The Pixel 5 helps keep its top bezel slim with an under-display speaker

The Google Pixel 5 is up for pre-order but as we wait for it to reach customer hands another key detail about its design has emerged. Although the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 look quite similar, there is a key difference that has been spotted by some keen eyed observers. Where the Pixel 4a 5G has slightly thicker bezels that includes a speaker grill embedded in it -- there is no such grill, however, to be found on the Pixel 5 which also happens to sport thinner bezels all round.

The thinner bezels of the Pixel 5 are in stark contrast to the bezels of the previous generation flagship, the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL. in particular, the top bezel on the Pixel 4 series is much thicker as it houses the now deleted Soli radar chip and facial recognition cameras as well as a top speaker. In newly published diagrams outlining the key features of the Pixel 5, Google has revealed that it has indeed retained the top speaker despite its apparent disappearance, but it is now embedded beneath the display of the device.

It isn’t clear how the Pixel 5 speaker technology works and whether it is similar to the way the LG G8 ThinQ used the display to emit sound, but Google is still advertising the Pixel 5 as delivering “stereo” sound. This is because the under-display speaker is joined by a downward firing speaker tucked underneath the Pixel 5's bottom bezel. We await with interest to hear what sound quality of the Pixel 5 is like, and whether or not Google’s fresh approach results in any signs of diminished sound quality.