Even by Google’s smartphone standards, the Pixel 6a was a poorly kept secret. It was mentioned in Pixel’s own product coloring book for Pixel superfans earlier in the year, but now it’s finally arrived in the UK.
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Announced at the Google I/O developer conference in May, just like the original Pixel 3a was three years ago, it’s essentially what you’d expect from a Pixel ‘a’ series phone, meaning the Pixel 6a is a scaled-down version of the flagship Pixel 6, which we quite liked when we reviewed it last October.
Google Pixel 6a review: What you need to know
But this time there is a key difference. Google took a leaf from Apple’s iPhone SE guide, matching the processing power of its flagship and making cuts elsewhere. The Pixel 6a uses Google’s own Tensor chip, giving it the same processing and graphics grunt as the full-fat Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. This is backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage.
That’s not just a positive in itself: it also means the Pixel 6a is just as fast as the flagship version, which is probably why Google feels confident enough to promise security updates for at least five years. And considering that Pixel phones are the first to get access to new versions of the mobile operating system, this should not be underestimated.
Elsewhere, the Pixel 6a has a smaller 6.1in, 1080p, 60Hz HDR OLED display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and an under-screen fingerprint reader. It’s gone back to the 12.2MP primary camera used in the previous three Pixel generations, as opposed to the 50MP number that debuted in the Pixel 6, but that’s supported by a 12MP ultrawide sensor and an 8MP selfie camera.
Google Pixel 6a review: Price and competition
Considering the average price of £399, these reductions don’t sound too unreasonable, at least on paper. The problem, though, is that the Pixel 6 is nine months old at this point – with the Pixel 7 on the way – and so it costs significantly less now than it did at launch.
In fact, at the time of writing this review, the Pixel 6 is currently available for just £450. It’s only a temporary deal, of course, but if savvy buyers time it right, they can pick up a flagship Pixel with a larger 90Hz display, 8GB of RAM, and a superior 50MP primary camera for just a little more.
The Pixel 6a also finds itself in dangerous territory when it comes to non-Google competition. The mid-range market has exploded this year with excellent choices coming from the Xiaomi 12 Lite (£332), the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G (£399) and the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G (£369). It’s also identical in price to the new Nothing Phone (1), although we haven’t received a review phone yet, so we can’t comment on how the two compare.
Google Pixel 6a review: Design and key features
At first glance, the Pixel 6a doesn’t look too different from its siblings. It’s smaller in size, measuring 152 x 72 x 8.9mm, but retains the massive horizontal camera band from the regular Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. This runs the full width of the phone, but isn’t as thick as the more expensive models.
Instead of describing it as plastic, Google says the Pixel 6a has a “thermoformed composite” back, and it’s surrounded by an aluminum frame. The other Pixel models have glass-coated backs that help protect against scratches, although when placed side by side you can’t tell the difference.
Unfortunately, my initial review model had a small manufacturing defect. The rear panel was slightly offset from the frame, resulting in sharp protrusions in the lower left and right corners of the handset. I was discussing this with other reviewers at a recent industry event and I was the only one with this problem, so it’s possible I just got lucky with an early production sample.
When reached for comment, Google said: “we can confirm on background that this is a one-time error.” After contacting them, I quickly received a replacement handset that did not have this problem.
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Moving on, the Pixel 6a is IP67 rated against dust and water, which means it should withstand submersion up to a depth of 1m for up to 30 minutes, and the front is covered with a protective layer of Gorilla Glass 3. The phone comes in a choice of three colors: Sage, Charcoal and Chalk (pictured here).
The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor has been removed and in its place is an under-screen scanner, which I found to be a bit inconsistent. Sometimes the screen would show a message asking me to hold my thumb in place a little longer before it would unlock – which wasn’t ideal.
We’ve also entered our third year since Google last turned on Face Unlock. Your guess is as good as mine as to why Google still refuses to add this feature – all of its competitors have supported this unlock method for years, so its absence here is jarring.
There’s also no room for a microSD card, which means if you end up filling your built-in storage completely, you’ll either have to start deleting stuff or pay for a Google One subscription. You’re also stuck with just one nano-SIM slot.
Google Pixel 6a Review: Display
As expected, the Pixel 6a’s display is the smallest of the three Pixel phones at 6.1 inches. It’s still an HDR-certified OLED panel, but with the same overall resolution as the regular Pixel 6 (2400 x 1080) – the only key difference being that the refresh rate has remained at just 60Hz.
That’s unfortunate, especially when we get to the benchmarks. Because otherwise, the Pixel 6a’s screen is phenomenal, with color performance that beats the competition. It even gives more expensive flagship phones a run for their money.
Three display modes are available – Natural, Boosted and Adaptive – and color fanatics will want to activate the natural setting at the earliest opportunity. With this mode selected, our colorimeter recorded a virtually flawless average Delta E score of 0.73 when tested against the sRGB color space – every single color was very dear. You certainly don’t see that very often.
Maximum brightness was measured at 857cd/m2 in auto mode with a flashlight shined on the ambient light sensor. Outside of this setting, the manual brightness slider peaked at a respectable 500cd/m2, and I recorded HDR playback at 760cd/m2.
Google Pixel 6a review: Performance and battery life
The most exciting addition this year is the introduction of Google’s Tensor home processor. It’s a 5nm, octa-core chipset clocked at 2.8GHz, and in the case of the Pixel 6a, it works alongside 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
As it never launched in the UK, I unfortunately don’t have the Pixel 5a’s benchmark test results to compare, but suffice it to say that the performance improvements between the now two-year-old Pixel 4a 5G and the new Pixel 6a are colossal.
In the Geekbench 5 CPU stress test benchmark, the Pixel 6a’s Tensor chip outperformed the Pixel 4a’s lackluster Snapdragon 765G by roughly 75% in both single- and multi-core processing. These are broadly the same results as those achieved by the Pixel 6, with the 6a absolutely crushing its similarly priced rivals – only the Xiaomi 12 Lite’s multi-core score is different here.
Gaming performance has taken an even bigger leap forward, though that’s where the Pixel 6a’s 60Hz screen lets it down. Showing a 114% increase in the GFXBench Manhattan 3 screen test, the Pixel 6a is capable of producing higher frame rates in games, not that you’ll ever get the chance to see it. 60fps is all you can hope to achieve on a 60Hz display.
Battery life is the only area where the Pixel 6a doesn’t do so well. This was to be expected – we found the Tensor to be particularly power-hungry in our Pixel 6 review – but the Pixel 6a’s battery score was reduced by roughly three hours. Still, the result of 20 hours and 47 minutes is very good and should be enough to last almost two days on a single charge.
The slow 18W charging is also a bit of a bummer. The regular Pixel 6 supported a maximum output of 30W (with wireless and reverse wireless charging), so it’s a little disappointing not to see it here.
Google Pixel 6a Review: Software
Software is one of those big areas where the Pixel devices really shine. These phones are usually the first Android phones to receive major updates, and you can even beta test new builds as part of Google’s preview program, with Android 13 making the rounds as we speak.
But the Pixel 6a, like the Pixel 6 before it, launches with Android 12. At the top of the list of new features is Material You, a revamped user interface with a list of new custom app icons, widgets and color schemes. There’s a lot of choice here, and you can even match the color and style of the Google home screen app icons to your chosen theme.
There are also a few smaller quality-of-life changes, including new translation options – such as live translation in the recording app – and new Google Assistant features. Google’s digital butler can now wait on line if you’re put on hold, show current and estimated wait times for toll-free phone numbers, and can even transcribe automated voice messages and menu options in real-time.
Google Pixel 6a review: cameras
On the other hand, there isn’t much new in terms of camera hardware. The Pixel 6a’s main camera is the same 12.2MP (f/1.7) sensor previously used by the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, while the 12MP (f/2.2) wide-angle module is identical to that found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. An 8-megapixel (f/2) selfie camera sits in a central notch on the front of the phone.
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That’s disappointing, but it’s worth noting that previous Pixels punched above their weight in the photography stakes. So when you…
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