The Pixel 6a is Google’s latest mid-range smartphone, offering the same chips and performance as the top phones, but in a new, smaller body at a lower price.
The phone costs £399 ($449/A$749), which is £200 less than the Pixel 6, but offers 80% of what you get with Google’s top models.
The 6a also looks like the Pixel 6 with a shrinking beam. It has a flat glass front panel, stereo speakers, painted aluminum sides and a two-tone back with a camera strip at the top. The 6a is 29g lighter and the back is made from high-quality plastic instead of glass, but it still feels just as solid and well-made as its bigger brother.
The camera strip on the back is still a distinctive design element, but it sticks out less than other Pixel phones, making it easier to place on desks. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The smaller 6.1-inch OLED display doesn’t have the Pixel 6’s fast refresh rate, which makes it a bit smoother in operation, but it’s otherwise clear, colorful and bright. The smaller display makes the 6a about the size of the iPhone 13, and it strikes an excellent balance between being big enough without being too big to hold comfortably.
Specifications
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Screen: 6.1in 60Hz FHD+ OLED (429ppi)
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Processor: Google Tensor
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RAM: 6GB
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Storage: 128GB
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Operating system: Android 12
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Camera: 12.2MP + 12MP ultra-wide, 8MP selfie
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Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and GNSS
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Water resistance: IP67 (1m for 30 minutes)
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Dimensions: 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9 mm
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Weight: 178g
Top Tensor chip
The Pixel 6a takes 1 hour and 45 minutes to fully charge, reaching 60% in 44 minutes using a USB-C adapter outputting 18W or more (not included). No wireless charging. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Pixel 6a has the exact same Tensor processor as Google’s best 2021 phones with slightly less RAM, making it faster than almost all other mid-range competitors and well-optimized for Google’s various artificial intelligence systems. intellect.
Battery life is also pretty good for a smaller phone, lasting around 34 hours between charges, which matches the larger Pixel 6 and puts it on par with many high-end competitors. That was with the screen on for about five hours in various messaging, note-taking and utility apps, browsing and taking about 20 photos, spending about two hours on 5G, the rest on wifi.
sustainability
The fingerprint scanner is faster and more reliable than the Pixel 6, but it’s still not as good as the best out there. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Google doesn’t provide an expected battery life, but it should last over 500 full charge cycles with at least 80% of its original capacity. The Pixel 6 can be repaired by Google and third-party stores. The screen repair costs £119 and the battery replacement costs £69 outside of the Google warranty.
The Pixel 6a is made from recycled glass, plastic and aluminum, which accounts for about 20% of the phone’s weight. The company publishes environmental impact reports for some of its products. Google will recycle old devices for free.
Android 12
Google’s version of Android is fast and full of fun color customization, though some of the vast array of wallpaper options are a bit odd. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Pixel 6a ships with Android 12, which includes tons of customization options, smart enhancements, and impressive local AI features. For more, see our Pixel 6 Pro review. The 6a will be one of the first devices to receive the Android 13 update, which should be rolling out soon.
Google will provide at least five years of software and security updates, including at least three major versions of Android. Samsung supports many of its phones for five years, while Fairphone aims for six years and Apple supports its iPhone for up to seven years.
Camera
The camera app is easy to use and has useful photography aids to help you get the best shot with little effort, but it lacks a dedicated macro photography mode. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The Pixel 6a has a pair of 12-megapixel cameras on the back: one main and one ultra-wide, but no telephoto zoom. Google’s camera software is some of the best in the business, and as a result, the 6a takes photos that beat many phones costing twice the price.
The main camera produces very well-balanced photos, rich in detail and dynamic range in different light levels. The ultrawide is just as good, if a little softer on fine detail, but it’s consistent in terms of color and tone on the main camera, which isn’t the case with most at this price point. The dedicated night vision mode produces great low-light images, while the digital zoom is pretty good at 2x but frays at 7x.
Portrait mode is very good and works with subjects and pets as well as people, while video quality up to 4K at 60fps is solid. The 8MP selfie camera is just as effective, capturing a great deal of detail.
The camera app has many of the same features as other Google phones, including object removal or camouflage tools that recolor distracting and unwanted elements in a photo to make them less obvious.
Overall, while the 6a can’t quite match the Pixel 6’s cameras, it’s really not that far off from beating smartphones that cost more than twice as much and beating the mid-range competition.
Price
The Google Pixel 6a costs £399 ($449/A$749) with 128GB of storage in a choice of three colors and ships on July 28.
In comparison, the Pixel 6 costs £599, the Samsung Galaxy A53 costs £399, the Nothing Phone 1 costs £399, the Fairphone 4 costs £499 and the Apple iPhone SE costs £419.
Judgment
Google is on a roll. After years of good-but-not-great phones, the Pixel 6a is another excellent model, bringing the Android maker’s magic down to a more affordable price.
It uses the same recipe that makes Apple’s iPhone SE so good: a mid-range phone with the company’s best chip. This makes the 6a faster than almost any other £399 phone and gives it access to the same features as Google’s flagship phones. Battery life is also very good for a smaller phone.
The software is smart and sophisticated and will be updated for at least five years, which is longer than most competitors. The camera is far better than any mid-range model, competing with phones twice the price or more.
Although the back is less premium, plastic rather than glass, and the screen isn’t as smooth as the competition, it still looks great. The smaller size also makes it easier to hold.
The Pixel 6a is the best mid-range phone you can buy, and a fantastic option if you’re looking for a smaller Android.
Pros: Brilliant camera, good smaller screen, top performance, good battery life, recycled aluminum, five years of security updates, Android 12, smart software features, competitive price.
Cons: relatively slow charging, no optical zoom, no macro photo mode, no face unlock option, screen only 60Hz.
The two-tone black is a bit boring compared to some of the other color versions of the Pixel range. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
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