Introduction to the Google Pixel 6a
The Pixel 6a is Google’s new budget phone and we dare say it changes the rules of the affordable phone market with its Tensor chip, the same one found in the flagship Pixel 6, while most other devices at this price they use slower processors. This makes the Pixel 6a not only faster, but more future-proof. It also adopts the “camera bar” design style of its more expensive Pixel siblings, but does it all in a more manageable 6.1″ form factor. The dual cameras on the back are a wide and ultra large, and offers the familiar “Pixel look”, but this time photos are processed much faster. At $450, the Pixel 6a looks like a serious rival to the popular Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and the Apple iPhone SE (2022 ).
The Pixel 6a replaces the 5a model launched last year. The 5a, however, was only available in the US and Japan, so most of the world was left without a true budget phone from Google for a year until the Pixel 6a, which this time launches in the US, Canada and most countries. europe
Compared to the Pixel 5a, the 6a comes with the new design, a much faster processor, making it a much more exciting device.
What’s new in the Pixel 6a?
- It adopts the new flagship Pixel “camera viewfinder” design.
- First budget Pixel with a powerful Tensor chip
- The 6.1″ screen size is a perfect middle ground
- Stick with an older 12MP camera sensor but keep the ‘pixel look’
- Faster camera speed
- Plenty of 128GB of storage as a base
- Price $450
Table of Contents:
Unboxing the Pixel 6a
Like many new phones, the Pixel 6a ships in a thin box, and you can probably already guess what that means: there’s no charger included in that box.
Inside, you’ll find the phone itself, a USB Type-C cable on both sides, a SIM tool, and the usual user manuals and literature. There is no case in the box and no pre-applied screen protector either.
Pixel 6a specs
The Tensor chip is the highlight here
And here’s an overview of the Pixel 6a’s specs:
SpecificationsGoogle Pixel 6aSize and weight152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9mm, 178g6.1-inch OLED display, 60HzProcessorGoogle Tensor Gen1RAM6GB LPDDR5Storage 128GB, no expandable storageSoftwareAndroid 12Cameras 12MP camera, 12 aperture camera MP, ultra wide aperture f/2/f2.
Front camera 8 MP, f/2.0
Battery size 4,410 mAh Charging speeds 18W wired charging no wireless charging Price $450
Having the flagship-quality Google Tensor Gen1 processor in a budget device like the Pixel 6a is unexpected, but absolutely brilliant. The phone feels fast and with this chip it will stay fast for years to come. Also, it definitely stands out from the crowd of its rivals who tend to use much less capable processors.
The Pixel also comes with 6GB of RAM, which seems like a good middle ground, so you can run a lot of apps in the background. An 8GB RAM version would be even better for power users, but we assume this feature will make it to the flagship Pixels.
If you want even more information, don’t forget that we have a detailed Pixel 6a specs page where you can find the specific 5G bands it supports and many more useful details.
Pixel 6a design and colors
A pleasantly compact phone with some compromises like a plastic back
Design is one area where you can tell the Pixel 6a isn’t a high-end phone. No, it doesn’t look bad, and we actually prefer the smaller 6.1-inch form factor much better than the large 6.4-inch Pixel 6. We also loved its airy and light feel, a nice change from a bulky modern one. However, the larger bezels and plastic back give away its budget nature.
Google has also removed some features that were previously available on the ‘a’ series and the most notable omission from the 6a is the headphone jack, which has been removed. The device is also IP67 certified for water and dust protection, a nice feature at this price. That’s just a step below the IP68 rating we get on flagships, but the difference is small and what matters is that the Pixel 6a will survive underwater or in the rain for a while.
The style is very recognizable. With that horizontal camera bar on the back, you can tell it’s a Pixel from a mile away. The camera bar is half as thick here on the 6a compared to the Pixel 6, which we appreciate. Also, with this design, the phone doesn’t wobble when you put it on a table.
The Pixel 6a comes in a choice of three colors: Charcoal (the black model), Chalk (the white one we have for review), and Sage (a very nice shade of green). To this we say: finally! Finally some color in the affordable Pixel line that used to come in a boring black color option!
Pixel 6a screen
The Pixel 6a comes with a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, and the slow refresh rate is definitely one of the big compromises Google made with this phone. Once you get used to a 90Hz or 120Hz screen, you’ll only appreciate the smooth, smooth scrolling and a 60Hz screen, as we have a choppy look here in comparison.
Another place where Google cut a corner is the display cover glass, as the Pixel uses the older Gorilla Glass 3 technology instead of the latest Victus edition we see on flagships.
However, the Pixel 6a has a considerable advantage over the flagship Pixel 6 series: the screen is much smaller and the device is much more compact. Some people will really appreciate it, including us.
Display sizes:
A common problem with the Pixel 6 series was the stubborn fingerprint scanner, which requires a bit more force than your average phone and works less consistently. The Pixel 6a uses an optical fingerprint scanner, and we can’t say the quality is much better. You have to press a lot and a lot more to unlock the phone, and every now and then we fail. Some Pixel 6a users reported that their fingerprint scanner is buggy and anyone could unlock the phone, a serious security issue, but we didn’t see this issue on our unit.
And in case you’re wondering, facial recognition isn’t available on the 6th at all.
Pixel 6a camera
A dual rear camera system with that ‘pixel look’ One of the big updates to the flagship Pixel 6 series was a new, higher-resolution 50MP sensor for the camera, while here the Pixel 6a sticks with the old 12MP pixels used before. And as you might expect in a device of this price, there’s no dedicated zoom camera.
Here are the camera settings on the Pixel 6a:
- 12 MP wide camera, f/1.7 aperture
- 12 MP ultra-wide-angle camera, f/2.2 aperture
- Front camera 8 MP, f/2.0
The first thing that strikes us when using the Pixel 6a is how quickly it processes photos. Last year’s Pixel 5a would often take several long moments to process an image, while thanks to the much faster Tensor chip used in the Pixel 6a, the wait time is greatly reduced.
And you still get most of the cool tricks from the flagships. For example, the Magic Eraser feature works just as well on the Pixel 6a as it does on the flagship Pixel 6.
You also get the incredibly cool face blur feature that works under the scenes to make sure you get a sharp shot of your little one on the move.
The only feature missing is motion mode, which would add long exposure-like effects, and while we think it’s cool, we don’t really consider it that essential.
Photos come out with the familiar HDR-y Pixel look. The novelty has worn off and other phones have caught up with HDR technology, but we’re still getting pretty good-looking photos here, and if you ask us, at this mid-range price, the Pixel 6a has one of the best cameras around. .
Selfies also come out great, we like the dynamic range, colors and wide field of view.
You get a slight crop (around 1.3X) when recording video, and it’s the same crop for 1080p and 4K footage. The video quality is very good, especially for this price.
A newly added superpower to the Pixel 6a is HDR video recording even at 4K60 resolution. The difference is subtle compared to the Pixel 5a, but we’ve noticed how HDR videos stand out a lot more on social media, so it’s great that you have this option.
Pixel 6a performance and benchmarks
Google Tensor blows (most of) the competition out of the water
The Google Tensor Gen1 chip we have here might not be as fast as the Apple A15 Bionic used in the current iPhone SE model, but this phone deliberately makes a few compromises in display quality to have that faster processor. We think Google really made a powerful move by including this flagship-quality chip in the mid-range Pixel 6a.
It’s clearly much faster than the Android competition and helps the 6a easily stand out from that crowd. It’s a device that feels fast and is much more likely to stay fast for years to come with this chip. You get 6GB of RAM, which may seem a bit limiting, but we found it mostly works well, and you probably won’t notice apps closing unexpectedly while multitasking.
Performance benchmarks:
For gamers, this chip is good news, but we have to warn you that we noticed that the phone is a bit more prone to overheating than usual. Spend more than 15-20 minutes on a resource-intensive game like Genshin Impact or even Diablo Immortal and you’ll likely notice the phone getting uncomfortably hot.
Finally, we love that Google included 128GB of native storage here. The 6a lacks a microSD card slot, but 128 gigs of storage should please most users.
Pixel 6a connectivity
The Pixel 6a actually comes in two versions: a $450 unlocked model that you can use with carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T, and then a Verizon-specific version that has mmWave 5G support and costs a little more at $500.
The unlocked model most people will buy supports T-Mobile’s n41 and n71 5G bands, as well as…