Google Pixel 6a is a mid-range smartphone offering the same processor and performance as the company’s flagship phones Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
The newly released handset comes in a lighter, slightly smaller, but similar looking, body – all for a cheaper €459 price.
As such it’s a similar proposition to Apple’s mid-price iPhone SE 2022 but with a more modern looking design and build.
Design and build
Pixel 6a has a flat glass front, painted aluminium sides and a two-tone plastic back with a much thinner camera bar across the top than Pixel 6.
It is 29g lighter than Pixel 6 yet it feels just as robustly made as the larger phone which costs €190 more.
It’s about as compact an Android phone you can get but is still taller than both iPhone 13 mini and iPhone SE.
And it’s still large enough to enjoy consuming content on.
My review model was the green colour that the firm calls Sage.
There is Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the front and the phone is IP67 rated for dust and water resistance.
Display
The 6.1in OLED display is missing the faster 90Hz refresh rate of Pixel 6, making it feel slower and less smooth when scrolling, for example. This is one of the few downsides.
To put it into context, the similarly priced Nothing Phone (1) has a 120Hz refresh rate and the OnePlus Nord 2T has 90Hz.
However, iPhone SE only has 60Hz and the display on Pixel 6a is a sharper panel than that with excellent colour reproduction.
A bezel runs all the way around the screen and it’s more pronounced on the chin than the top of the phone.
The selfie camera is a punch-hole in the centre at the top of the screen.
Performance
One of the biggest plus points is the inclusion of the same Tensor processor as both Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
And even though it has less RAM than those phones, the 6a is still quite zippy, on a par with the similarly priced Nothing Phone (1) and OnePlus Nord 2T.
I couldn’t download benchmarking apps from the Play Store but you can sideload such apps and you will find that benchmarking scores are on a par with all other phones in this price range except iPhone SE.
The Tensor chip also means 6a is well optimised for Google’s AI tech. The phone runs the latest Android 12 OS.
The OS performs just as great as it does on Pixel 6 Pro.
The always on display is brilliant, showing time, date and weather, and, only if you wish, full notification banners.
And you get the fantastic Now Playing feature that cleverly listens to whatever music is playing at your location and displays the track and artist information from an offline database stored on the phone.
Google’s voice-to-text smarts and the amazing Live Transcribe feature in its Recorder app are present and correct too.
Cameras
Unlike previous a-series Pixel phones, 6a uses a different camera to the current flagships. You get the older 12.2Mp f/1.7 wide angle with Sony’s IMX363 sensor as used on the Pixel 5 and previous generations.
It’s worth pointing out just how outstanding the 50MP sensor on the 6 and 6 Pro is so this is a big step down.
But at least the ultrawide 12MP f/2.2 Sony IMX386 lens is the same one used in the flagship 6 and 6 Pro models.
And the firm’s computational photography smarts are up with Apple’s as the best in the business, so you still get great images from the 6a despite the older hardware.
You also get features such as Magic Eraser (which cleverly removes people or things from photos), Camouflage (which changes the colour of objects, so they blend better into a scene) and Face Deblur (self-explanatory).
The 8MP f/2.0 front facing camera has a decent 84-degree field of view and takes consistently pleasing selfies. And it has a speech-enhancement mode that isolates vocal audio and cuts out background noise in videos.
Battery life
Pixel 6a's relatively small 4410 mAh power pack delivers all-day battery life with ease.
The handset takes 1 hour 45 minutes to fully charge and supports wired charging up to 18w.
You will get from zero to 22 per cent in 15 minutes, and zero to 42 per cent in 30 minutes.
There is no wireless charging and no charging brick in the box.
Other features
There is a fast and reliable fingerprint sensor under the screen.
The stereo speakers play audio content at a decent clarity and volume.
There’s only one model available with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM.
Google promises at least five years of software and security updates including at least three major Android versions. This is superior to many Chinese-manufactured mid-price devices.
And you will get new versions of Android on this phone before third-party manufacturers.
Verdict
You get plenty of value for your money with this excellent mid-price range smartphone.
Pricing
Google Pixel 6a costs €459 from Google Store.
Key Pixel 6a specifications
Dimensions: 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9mm
Weight: 178g
Screen: 6.1in, FHD+ OLED, 429ppi, 60Hz refresh rate
Processor: Google Tensor
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Operating system: Android 12
Rear cameras: 12.2MP + 12MP ultrawide
Front camera: 8MP
Battery: 4410mAh
Connectivity: 5G, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, GNSS
Water resistance: IP67-rated
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