Two android kings fighting for the same price. Who won?
Google Pixel 5 was recently launched by the company touted as their new flagship, but at not so flagship price. It offers 5G support in a mid-range device and continues the Pixel tradition of having great cameras and innovative features. That’s all inside a phone that costs $699.
[Related: Google Pixel 5 & 4a(5G)]
However less than 2 weeks back Samsung launched their S20 FE (Fan Edition), which was also priced at $699. It has a lot of the flagship hardware and features from the earlier Galaxy S20 series of phones. However, Samsung has made a few changes to the Galaxy S20 FE.
[Related: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE]
So finally what sets them apart (Other than the Brand of’ course)? Lets find out.
Specs
| Google Pixel 5 | Samsung Galaxy S20 FE | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6-inch OLED 2,340 x 1,080 resolution 432ppi 90Hz refresh rate 19.5:9 aspect ratio >1,000,000:1 contrast ratio | 6.5-inch flat Super AMOLED Infinity-O cutout, centered FHD+ (2,400 x 1,080) resolution 407ppi 120Hz refresh rate HDR 10+ Gorilla Glass 3 cover |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 2x Cortex-A76 6x Cortex-A55 Titan M Security Module | 5G models: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 4G models: Samsung Exynos 990 |
| GPU | Adreno 620 | 5G models: Adreno 650 4G models: Arm Mali-G77 MP11 |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4x | 6GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 128GB No microSD slot | 128GB microSD support up to 1TB |
| Cameras | Rear Main: 12.2MP, f/1.7 aperture, 1.4µm pixels, optical + electronic image stabilization Secondary: 16MP, f/2.2 aperture, 1 micron pixel, ultra-wide (107-degree FoV) 4K at 60fps/30fps Front 8MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12µm pixels, fixed focus, 83-degree FoV | Rear: 12MP wide-angle Dual-Pixel, OIS ƒ1.8, 1/1.76in, 1.8μm 12MP ultra-wide ƒ2.2, 1/3.06in, 1.12μm 8MP telephoto 3x optical zoom, OIS 30x digital “Space Zoom” ƒ2.4, 1/4.4in, 1.0μm Front: 32MP (binned to 8MP) ƒ2.2, 1/2.8in, 0.8μm |
| Headphone jack | No | No |
| Battery | 4,080mAh 18W charging 12W wireless charging Reverse wireless charging | 4,500mAh battery 15W wired charging (in-box adapter) 25W wired charging (add’l adapter needed) 15W wireless charging Wireless PowerShare |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Software | Android 11 | Android 10 |
| Dimensions and weight | 144.7 x 70.4 x 8mm 151g | 74.5 x 159.8 x 8.4mm 190g |
| Colors | Just Black, Sorta Sage | Cloud Navy, Cloud Red, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, Cloud Orange |
Design
The Google Pixel 5 has a 6-inch OLED display with a 2,340 x 1,080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE has a much larger 6.5 inch Super AMOLED screen with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and a higher 120Hz refresh rate. Both also have punch-hole cutouts for the selfie camera and minimal bezels. The Pixel 5 uses the stronger Gorilla Glass 6 on its display while the Galaxy S20 FE has the older Gorilla Glass 3.
Pixel 5 interestingly uses a metal back which is surprising because it supports wireless charging. The Pixel 5 adds this feature via a hole in the chassis covered by a material bio-resin. S20 FE on the other side is opposite to what google is offering. S20 FE has a plastic back with aluminum frame.
The Pixel 5 has an old-fashioned fingerprint sensor in the back. The Galaxy S20 FE uses a more modern in-display fingerprint reader. Both phones have IP68 water and dust resistance certification, and both lack a headphone jack. Both also have stereo speakers.
The Pixel 5 comes in Just Black and Sorta Sage colors. Samsung has gone all out with lots of color choices for the Galaxy S20 FE. You can choose from Cloud Navy, Cloud Red, Cloud Lavender, Cloud Mint, Cloud White, or Cloud Orange.
Hardware
Google decides not to give the best SoC in the market and went for Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. Although Samsung offers a much faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset, for people outside US, there is also a cheaper 4G-only version with Samsung’s in-house Exynos 990. Both of the chips have been proven faster that SD 765G in their respective testing.
In terms of memory and storage, the Pixel 5 has 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM compared to the 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM in the Galaxy S20 FE. Both phones have 128GB of onboard storage, but the Galaxy S20 FE allows for up to 1TB of storage expansion with its microSD card slot, which the Pixel 5 lacks.
In terms of battery, Pixel 5 has a 4,080mAh battery, compared to the 4,500mAh battery on the Galaxy S20 FE. Google has put in an extreme battery saver mode on the Pixel 5. It claims it will add up to 48 hours of extra battery life for the phone by allowing users to pause some apps they don’t want to use at the moment. But practical scenario remains to be seen.
Talking about wired charging, the Pixel 5 supports 18W speeds. The Galaxy S20 FE has 15W wired charging out of the box, but if you buy an optional adapter, that can go up to 25W. Both phones support wireless charging too, with the Pixel 5 using 12W and the Galaxy S20 FE supporting 15W. Both phones also support reverse wireless charging of other devices.
Pixel 5 has the same 12MP camera the Google has been using for the last couple of years. However, the secondary camera is a 16MP ultra-wide shooter, ditching the telephoto sensor found on the Pixel 4 series. We expect to see some software improvements for the cameras as well. Google will also add features like Night Sight and will add locked, active, and cinematic pan modes for taking better video clips. There’s also an 8MP camera in the front.
Galaxy S20 FE has 3 cameras in the back: a 12MP standard camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera. a 12MP standard camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera.
Because its a Google phone, Pixel 5 will come with Android 11 out of the box. The Galaxy S20 FE will ship with Android 10, and there’s no word on when it might get the Android 11 update. Both phones are also promised to get at least three major Android OS software updates.
Prices
- Google Pixel 5 — $699/£599/€629
- Samsung Galaxy S20 FE — $699/£699/€759
- Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (4G only) — £599/€659
Pre-orders for the Pixel 5 are available now for $699 in the US. Pre-ordering will give the customers certain benefits like: three months of Google’s game streaming service Stadia Pro (normally worth $30) and three months of YouTube Premium (normally costing $36). You will also get 100GB of Google One cloud storage for three months (normally $6). If you live in the UK, Ireland, France, and Germany, you can get a free set of Bose QC 35 II wireless headphones if you preorder before October 19.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is also priced at $699 in the US and only the 5G version is available.
Thanks for reading.
The InteresTech 