For the past week I’ve been testing Google’s new budget smartphone, the Pixel 6a. And while the “affordable” phone is priced at $749, it shares many features with Google’s $999 premium Pixel 6 smartphone.
Unboxing and design
The phone comes in three cool colors including ‘Sage’ which is a light green, ‘Chalk’ which is white with a gray accent and ‘Charcoal’ which is predominantly dark grey. I got my hands on Sage, which has to be my favorite.
There was a similar color scheme on the Google Pixel 6 called Seafoam and it looks just as good on this budget phone. In fact, the device seems to have brought a ray of reduction to the Google Pixel 6. It is identical at a glance, with the same OLED FHD + display and in-display fingerprint reader, with only one visible difference in its size.
The Pixel 6a has a 6.1″ screen compared to the Pixel 6’s 6.4″ screen. And while the Pixel 6 has a more premium glass back, the Google Pixel 6a isn’t all that distinguishable and that it is only made of plastic.
In terms of appearance, it will definitely give you the illusion of having a premium phone at a more affordable price.
Unfortunately, you get the same content in the box that has become the norm with premium phones, meaning no charging brick in the box. All you get is the phone, a USB-C charging cable, and a USB-A to USB-C adapter. Google sells its fast-charging USB-C adapter separately at the outlet.
cameras
The Google Pixel 6a has a strip on the back of the phone that houses the cameras and protrudes from the device. I dig this design, as it means the phone is balanced when placed camera-side down on a table, whereas some phones wobble due to the balance of cameras placed on their side.
There are two rear cameras, including a 12.2MP wide camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera. And while these can’t compete with many phones in this price range, the technology in Google’s camera allows for high-quality photos with balanced, bright and true-to-life colors.
While those lenses are a bit dated, the Pixel’s camera hardware along with its software has traditionally delivered great results, and it’s the same for the 6a. The night mode is particularly impressive and the camera performs well in all conditions.
On the front you also get a reasonable selfie camera. It’s only 8 megapixels, but believe it or not, it’s the same front-facing camera as the Pixel 6 premium.
Technical specifications
There are a couple of notable sacrifices you’ll be making with this budget phone, and that’s a 60Hz refresh rate. If you don’t know what that means, you honestly probably won’t notice the difference.
On the other hand, if you’ve experienced a higher refresh rate on a phone, such as 90Hz on the Pixel 6, you’ll notice that the phone doesn’t scroll as “smooth”.
Also, there’s only 6GB of RAM in the phone, so it technically has a bit less processing power, but it’s not really noticeable with Google’s new Tensor chip.
This is the same chip, not just the Pixel 6, but the Pixel 6 Pro. It allows your phone to perform amazing new features, such as live translation, which allows you to chat in 11 languages in real time. Also, the phone launches with Android 12, the latest operating system.
Battery Life
You can’t share the battery with other people with this phone, but you can keep the battery going for more than 24 hours, or at least that’s what Google quotes.
The phone has an adaptive battery that can learn how you use the device and will turn off less-used apps in the background to save battery.
I found that over time, my battery could consistently last around 20 hours if I didn’t spend too much time with video content.
And if you’re in a pinch, you can also use “Extreme Battery Saver” to boost your battery life (but just to keep it alive for that last phone call or Uber ride at home).
Should you buy it?
This is a great phone, but I miss the headphone jack previously seen on the Google Pixel 5a 5G.
There are some new software features that set the Pixel 6a apart from its predecessor, including the Tensor processor. However, I’m a big fan of the thin, sturdy plastic design of the previous Pixel 5a, which I still think holds up very well.
Overall, this is a small and stylish Pixel 6 5G clone that does a great job of giving you the latest and greatest Pixel 6 performance and style on a budget. So if you want to stand out from the crowd but still save some cash, the $749 Pixel 6a is where it’s at.
Elly Awesome is an Australian technology and lifestyle vlogger | @ellyawesometech | YouTube
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