Google Pixel 6a Smartphone Review – Google recently announced its latest flagship smartphone in May 2022, and you might have guessed the name of the phone. Yes, it’s Google Pixel 6a, which is expected to release in July 2022. But hopefully, the company tease all the primary specs and features regarding this phone, so you will get a rough idea about this phone is a pretty straightforward manner.
Though it might not appealing as its flagship Pixel 6 Pro still, it holds its value in the mid flagship segment. On the same note, the Pixel 6a isn’t much different from the Pro variant, except the display is slightly downgraded, and the design layout appears to be slightly rough. However, it doesn’t determine the phone value, so let’s head toward the in-depth review of the Google Pixel 6a to find whether it’s a good deal or not.
Table of Contents
Google Pixel 6a Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The phone delivers a 6.1-inches OLED panel that brings a standard 60Hz refresh rate.
- As for the hardware section, it equips the Google Tensor chipset with an impressive Mali-G78 MP20 GPU.
- As usual, you are getting the latest android 12 ecosystems out of the box with a simple UI experience.
- The dual-rear camera setup houses a 12.2MP main lens alongside an 8MP selfie camera.
- In terms of battery life, you get a Li-Po 4410 mAh battery with an 18W fast charging support.
Design and Display
The Google Pixel 6a gives similar vibes as its Pro version, but sadly, the back panel arrives with a plastic build, while the metal frame covered the side panels precisely. Besides this, you will notice the usual camera bump in which the company offers two lenses with a flashlight. The overall appearance gives the phone a premium look.
Now, let’s talk about the color options. You can check out the Pixel 6a in three shade choices of Chalk, Charcoal, and Sage colors. The Chalk variant looks quite classic, while you can choose the phone according to your preference. In terms of the dimension, the phone feels lightweight with a slightly thick side panel. So, you won’t face any problem using this device with a single hand.
Moving to the display section, you will receive the 6.1-inches OLED panel that doesn’t have an advanced refresh rate like the Pixel 6 Pro. On the other hand, you are getting the under-display fingerprint scanner with corning gorilla glass 3 protection. Following this, the company provides IP67 dust/water resistant certification too.
Memory and Internal
With the entry of the Google Tensor chipset, the Pixel phones’ performance aspect is boosted in several folds. The chipset is known for its fast performance and considers one of the best chipsets in the mid-range flagship. With the help of better 5-nm technology, the processing cores go up to 2.80 GHz cloaking speed. As far as the visual graphics are concerned, the Pixel 6a introduces Mali-G78 MP20 GPU.
In terms of gaming, you won’t be disappointed by the gaming performance, but the default 60Hz refresh rate might slow down the gameplay experience. Hopefully, if you are a normal user, then you might not face any problems using the latest Android 12 OS. On the same note, you will attain the upcoming Android 13 OS update for sure as it’s a pixel phone.
Aside from the software layering, the Pixel 6a offers a single 6GB RAM with a 128GB UFS 3.1 internal storage, which looks sufficient according to a regular user’s needs. With that storage, you can store lots of media data without worrying about running out of storage anytime. Though the company doesn’t provide secondary storage unit, so you have to rely on cloud storage for backup.
Camera
The Google Pixel 6a comes with a dual-camera setup on the back panel. It includes the 12.2MP lens that offers an f/1.7 wide aperture. With this, you will obtain more colors and sharpness in the photos and videos, which eventually grant a better camera quality experience. Besides this, the main camera module can record up to 4K videos without any hassle.
Moreover, the video stabilization works pretty smoothly even with the 4K videos. Apart from the primary sensor, the company also added a 12MP ultra-wide lens with a 114-degree field of view to explore the wide-angle aspect with the native camera setup. The sensor clicks decent images with high accuracy thanks to the entry of impressive software support. The color and contrast are balanced precisely.
Now, speaking of the selfie camera, you are getting an 8MP punch hole lens that grabs an appropriate amount of lights, while the high-resolution color blending software makes the photo result looks premium. As an additional note, you will notice fine details with the front camera, and recording videos at 1080p with a 30fps frame rate is possible. On top of that, the native camera app features are also worth noting.
Battery and Others
The battery section provides a Li-Po 4410 mAh battery that can easily provide more than 5+ hours of screen time with decent software optimization. Moreover, the phone can even stay active without charge for a day and a half. In terms of charging speed, you are getting the regular 18W fast charger that roughly takes 120-minutes to fully refuel the phone, and yes, it’s pretty slow.
As for the additional perks, the Google Pixel 6a arrives with the latest Wi-Fi 6E support along with Bluetooth 5.2, while the sound experience with the stereo speaker is adequate. Although, you won’t receive 3.5-mm jack support with this phone. Speaking of the cost, the company set it to $445 (Rs 34,790 in India) approx.
Google Pixel 6a Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the Google Pixel 6a smartphone.
| Specifications | Google Pixel 6a |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | May 2022 |
| SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Dimensions | 5.99 x 2.83 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 178 g |
| Size | 6.1 inches |
| Display | OLED Always-on display HDR 20:9 ratio ~429 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 IP67 dust/water resistant |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| OS | Android 12 |
| Chipset | 5nm – Google Tensor |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.80 GHz Cortex-X1 2×2.25 GHz Cortex-A76 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G78 MP20 |
| Card slot | No |
| RAM | 6GB |
| Internal | 128GB UFS 3.1 |
| Camera | 12.2 MP (wide), dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP (114Ëšultrawide) Dual-LED flash, Pixel Shift, Auto-HDR, panorama Max – 4K@30/60fps, gyro-EIS, OIS |
| Selfie | 8MP (wide) Auto-HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 3.5mm jack | No |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Sensors | Under display fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Battery | Li-Po 4410 mAh Fast charging 18W USB Power Delivery 3.0 |
| Colors | Chalk, Charcoal, Sage |
| Expected Price | $445 (Rs 34,790 in India) approx |
Conclusion
The Google Pixel 6a is not a bad choice if you are expecting performance from the phone. Besides this, the key selling point of this phone would be its faster software update and immersive camera quality. Both of them are available at most of the same price as mid-range flagship phones. But if you look at the battery life and customization factors, you might feel disappointed.
In that situation, you can choose an alternative option like the Samsung Galaxy S22 5G, even though it’s slightly more expensive than this phone, but if you are looking for an alternative option the Galaxy S22 can be considered a good deal as it renders all-rounder features and specs.
