Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro flagship phones have been among the company’s most successful to date. Google says it’s the fastest-selling Pixel device to date, already having sold more devices than the Pixel 4 and 5 combined.
But for the past few years the company’s mid-range phones have really hit a sweet spot for some customers, offering a combination of strong features and competitive pricing. Now Google is expanding the Pixel 6 lineup with a new mid-range model. Meet the Pixel 6a.
At first glance, the new $449 smartphone appears to be a smaller, cheaper Pixel 6. It has the same Google Tensor processor as its siblings, the same Titan M2 security chip, and many of the same capabilities including on-device AI processing. But the Pixel 6a has a smaller display that measures 6.1 inches diagonally.
And when you take a closer look at that screen, you’ll start to see where Google shaved a few features to keep the pricing lower on the Pixel 6a. While the Pixel 6 has a 90 Hz screen and the Pixel Pro has a screen refresh rate of 120 Hz, the Pixel 6a tops out at 60 Hz.
The smaller phone also has less RAM than its siblings, at just 6GB. And it only comes with one storage configuration: 128GB.
With a 4400 mAh battery, it also has a little less battery capacity than other Pixel 6 series devices, but I suspect battery life should be comparable due to the smaller 60 Hz display.
And one of the most significant differences? This phone has dual 12MP rear cameras that are similar to the ones Google used for the Pixel 3, 4, and 5 series rather than the newer 50MP + 12MP cameras used in other Pixel 6 phones.
But given that Google’s smartphone cameras rely heavily on software for image quality, that might not be a dealbreaker. My Pixel 4a 5G still takes some stellar photographs, and the only photo mode that’s supported by the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro that’s not available on the Pixel 6a is “Motion Mode.”
Like all of Google’s current-gen phones, the Pixel 6a will also ship with the latest version of Android, receive 3 years of major operating system updates, and continue receiving monthly security updates for at least five years.
Introducing Pixel 6a, the phone with your favorite features at a great price. This device is powered by Google Tensor and comes complete with Real Tone, Live Translate, Magic Eraser in @GooglePhotos, and up to 72 hours of battery life with Extreme Battery Saver mode. #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/CfwrJF9kSU
— Google (@Google) May 11, 2022
The Pixel 6a will be available for pre-order for $449 starting July 21st and it will be available starting July 28th in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
The phone comes in three color options: sage green, chalk white, and charcoal grey color options.
Pixel 6a | Pixel 6 | Pixel 6 Pro | |
---|---|---|---|
Screen | 6.1 inches, 60 Hz, 2400 x 1080 pixel OLED | 6.4-inch, 90 Hz, 2400×1080 OLED | 6.7-inch, 120 Hz, 3120×1440 LTPO OLED |
CPU | Google Tensor 2 x Cortex-X1 cores @ 2.8 GHz 2 x Cortex-A76 cores @ 2.25 GHz 4 x 1.8 GHz Cortex-A55 Cores @ 1.8 GHz 5 nm | ||
GPU | ARM Mali G78 MP20 | ||
RAM | 6GB LPDDR5 | 8GB LPDDR5 | 12GB LPDDR5 |
Storage | 128GB UFS 3.1 | 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB UFS 3.1 |
Battery & charging | 4400 mAh Fast charging (wired) | 4600 mAh 30W USB-PD 3.0 charging 21W wireless charging | 5000 mAh 30W USB-PD 3.0 charging 23W wireless charging |
Wireless | Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.2 GPS NFC 5G mmWave & Sub-6 GHz | ||
Ports | USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1 | ||
Cameras (rear) | 12.2MP dual pixel wide-angle 12MP ultrawide | 50 MP Main 12 MP Wide Angle Laser autofocus OIS Spectral and flicker sensor | 50 MP Main 12 MP Wide Angle 48 MP 4x Telephoto Laser autofocus OIS Spectral and flicker sensor |
Camera (front) | 8MP | 8 MP | 11 MP |
Audio | Stereo speakers 2 microphones | Stereo speakers 3 microphones | |
Security | Under-display fingerprint reader | ||
Water resistance | IP67 | IP68 | |
Dimensions | 156 x 71.8 x 8.9mm | 158.6 × 74.8 × 8.9 mm | 163.9 × 75.9 × 8.9 mm |
Weight | 178 g | 207 g | 210 g |
Starting price | $449 | $599 | $899 |
While the phone will go up for pre-order July 21 in the US and Japan, Google has announced pricing details for a dozen of the countries where the Pixel 6a will be available this year:
- Australia – $749 AU
- Canada – $599 CA
- France – €459
- Germany – €459
- Ireland – €459
- Japan – €459
- Ireland – €459
- Singapore – 749 SGD
- Spain – €459
- Taiwan – $13,990 NTD
- UK – £399
- US – $449
Wondering if these phones come with a Faraday shield. That’s a lot of radiation coming from these phones. Wouldn’t hold it up to my head.
Looks like this will be my next phone.
The only thing I would have liked to be different about it is that I would have preferred a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Otherwise it’s great.
(And hopefully it won’t be the same kind of buggy mess that its older siblings have been after launch…)
Although Pixel phones do have the best custom ROM support, I would still avoid the ones with Tensor processors because I have to assume they have a hardware backdoor that sends everything you do to Google no matter WHAT ROM you’re using.
Probably best to leave privacy-sensitive stuff to devices other than phones. Not sure you can trust any kind of phone setup, considering that all their modems have to have, by law, mandatory binary blobs in order to function.
Turns out that when you have a whole lot of privacy-insensitive data in one place, it paints a bigger picture that is privacy-sensitive. For example, many insults, or just whether a person is “good” or “bad”.