Google’s Pixel 4a 5G launches at about the same time as the more expensive Pixel 5, and both phones share the same processor, same cameras, and similar displays. Confused? Yeah, we bet you are. Google’s branding has been muddled, creating a half-step between August’s smaller, more budget-friendly, non-5G Pixel 4a model and the slightly more premium-feeling Pixel 5.

It might not seem like an obvious choice given all this, but the Pixel 4a 5G is ultimately the better choice of the two for most people, offering a very similar feature set and a larger display with only a few glaring missing features, but with a $200 price saving. It's a very compelling mid-range phone with a sharp display, excellent camera skills, and Google's own compelling take on Android.

The Pixel 4a 5G’s design is arguably a step up from the standard Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, which were overly large thanks to a large “brow” of bezel above the display to accommodate Google’s now-scrapped Motion Sense gimmick. That said, the Pixel 4a 5G looks fairly anonymous among the current crop of Android phones, lacking any significant design frills.

Gone is the two-tone backing that defined the Pixel aesthetic: it’s just black plastic all the way around, with a gray “G” logo at the bottom, a footprint for the responsive fingerprint sensor up top, and a rounded-off square camera module. The light gray power button on the right side of the frame is really the only distinguishing accent. There are no alternative color options for this base Pixel 4a 5G model, though a Verizon-exclusive Pixel 4a 5G UW model that supports its mmWave network comes white with a green button and costs $100 extra.