Google Pixel 5: the top 5 things we've got left to learn

The Google Pixel 5 is probably almost here. Google is holding an event on September 30 and we fully expect to see its next flagship there. As with most major smartphones though, the Pixel 5 has also been extensively leaked, so we already have a very good idea of what to expect.

Just about every single spec and detail has leaked at this point, but there are still a few gaps in our knowledge, or things that haven’t leaked much so we’re less sure if they’re true.

With that in mind we’ve come up with five things that we’ve still got left to learn about the Google Pixel 5 – some of them we have little idea about, others we might have heard whispers about but aren’t at all certain of.

1. The price

There have been a number of Pixel 5 price leaks but they don’t all totally line up. In the US for example we’ve heard that it could either cost $649 or $699. The former is the same price as the first Google Pixel was at launch, so if true that could mean a price of £599 / AU$1,079 in the UK and Australia, as that’s what the original Pixel cost in those regions.

But elsewhere we’ve seen a price of £615 (around $790 / AU$1,095) leaked, while in parts of Europe there’s a suggestion that it could cost €629 (roughly $585 / £455 / AU$815).

So we’re not really sure, though most of these prices are in the same ballpark, suggesting that at the very least the Google Pixel 5 will probably be cheaper than its $799 / £669 / AU$1,049 predecessor – something that it can achieve by also being less powerful, as has been rumored.

2. Whether there will be a Pixel 5 XL

There's a Pixel 4 XL, but will there be a Pixel 5 XL? (Image credit: Future)

Usually Google releases an XL model of its flagships, for example, alongside the Pixel 4 we got the Pixel 4 XL, but it’s not at all clear whether there will be a Google Pixel 5 XL.

That’s because while such a phone has leaked a few times, the vast majority of leaks simply refer to the standard Pixel 5. So much so that we really don’t have much idea about the specs of the Pixel 5 XL, if such a phone exists, which in turn makes us unsure that it does, as we’d expect more to have leaked about it by now.

3. Whether it will include Motion Sense

Motion Sense was one of the headline features of the Google Pixel 4. Powered by a radar chip called ‘Soli’ this allows the phone to detect your hand above the screen, so you can perform gestures to interact with the phone without touching it. It also allows the phone to wake up when it detects you near it.

However, this radar chip is rumored to be missing from the Pixel 5, so Motion Sense might also be. It wouldn’t be a big loss – we found the feature rather limited on the Pixel 4, so without major improvements it’s unlikely to impress.

We’re not certain it will be absent though. Not many sources have talked about it, which in itself could suggest it won’t be included, but also means not many have specifically said as much, and with it being such a big feature of the Pixel 4 we’d think Google might want to give it a second try.

4. The screen resolution

The Pixel 5 might have a similar resolution to the Pixel 4 (Image credit: Future)

Another thing that has been leaked but only by one or two sources is the Pixel 5’s screen resolution. We’ve heard that it might be 1080 x 2340, a resolution that would be roughly in line with the Pixel 4’s and therefore believable, but the vast majority of leaks haven’t mentioned the screen resolution at all, just the supposed 6-inch size.

So while we wouldn’t be at all surprised if the resolution is 1080 x 2340, we’re also not at all certain that it will be.

5. Whether there will be any surprises

Beyond its core specs the Pixel 4 had something no other phones really did: Motion Sense. While – as mentioned above - this wasn’t a complete success, it was an interesting feature that helped the phone stand out.

So will the Google Pixel 5 have any interesting features of its own? We don’t know. Nothing of the sort has really leaked, but we hope it will have something unusual and interesting, and more than that we hope it will be a surprise.

The launch is fast approaching so Google won’t have to keep it a secret for much longer – if any such feature exists.

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