The Google Store is finally starting to ship Pixel 5 pre-orders in the US. Ahead of its formal release date this Friday, October 29.
It’s unlikely that the Pixel 5 will arrive early, as the Google Store typically ships via two-day shipping. And with FedEx and UPS both being over capacity right now, it’s unlikely to arrive sooner than two days. But at least most people that pre-ordered the phone will get it in time for the weekend to play around with it.
The Pixel 5 launched later in the US then the rest of the world because of Verizon. In the US, the Pixel 5 is a mmWave model, instead of having two models like with the Pixel 4a 5G. which also explains why it is $100 more expensive than in other countries. The rest of the world got the Pixel 5 on October 15, while the US gets it October 29. That’s not a common thing for smartphone launches. Normally the US gets it first.
Pixel 5 is entering a crowded $700 smartphone space
This fall, we’ve seen a number of smartphones launch at that $700 price point. This includes the Galaxy S20 FE, the OnePlus 8T and the iPhone 12 (though the latter two are more than $700). Which puts the Pixel 5 in a pretty crowded space. And with a slower processor than all three of those smartphones. But the thing that is going to help the Pixel 5 stand out is software and the camera.
With the Pixel 5, as we found in our review, the software is as good as ever. The camera is also really good, but still lacking, and really showing the sensor’s age. But if you want a good camera that can take good pictures about 95% of the time, then the Pixel 5 is a good option.
If you have not pre-ordered the Pixel 5, you can still get yours in. Though it might be delayed, since it did run out of stock very quickly after it was announced last month.