Among Android fan , the Pixel A - series has been a relative hit for Google . Whenever I step into Android spaces , I hear nothing but praise for the company ’s mid - range smartphone . I eff several “ extremely tech - atomic number 39 ” people in my sprightliness who have lived with the A - series for years , perfectly quenched with what ’s in their hand , enough that they did n’t feel oblige to pass the redundant $ 200 or more for the flagship Pixel . It ’s not far off to think the Pixel 6a , uncommitted for pre - ordering today , will cover the legacy .
The Pixel 6a offers all the best part of a Google flagship without the cost tag . It has a stylish , two - toned methamphetamine back and Material You - style user interface trimmings everywhere , from the Home covert to the configurations panel . It offer immediate access to the Google Assistant , and since it ’s a Pixel gimmick , it ’ll receive seasonable computer software updates directly from Android headquarters . The Pixel 6a is also the first version of the A - series to feature Google ’s Tensor chip in a sub-$500 body . This homemade chip facilitate many of the Pixel 6a ’s flagship - level capabilities and is ultimately why you might opt this mid - stratum smartphone over the other similarly - priced devices .
Google Pixel 6a
The Google Pixel 6a.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Pixel 6a ’s mid - range smartphone address all the bedrock with a premium genius .
What is it ?
Google ’s mid - range Android smartphone
The Pixel 6 (left) is bigger, bulkier, and weightier than the Pixel 6a (right).Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Leontyne Price ?
$ 450
Like
The Pixel 6 (left) is bigger, bulkier, and weightier than the Pixel 6a (right).Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Strong television camera quality for the price ( including immaculate night vision ) , Google ’s Pixel - only package with extra perquisite , pocket-size Pixel useable
Dislike
Still a little too slippery to obligate , 60Hz refresh pace often shows its limitation , 128 GB of storage is limited
The Google Pixel 6a still has a stunning display, even with its mere 60Hz refresh rate.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The smallest Pixel you can buy
I was not a fan of the Pixel 6 Pro ’s intent . Sure , it was big , but the rest of its flesh was too thin and slippy to wield daily . Fortunately , the Pixel 6a engage after the Pro ’s smaller sib , the Pixel 6 , so much that the two phone look like they came off the same manufacturing belt . alas , that does n’t make the Pixel 6a any less slippery . As I typewrite out this paragraph , the Pixel 6a almost splay off me and onto the floor .
The Pixel 6a is the little Pixel gimmick you may buy . It ’s about .2 in smaller than the even Pixel 6 and lighter by about 30 grams . The tv camera Browning automatic rifle on the back of the 6a does n’t stick out as much as on the Pixel 6 flagships .
The Pixel 6a comes in three colorways : trash , Charcoal , and Sage . Google sent us the latter for reassessment , and it looks like a pretty seafoam green in someone . I would n’t bear in mind if Google ( and Samsung and everyone else ) convulse out fatal and white all and stay put only to color . It look charming when geminate with the matching Si slip from Google .
Honestly, that front-facing freckle annoys me when I’m trying to get into the TikTok matrix.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Pixel 6a has a 6.1 - inch FullHD+ display with a 20:9 aspect ratio , though its 60Hz refresh pace feels like it bound it . It ’s a estimable admonisher of the concessions you ’re do at this price point . In the Pixel 6a ’s pillowcase , you ’re give up a quicker refresh rate in exchange for Google smarts . Other mid - range Android devices , like theSamsung Galaxy A53 5 G , offer a 6.5 - column inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate , which makes for smoother scrolling and animations . There is some obtrusive choppiness when cruise through bloated World Wide Web links on the Pixel 6a .
At least the Pixel 6a ’s screen door can get quite lustrous . Google advertises a “ high brightness ” way on the Pixel 6a , which pops up if you turn on adaptive luminance . This can be especially helpful when you ’re out in direct sunlight . Otherwise , the video display has a maximum brightness of around 515 nits . I also like the extra dip style , which come in ready to hand if you ’re like me and fall asleep to TV in the dark .
I ’m not sure how to sense about the lentigo of a front - facing tv camera staring at me any time I go full projection screen in an app . It was n’t always an way out , but I was often reminded of it randomly , like while late in the TikTok ground substance . I opt the tv camera off to the side of the display rather than smell splatter in the middle .
It’s certainly faster than the Pixel 6a.Gif: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Yes, the fingerprint unlock is fast
Before it was available for pre - order , the Pixel 6a washeavily teasedto have a “ fast ” in - display fingerprint scanner . It might voice like an odd boasting , but that ’s because the Pixel 6/6 Pro had dissatisfactory fingerprint unlock , enough that hardware VP , Rick Osterloh , was asked if there would be adifferent sensorshipping with the Pixel 6a .
I would n’t say the fingerprint unlocks perfectly every time . I had to scan my thumb a few different ways to get it ab initio register , which did n’t feel like the case when I was place up , for example , theNothing Phone ( 1 ) , which also uses an in - display fingerprint unlock . But after configuration , it was profligate to pass the whorl screen and much quicker than typing in a PIN or sliding out a figure . It also did n’t feel like I had to place my hired man on the screen as steady as on the Pixel 6 Pro .
Homemade Tensor Chip
The Google Pixel 6a is billed as a mid - range smartphone , though the chip inside is the same Google Tensor Chip that power up the Pixel 6 . It ’s a strategy similar to Apple’siPhone SE , which uses the same A15 Bionic processor as its iPhone 13 folk . This twelvemonth ’s Pixel 6a is also the first of Google ’s affordable A - serial to apply a homegrown scrap , versus last year’sPixel 5a , which utilized Qualcomm silicon .
Our internal benchmark betoken that going in - firm paid off for the Pixel 6a . We do n’t have numbers from last year ’s departure because Geekbench was n’t compatible with the pre - release computer hardware we had in hand . So this year , I sideloaded the Geekbench 5 APK to get some raw numbers out of the CPU and see where it bring on the Big Board of Benchmark Numbers .
The Pixel 6a tally within the range of the smaller Pixel 6 in the unmarried - core numbers , though multi - core numbers trailed behind a midget bit . That ’s part due to the Pixel 6a have only 6 GB of RAM versus the 8 GB in the Pixel 6 and 12 GB in the Pixel 6 Pro . Competing mid - range twist , including the Galaxy A53 5 G andOnePlus Nord N20 , also have the same amount of random access memory , so it ’s not out of the average . In the overall Geekbench numbers , the Pixel 6a outperform the Galaxy A53 ’s Samsung - made Exynos 1280 processor .
Look, Ma! I’m playing a racing game!Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Outside of benchmark , the Pixel 6a harbour its own with everyday tasks like editing video cartridge holder in InShot , posting confessional to TikTok , chat with my buddies in Discord , and taking AR photos of my Galarian Ponyta in Pokémon Go . I also bet a few rounds of Asphalt 9 and Sonic candle with the first - genesis Razer Kishi strapped on to get a feel for how the machine functions as a gaming companion , and it manage OK . But it ’s deserving noting that this is still a mark new phone that I ’ve only been using for a calendar week . The 6 GB of RAM means you ’ll likely see some stuttering once the going gets toughened . The chassis also gets considerably warm when the GPU is in use .
Battery Life is Strong
The Google Pixel 6a has a 4400 mAh shelling indoors . It ’s smaller than the Galaxy A53 5 gigabyte ’s and the battery on last class ’s Pixel 5a . Still , Google predict you ’ll get plenty of life out of it , with up to 72 time of day of battery life on Extreme Battery Saver style .
I could n’t test that special title since I did n’t have enough time between getting my review social unit and publish this review , and I do n’t have an extra SIM to test how the Extreme Battery Saver modal value cut down on things like mesh pinging . But the Pixeal 6a performed phenomenally in our common battery summing up mental test , which affect looping a 24 - minute YouTube video on repeat until the twist peters out . The Pixel 6a lasted nearly 18 hours , only an time of day less than the Pixel 6 with a small 4614 mAh battery . The Galaxy A53 survive it by half an hour with its 5000 mAh battery .
When you need to charge the battery , the Pixel 6a is capable of adaptive charging , so that it power up steadily overnight . However , it does not have wireless charging and only supports up to 18W wire charge . It ’s also deserving mark that no arranger is include in the boxful , so be sure to secure your own !
The Google Pixel 6a has dual rear-facing cameras.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Cameras are still the best
The Pixel 6a is bundle with dual rear - facing camera , including a 12.2 - MP dual pixel wide-cut - angle tv camera with a 77 - arcdegree field of opinion ( FoV ) , an f/1.7 aperture , and a 12 - MP ultrawide camera with a 114 - degree FoV and an f/2.2 aperture . The first camera can also super zoom up to 7x , while the second television camera provides crystalline lens fudge factor . Both cameras have OIS . There ’s also a front - confront tv camera that ’s an 8 - military police sensing element with fixate focussing , an 84 - degree wide FoV , and an f/2.0 aperture .
The camera performance of the Pixel A - series has n’t changed much from last twelvemonth ’s Pixel 5a . That is to say , you could still gestate flagship - alike photo guide at a mid - range Leontyne Price . It remains the best smartphone at this damage point for taking long exposure nighttime snap of the sky . I stay impressed at the Pixel 6a ’s gaining control ability in veridical human beings scenario , peculiarly of late at night when I ’m chasing my kid around the mansion as she resist to sleep . You do set out to see the disparity between Pixels at this hr , though .
It ’s clear that while the Pixel 6a can do computational processing like the Pixel 6 , it ’s limit by its lenses . The Pixel 6 Pro , which I used to compare how Google tunes its hardware , takes slightly brighter shots at night because its tv camera hardware can physically take in more detail . The Pixel 6a often could n’t keep up and fight to film moving object in the dim evening Light Within . My tot came out blurry - faced in photos . I also noticed that the Pixel 6a incline to overexpose white blank space while the Pixel 6 Pro is more true to life .
Two sample shots taken with the Google Pixel 6a.Image: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
I compared some Pixel 6a shots to the Samsung Galaxy A53 , the other marquee mid - commando . Samsung ’s final production is still much more saturated than what Google produces , and sometimes it would blow out the vista instead of up the detail . But the Galaxy A53 was also able-bodied to solicit into the focus area of a slam much quicker than the 6a .
If you think you ’ll need to rely on zoom , the Pixel 6a might fall short . Its super zoom capabilities are capable but are n’t as clear as what the Galaxy A53 can achieve with the aid of its 3x optic soar . At least the Pixel 6a can whizz in quickly if you ’re occupy a television , but it ’s not the sharpest when you reach the 7x cap .
Pure Google Android
The Nexus days of the Android smartphone are over , so it would be unjust to label the Pixel 6a ’s version of the software as “ neckcloth . ” alternatively , it ’s Android 12 with a short more of Google ’s flavoring , admit full commitment to the Material You design image . Google even included an Android 13 beta lineament in the flesh : the ability to wrick on matching icons . It looks squeamish if you have the apps to support it .
As with all Pixel smartphones , the Pixel 6a ’s master nidus is getting you onboarded into the Google experience , if you ’re not already . It ’ll walk you through all the ways you could babble out to the Assistant and command it to do your bidding . It ’ll also seek to bear on Android ’s gesture sailing system on you , which you could thankfully turn off straight from the apparatus screen . Using a Pixel also nets you access to some undivided Google Photos features , like Magic Eraser and Face Unblur .
The big upside to using a Pixel twist is that it ’s always going to be in the first energy of whatever software system update go out to Android . Google promises five years of Pixel updates on this sound , which let in surety updates and various Pixel feature drop .
The Pixel 6a’s still got that nighttime photography thing going on.Image: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
There are always concessions
There are still a few caveats to view if you ’re look to save cash on your next Pixel machine . The Pixel 6a is limited to 128 GB of storehouse , which is n’t enough if you ’re a meme fiend and you get laid to take picture and videos of your kidskin , favourite , plant , whatever . Conversely , the Galaxy A53 5 G has a microSD slot plant into the SIM tray , so there ’s a opportunity for storage enlargement with another similarly priced phone . The Pixel 6a is also only IPX7 rated , which means it can survive a drop cloth in the can but not a long , epicurean bathroom in the tub .
Then again , mayhap you do n’t give care about that material , and all you want is a decent Android headphone that wo n’t break the savings bank . That ’s the Google Pixel 6a . It may not have all the bells and whistle — or the screen refresh rate — of other telephone set , but it does have all the basics for $ 450 .
This review was updated to include battery termination for the Pixel 6a .
A shot through the window featuring the Google Pixel 6a (left) and the Samsung Galaxy A53 (right).Image: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
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The Pixel 6a is all the basics in a palatable package.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
