Google accidentally showed off the Pixel 5 and revealed a low price

Google Pixel 4a
The Pixel 5 looks a lot like the Pixel 4a (above) (Image credit: TechRadar)

The Google Pixel 5 is expected to land on September 30, so we’re now very close to the launch. But the Google Japan Twitter account seemingly thought the phone had already launched, as it briefly posted some major details.

The tweet has been deleted but not before it was spotted by 9to5Google, and it included partial images of the Pixel 5 from the front, the clearest of which can be seen below.

As you can see, the phone has a punch-hole camera in the top left corner of the screen, and what looks to be an otherwise all-screen design, though since we can’t see the bottom edge we can’t be certain that there’s no chin there.

Google Pixel 5 tweet

(Image credit: Google / 9to5Google)

The design matches earlier leaks and looks a lot more like the Google Pixel 4a than the Google Pixel 4 – the latter of which has a large bezel above the screen.

Design aside, the tweet mentioned that the Google Pixel 5 supports 5G (as expected) and that it costs ¥74,800 in Japan. That’s around $710 /£555 / AU$1,010, and while a price conversion isn’t likely to be very accurate, that’s also notably less than the ¥89,980 (roughly $855 / £665 / AU$1,210) launch price of the Google Pixel 4 in Japan.

Leaks have consistently suggested that the Pixel 5 would cost less than its predecessor and this pretty much confirms that.

Where's the XL?

Aside from a mention of “professional-grade photography” the tweet didn’t reveal much else, but notably there was no mention of the Google Pixel 5 XL, which might mean that no such phone exists.

While there have been rumors of a Pixel 5 XL we haven’t heard anywhere near as much about it as the standard Google Pixel 5, so there was some question over whether such a phone would launch.

It not being mentioned here doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not coming, but it’s one more piece of evidence pointing in that direction. We’ll know for sure soon, and TechRadar will be covering Google’s September 30 announcement in full, so check back then for full details of everything that’s unveiled.

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.