Introduction
For the past three years, Google has tried to repackage its flagship phones into the A Series phones, which capture the essence of the Pixel at a more attractive price point. The Google Pixel 6a gets the same custom Tensor chipset as the more expensive Pixels, making the deal even sweeter.
The Pixel 6a is particularly compact with a 6.1-inch OLED screen and is significantly lighter at 178g (versus 207g for the Pixel 6). It closely mimics the design, look and feel of the more expensive Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, strategically shaving off areas that don’t have a big impact on usability.
The Pixel 6a doesn’t have a charger in the box — a change from the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Google has ditched the headphone jack for the Pixel A series for the first time.
Google Pixel 6a specs at a glance:
- Body: 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9 mm, 178 g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic dual-tone back with horizontal camera bar, aluminum frame; IP67 water and dust resistant.
- Demonstration: 6.1 inch OLED, 60Hz, HDR, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 429 ppi.
- Chipset Google Tensor (5 nm): Octa-core (2×2.80 GHz Cortex-X1 & 2×2.25 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G78 MP20.
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- Operating System/Software: Android 12.
- rear camera; wide (main): 12.2MP, f/1.7, 27mm, (wide), 1/2.55, 1.4µm, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS; Very wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 17mm, 114˚ (ultra-wide), 1.25µm
- Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm
- Video recording: Rear camera: 4K @ 30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; Gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps
- Battery: 4410mAh; Fast charging 18W, 24 hour battery life (claimed), USB Power Delivery 3.0.
- Miscellaneous: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; Stereo speakers: nanoSIM + eSIM;
The Pixel 6a’s camera is the tried and true Sony IMX 363 sensor, the same one used since the Google Pixel 2. Google has stopped using it on premium Pixels this year, so maybe it won’t surprise us. 6a does not find a separate sensor. And we might still see the Aging Sensor combined with Google Tensor to boost its performance.
Pixel A Series have historically had excellent battery endurance. This time Google has reduced the battery size slightly, but we could be in for another strong run with a smaller screen and a Tensor chip. We also hope that the 6a has addressed the weakness in thermal performance that we saw with the 6 and 6 Pro. But let’s start with boxing.
Unboxing the Google Pixel 6a
The Google Pixel 6a comes in a slim package that we can’t even say covers the essentials. You won’t find a power adapter in the package anymore, so the Pixel 6a comes with a SIM ejector and a 1m USB-C to C cable. We are happy to see the USB-C (Male) to USB-C (Female) “Quick Change Adapter” to bring data from another Android device or iPhone via cable.
Now let’s dive into the testing, starting with the design, looks and build of the phone. We’re really excited for this one, so grab an ice cold drink and enjoy the ride.