Google Pixel 5a

I got one in September 2023. Bought it second-hand refurbished from [[Backmarket]]. £169.

Deets

Release date : August 2021

Screen : 6.34 inches (too big)

Memry : 128GB 6GB RAM

https://www.gsmarena.com/google_pixel_5a_5g-11059.php

Purchasing decision

Mostly researched on [[sustaphones]] and some review sites.

I got it because:

• Excellent support for custom ROMs (https://www.sustaphones.com/#barbet).
• 6/10 repairability from iFixit (https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Google_Pixel_5a).
• Battery replacement is 'moderate' difficulty. Meh. At least it's not 'hard' (https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+5a+Battery+Replacement/148930).
• Screen replacement is 'moderate' difficulty too. Meh. Often the case. (https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+5a+Screen+Replacement/148892)
• Spare parts provided by [[iFixit]] (https://www.ifixit.com/Parts/Google_Phone)
• It has a headphone jack.
• Reasonable-ish price: £170. I've always tried to go sub-£100 before.

Initial thoughts

• I don't like the form factor. Stupidly long and thin, hard to use with one-hand (unless you turn on the stupid one-hand mode).
• Nice screen.
• Sooooooooooo. Muuuuuuuuuuch. Fasssssster than my old phone.
• Battery life is fantastic so far, compared to previous phone.
• Camera: a lot better.

Alternatives

I would have like a Teracube 2e or a Fairphone, but both a bit pricey, and seems hard to find them second-hand.

Notes

[2026-01-04 Sun]

'Fixed' the charging port by giving it a good clean out. So much pocket lint in there that charging cable wasn't staying in any more.

[2026-02-05 Thu]

On 4th February 2026, the phone just died. Black screen. Alarm still goes off. Apparently there is a common motherboard failure issue with the 5a: https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/comments/yvgo71/pixel_5a_bricked_itself_out_of_nowhere_official/

So in terms of life after release, that's about 4 and a half years. Pretty bad. For me owning it, it's 2 and a half years after purchase.