In recent years, almost all Nexus and Pixel phones have incorporated the most powerful chips of the moment, so they have competed with the flagships of other brands. For example, last year’s Pixel 4 came with the Snapdragon 855, which was Qualcomm’s last and most powerful chip at the time.
However, Google could change its strategy with the Pixel 5 since the boys of 9to5Google have had access to a pre-launch version of the Google Camera app of a prototype of the Pixel 4a.
This finding is based on code snippets that have been found in the app, where mention is made to “photo_pixel_2020_config”. Given that last year’s code for Pixel 4 referred to “photo_pixel_2019_config”, it seems clear that it refers to Pixel 5. They also found references to two devices with code names “Bramble” and “Redkin”.
Pixel 5: Google Camera app strongly suggests it won’t be a ‘flagship’ phone
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Both devices are believed to have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chip, which is not Qualcomm’s most powerful, although it does offer 5G connectivity. With all this, they have concluded that there is a strong possibility that this year’s Pixel 5 and Pixel 5 XL will not seek to compete with other high-end smartphones.
It’s unclear why Google wouldn’t want to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, but perhaps the company has realized that mid-range smartphones sell much better, especially considering the price of flagships today.
In any case, there is nothing official and we will have to wait until the official announcement occurs, possibly in the fall.
It is worth mentioning that Google isn’t very traditional when it comes to teasing upcoming products. The company loves teasing them trough billboards in public places. The latest shows no other device than the upcoming Pixel 4a. It reveals the price of the smartphone and the design. The handset will cost the same as its predecessor when it comes to the design, it is on par with all the leaks we are seeing.
