Last month, Google Pixel 6a officially debuted at the Google I/O 2022, the annual developer conference. The smartphone comes as the light variant of the vanilla Google Pixel 6. The latest Pixel phone is powered by the company’s in-house Google Tensor chipset along with a Titan M2 security coprocessor. Additionally, the processor comes in pair with 6GB of RAM. The newer handset is an upgrade over the last year’s budget offering – the Google Pixel 5a 5G.
In 2019, the search engine giant launched its first-ever Google Pixel A-series mobile phone with Google Pixel 3a. Since then, the company has launched a new model each year. Furthermore, in 2020, the company launched the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 4a 5G. Later in 2021, the company launched Pixel 5a 5G.
Google Pixel 6a launched
In 2022, the company will bring the Google Pixel 6a with a new in-house Tensor processor. The Pixel 6a will join the previously launched Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, following the previous trend. With Pixel 6a, the search engine giant cuts the corner here to keep the phone price down.
The Google Pixel 6a sports a 6.1-inch display with always-on support in terms of specifications. The latest Pixel phone features a 12.2-MP dual rear camera setup. The company claims that Pixel 6a will offer up to 24 hours of battery life and up to 72 hours of backup with extreme battery saver mode. Like the other Pixel 6 series phone, the Pixel 6a will also get a minimum of five years of security updates.
Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro teased
Besides the Google Pixel 6a, the company also teased the design of its upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones that will be arriving later this year. The next generation of Pixel phones will be coming with the newer Google Tensor chipset, an aluminum camera frame, and the latest Android 13. Furthermore, the company also revealed that they are working on a Pixel-branded tablet. The Pixel-branded tablet is likely to launch in 2023 with Google’s processor.
Google Pixel 6a price, availability
The all-new Google Pixel 6a price starts at USD 449, roughly Rs 34800. The latest Pixel phone is available in three color options – Chalk, Charcoal, and Sage shades. Meanwhile, the search engine giant is yet to announce the arrival of Pixel 6a in other global markets, including India. However, as per speculations, the company plans to launch the latest Pixel device next month in India.
Compared with the Pixel 5a 5G, the Google Pixel 6a comes with the same price of USD 499. The latest Pixel smartphone is available for pre-order in the US market, and the general sale for Pixel 6a will commence on July 28, 2022. The Google Pixel 5a 5G, on the other hand, was released in a single-color choice in August of last year, and the Pixel 5a 5G was not sold in India.
Google Pixel 6a: Specifications
The Google Pixel 6a is the latest Android smartphone from the search engine giant. It runs on the latest Android 12 version out of the box. The newer Pixel phone sports a 6.1-inch Full-HD+ OLED display. This display comes with a screen resolution of 1080*2400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio. For screen protection, the Pixel 6a gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It also receives a 60Hz refresh rate.
Google Tensor on the latest smartphone
Under the hood, the Google Pixel 6a is powered by an octa-core Tensor SoC. This chipset comes with a Titan M2 security coprocessor paired with 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Pixel 6a packs in 128GB of inbuilt storage. At the same time, the Google Pixel 5a 5G packs in Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor under the hood. The chipset pairs with Adreno 620 GPU and 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM.
Dual Rear cameras on the latest device
The latest Google Pixel 6a comes with a dual rear camera setup for photos and videos. The primary 12.2MP Sony IMX363 sensor comes with an f/1.7 aperture lens, and the secondary camera is a 12MP lens with an ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Similarly, the Pixel 6a features an 8MP front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture lens for selfies and video calling. The rear camera offers up to 4K video recording at a 30fps frame rate in terms of videography. At the same time, the front camera can offer up to 1080p video recording at a 30fps frame rate.
Pixel 6a with 5G Connectivity
Regarding connectivity options, the Google Pixel 6a includes 5G, 4G LTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and a USB Type-C port. On the other hand, the Pixel 5a 5G comes with Bluetooth v5; the rest features are similar. It includes an accelerometer, ambient light, barometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and a proximity sensor for sensors on board. Additionally, the Google Pixel 5a 5G gets a 3.5mm headphone jack absent in the new phone.
4410mAh battery on the latest smartphone
The Pixel phone gets an in-display fingerprint sensor for device security, and the Google Pixel 5a 5G gets the side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Google is offering a 4410mAh battery on the latest Pixel phone with fast charging support. At the same time, the Google Pixel 5a 5G comes with a larger 4680mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. The Google Pixel 6a is a dual-SIM Android phone with Nano + e-SIM support.
Google Pixel 6a: Unboxing
Recently a Google Pixel 6a unboxing video was uploaded on TikTok. The TikTok videos revealed the in-box content and the packaging of the Pixel 6a. According to this video, the Pixel 6a retail box includes a mobile unit, a USB Type-C charging cable, and a charging adapter. Furthermore, the Google Pixel 6a was also spotted on the Facebook Marketplace. A Malaysian seller was selling on the marketplace trying to sell the Pixel 6a.
The Pixel 6a comes with a similar design element already seen on the Pixel 6 series. The Google Pixel 6 series featuring Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro was launched last year. As per our experience, the Pixel 6a isn’t the budget offering, as we saw with the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4a.
Google Pixel 6a: What’s New?
In comparison with the Google Pixel 5a, the latest Pixel 6a phone comes with many features. Both the Pixel A-series device is priced slightly lower than their parent device. The latest Pixel 6a gets a lower-quality camera system, less RAM, and a smaller battery. Furthermore, there is no choice for storage expansion for internal storage.
Considering the price, the Pixel 6a is USD 150 less than the base variant of the Pixel 6. The cost of the Pixel 6a is equivalent to the price of the Pixel 5a 5G. Overall, the Pixel 6a is a much better phone, and it comes with a modern design, a better processor, and an in-display fingerprint sensor.
How good is the Pixel 6a camera?
The camera setup inside the Pixel 6a is almost the same as the one we find in the Google Pixel 5a 5G. It comes with a 12.2MP dual camera unit at the back. At the same time, the older Pixel 6 series phones come with 50MP sensors. The camera unit on the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro is more powerful. Also Read – Google Pixel 5a release date, teardown; Google Pixel 5a vs 6
Overall, the camera quality on the Pixel 6a is lower than the quality of the vanilla Pixel 6. It again proves that spending USD 150 more on the vanilla Pixel 6 is worth it. However, I don’t think that the camera system on the Pixel 6a will be wrong. The Sony pixel IMX363 sensor offers good resulting photos and videos on the latest Google Pixel smartphone.
The Google Pixel 6a can produce some great shots with the help of Google’s software processing. The only problem we note is that the camera hardware is way outdated. If you are looking for a camera-centric phone, we strongly advise you to spend more money on the Google Pixel 6. For a complete Pixel 6a camera review, we suggest you follow our blog.
Battery Life on the latest Pixel phone
The battery inside the Google Pixel 6a is slightly smaller than the one present on the Pixel 6. As per official specs, the Pixel 6a packs in 4410mAh battery, while the Pixel 6 gets a 4614mAh battery. With a smaller battery capacity, one would assume that the Pixel 6a would have weaker battery life.
However, with a 60Hz display, the Pixel 6a offers a decent battery backup compared with the 90Hz display of the Google Pixel 6. In other words, the battery capacity different might not affect the battery backup. The Pixel 6a comes with 18W wired charging, and there is no wireless charging support on the Pixel 6a.
Google Pixel 6a: Performance
The latest Google Pixel Tensor chipset powers the latest Pixel smartphone, and it is the same processor already seen on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. With the presence of the Tensor chip, the Pixel 6a is way more powerful and can offer flagship-level performance. Also Read – Google Pixel 5a 5G specifications, price in India
Google Tensor cannot touch the scores of Snapdragon 888 and is way behind the latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. But still, it is considered one of the most powerful chipsets, and it will cut through pretty much anything. The RAM on the Google Pixel 6a is less than the one present on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The 6GB RAM isn’t that bad option, but it might affect the device’s performance, especially in the case where we open a lot of apps at once.
Google Pixel 6a: Software and Updates
The latest Pixel phone ships with the Android 12. While running the handset, you will find the Pixel UI skinned on top of the Android 12. The Pixel UI is very much similar to the stock Android. For all intent and purpose, this is the same software on the vanilla Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Also Read – Best upcoming Samsung phones and other smartphones in India in 2022
During the Google I/O 2022 event, Google promised to offer three major Android updates and five years of security updates. It means that Google Pixel 6a will get Android 15 in 2024 and regular security updates until 2026.
Should I buy the Google Pixel 6a with Tensor chipset?
Google Pixel 6a is a little too expensive. At USD 100 more, the Pixel 6a is less easy to recommend. With USD 150 more, the vanilla Google Pixel 6 is a much better option as it is the Best Android Phone of 2021. The Pixel 6 comes with much better build material, a better display, a much better camera, a bigger battery, etc. However, if you have a strict budget of under USD 500, the Pixel 6a seems a decent choice. Also Read – The latest Google Pixel manufactured by the search engine giant
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