Pixels.  

Then another thing happened - the battery started to fail, rapidly getting to the point where it would barely hold a charge for maybe 6 hours.  The Pixel 4 was just coming out at that time and it would have been my natural progression - stay in the Pixel line for the no-bloatware-pure-Android-frequent-updates-great-camera experience.  But there were a few things that didn't bode well.  The Pixel 4 had ditched the fingerprint sensor which I think is the best of the biometric options I've found on any phone, and to make matters worse the battery in the Pixel 4 was so undersized the phone couldn't last a normal day's use.  Given that I was already dealing with battery issues I was not keen to buy a NEW phone with poor battery life.  Also, I was not interested at all in the new face-unlock features.  

So instead of upgrading, I took my trusty old Pixel XL to a phone repair store and bought a new battery.  Problem solved.  Sort of.  Of course I still wasn't getting updates, but at least the phone itself was still solid and worked well.  However as fall 2020 approached, I started looking hard at the Pixel 5.  The biggest driver was the fact that I had saved up about $80 of bonus "device dollars" with Verizon - but the bonus dollars were about to start aging out and disappearing, so I needed to use them.  Since the Pixel 5 was already a little lower-priced that the flagships from other companies, this got the price down pretty well for me.  Plus, the battery was reported to be much better, and the fingerprint sensor was back.

So here I am, having just transferred my contacts, data and apps.  What can I tell you so far?

• The new phone is physically smaller than the Pixel XL in every dimension but the screen is larger, as it totally lacks the top and bottom "chin".  
• It is fast - buttery smooth, apps start fast, etc.  
• The screen is bright and colorful and supposedly refreshes faster than my old phone, but  I can't really tell.  
• The fingerprint sensor works fine.  
• I have snapped a few photos with the phone - can't tell if they are  much better than the original Pixel but that was a pretty high bar (then again my eyesight is not good).  I haven't tried out the wide angle lens yet but I suspect it's fine.  
• This phone supports 5G, but I'm on Verizon and there is no 5G where I live.  Interestingly if I jumped to Google Fi I could have 5G here (I guess it's from T-Mobile).  My cell signal here is faint but it always has been with all my phones.  
• I have made a couple phone calls - not sure if they were running over cellular or Wi-Fi but they sounded good.
• I hooked up my Bluetooth headset and that works fine.
• As with all Pixel phones, there's no bloat.  A couple Verizon apps are included but they're not required (I can completely delete them).  
• The Pixel 5 is running Android 11 out of the box.  
• I have fully charged the battery but I have no clue how long it will last.  Supposed to be more than a day.

Complaints?  Only one - I wish these phones still came with headphone jacks.  I'll probably never understand the rationale for removing it, especially as it is included on Google's less expensive "A" phones like the 3A and 4A.  I still have an awesome set of Bose earbuds that don't require charging.  Oh well...

My Pixel 5 is the "sorta sage" green model.  I have it in a Spigen Ultra Hybrid Clear case, with a glass screen protector added on the front.