When will the Google Pixel 6a be available, how much will it cost, and other details?
Newly unveiled at Google I/O, the Pixel 6a has seen a significant upgrade over its predecessor. Pixel 5a’s display and main camera are lower spec’d than the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, although it still has some of the same features and a cheaper price point as the more expensive Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
GOOGLE PIXEL 6A SPECS
- Price: $449
- OS: Android 12
- Display: 6.1-inch OLED
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- CPU: Google Tensor
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage / Expandable: 128GB / No
- Rear cameras: 12.2MP main, 12MP ultrawide
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery: 4,410mAh
- Charging: 18W wired
- Size: 6.0 x 2.8 x 0.35 depth inches/152.2 x 71.8 x 8.9 mm
- Weight: 6.3 oz/178 g
- Colors: Sage, Chalk, Charcoal
Competition from smartphones like the iPhone SE (2022), Samsung Galaxy A53, and OnePlus Nord 2 will be fierce when Google introduces its Nexus 6P in 2019. Google’s great camera software and an affordable pricing make it a strong contender among our best cheap phones.
Here’s a rundown of what Google has said about the Pixel 6a so far, as well as how it stacks up against the competition.
Updated specs and features for the Google Pixel 6a
- Pre-orders for the Pixel 6a begin on July 21st at $449.
- With a 6.1-inch screen instead of the larger 6.34-inch screen on its predecessor, Google has redesigned the Pixel 6a. Maintaining 60 Hz refresh rate (bummer).
- In other words, Google uses its own silicon in the Pixel 6a thanks to the Tensor chip. Memory and storage capacity total six gigabytes on this device.
- It comes with a 12.2MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP ultrawide. Among other things, you can use the Magic Eraser, Real Tone and Face Unblur to enhance your photos.
- A minimum of five years’ worth of updates is a major deal.
- Instead of relying on a back-mounted sensor, the phone has an under-display fingerprint sensor. Moreover, the Pixel 6’s sluggish sensor will be replaced by a new one.
- The 4,410 mAh battery is smaller than the 4,680 mAh battery in the 5a. However, it is hoped that the reduced screen size will not have an impact on battery life.
Date and cost of the Google Pixel 6a
The Pixel 6a will be available for pre-order on July 21 and will go on sale to the general public on July 28 for a suggested retail price of $449 (about £399). Pixel 5a and Samsung Galaxy A53 cost the same, thus this is a no-brainer. The iPhone SE 2022 costs $429 in the U.S., but it costs £419 in the UK, making it less expensive than the iPhone SE 2022.
Expanded availability is even greater news. Only the United States and Japan were able to purchase the Pixel 5a, making it a highly niche device. For the first time, the Pixel 6a is available in more countries than ever before, including the United Kingdom.
Check out our Google Pixel 6 vs. Pixel 6a and Google Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 5a comparisons for more in-depth comparisons of Google’s new mid-priced phone and its cousins.
design and display of the Pixel 6a by Google
As expected, Google has designed the Pixel 6a to match the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro in terms of the back camera bar, the front punch-hole camera, and the under-display fingerprint sensor (but using a different sensor to the annoyingly slow one on the Pixel 6 series). It’s a little adjustment, but the lenses have been brought together beneath a single rectangular glass cover, making them stand out more.
Unlike the Pixel 5a, which had a headphone jack, the Pixel 6 does not have one. There are certain affordable phones that don’t have this feature, but the Google Pixel Buds Pro might entice you from Google.
Google is giving Charcoal black, Chalk white, and Sage green colour options. The colours aren’t the most vibrant, but perhaps they’ll suffice for most people.
With that in mind, the Pixel 6a’s IP67 water/dust protection should put your mind at ease.
This is the screen on the Google Pixel 6:
Gorilla Glass 3 protects the Pixel 6a’s 6.1-inch AMOLED display, which offers an FHD resolution. Not quite as little as the Pixel 5a’s 6.34-inch screen, but not so much that you should reconsider upgrading.
For the Pixel 6a, the refresh rate is locked at 60Hz. That’s slower than the smoother 90Hz or 120Hz frequencies of most contemporary Android phones. If nothing else, at least the iPhone SE 2022 has company.
All of the cameras on the Google Pixel 6a
The Pixel 6a has a 12.2MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, an 8MP selfie camera on the rear, and an 8MP camera on the front for selfies.
To put it another way, the Pixel 5a’s 16MP ultrawide camera has a lower resolution than the Pixel 5. However, a larger sensor, which will provide more brightness, may make up for this shortcoming.
Pixel 6a isn’t only about its cameras; it’s also about other features like the Magic Eraser (now with an extra object recoloring ability) and Face Unblur, which are some of our favourite features of Google’s flagship phone. 4K footage at 60 frames per second and 240 frames per second, as well as timelapse recordings in 4K, are available for videographers.
performance of the Google Pixel 6a
New Pixel a-series phones contain a Google Tensor chipset in place of the Qualcomm Snapdragon sensors found in older models. This should offer it a significant advantage over its competitors, however it may fall short of the flagship Pixels in terms of raw processing power due to its lower RAM capacity of 6GB instead of 8GB or 12GB.
There is only one 128GB model available. If you’re a photography fanatic or have a lot of apps on your phone, you’ll probably have no problem with storage capacity.
Pixel 6a will have 5G, and that includes both the more common sub-6GHz mode and the less common mmWave mode used by some US wireless providers, according to Google’s official confirmation. It’s good news if you’re interested in upgrading to the Pixel 6a but want to keep your current service provider or want a new phone with faster mmWave speeds.
Pixel 6a battery and charging
The Pixel 6a is powered by a 4,410 mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the 4,680 mAh battery in the Pixel 5a. The 5a didn’t fare well on the TG custom battery test, but it’s possible that Google has made other modifications to the phone to make it more efficient.
Google, on the other hand, is of the opinion that you have nothing to be concerned about. Over 24 hours of normal use is expected from the 6a, and up to 72 hours with the Extreme Battery Saver mode set.
The charging pace hasn’t altered from last year. You can only use the Pixel 6a’s 18W fast charger on the Pixel 6a, despite the fact that the Pixel 6 series has a 30W fast charger. So, if you’re in a hurry, the 6a might not be the best option for recharging your phone.
An update to Google Pixel 6a’s operating system
In addition to the typical Google-exclusive features, the PIxel 6a will be preloaded with Android 12 at launch. Live Translate is also included.
For the Pixel 6a, Google guaranteed five years of updates, which we anticipated would extend to the Pixel 6 and make it a long-term investment. As a result, you may be unable to take advantage of future Android upgrades if your Pixel 6a is only covered for five years of security updates from Google. Despite this, it’s still a fantastic deal, given that Android phones rarely receive full software updates for more than one or two years.
Prognosis for the Pixel 6a
We can’t wait to get our hands on the new Pixel 6a. This year’s Pixel 5a appears to be a much more dynamic phone, providing all the Google-exclusive goodies we were looking for after the respectable but underwhelming Pixel 5a.
If we get our hands on the phone, we hope to discover that it’s a worthy rival to the iPhone SE and the Galaxy A53, allowing consumers a wide range of options even if they don’t have the luxury of shelling out for a flagship-level device.