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The Google Pixel 6a is a smartphone with the same Google Tensor processor as Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones. But with a $449 price tag, it’s a more affordable than those phones, which have starting prices of $599 and $899, respectively.
In order to shave the price, Google did cut some corners. The camera, speakers, and display are a bit less impressive, for example. But on paper, the Pixel 6a looks like it should offer pretty good bang for the buck. And now you can spend some of your bucks on it: the Pixel 6a is now available for pre-order from the Google Store, Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers and wireless carriers, and it should be generally available starting July 28, 2022.
As revealed when Google announced the Pixel 6a in May, the phone has a 6.1 inch, 2400 x 1080 pixel OLED display with a 60 Hz refresh rate, 6GB of LPDDR5 memory, 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,400 mAh battery.
While the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have new camera systems featuring 50MP primary cameras, the Pixel 6a has the same 12MP dual camera setup as the last few generations of Pixel phones. These are still very good cameras… but they’re a few years old and may not be quite as good as what you’d get with one of Google’s latest flagship-class phones.
The Pixel 6a also has less RAM than its siblings, lacks support for wireless charging, has 2 microphones instead of 3, and it only rated IP67 for water resistance rather than IP68.
But again, for the most part, this is very much a Pixel 6 series device. It has a similar design and the exact same processor as its siblings. Here’s how Google’s newest mid-range smartphone fits into the Pixel 6 family:
| 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 |
I run android on my Lenovo/Mediatek tablet and use an iphone as my mobile devices. TSMC silicon or nothing.