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Case
in point, a couple of years ago, having a Pixel phone meant having one of the
best smartphone cameras available on the market, up there with Apple and
Samsung, whether you bought the high-end version or the cheaper A series
device. That's not the case with this year's 6A.
The Pixel 6 and Pro use a new 50-megapixel sensor for their main cameras. But the 6A uses last year's 12-megapixel sensor.
Instead, Google is going all in on Tensor. It's the custom-built processor as the
defining feature of a Pixel phone, while the camera takes a backseat. It's a
hint at what Google's priorities are for future developments.
And
it also happens to make the 6A a very good mid-range phone. Just like in
previous years, the 6A is essentially a paired-down version of the Pixel 6 and
to a lesser degree, the flagship 6 Pro.
Compared
to the Pixel 6, the 6A is a little smaller with a 6.1-inch screen instead of
6.4 inches with fewer high-end features like a standard refresh rate rather
than a 90 Hertz screen, no wireless charging, and a plastic back panel rather
than glass. Oh, and it's cheaper, $449 compared to 599. You also get a little
less RAM and slightly less robust water resistance. Also, it happened. Google
got rid of the headphone jack on the 6A, the last holdout in the Pixel series.
He had a good run.
The
6A also looks merely identical to the 6 and 6 Pro with its pronounced
horizontal camera bump, black rail, and the two-tone color treatment. The color
options are a little less interesting. There's just white, black in this sort
of sage, no kinda coral here. It comes with 128 gigs of storage and 6 gigs of
RAM, which is too less than the base configuration of the Pixel 6.
DESIGN :
Size is maybe the biggest differentiator between the
Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6A. Pixel 6 is definitely a big phone with a 6.4-inch
screen. The 6.1-inch screen on the 6A is still relatively big, but it feels
much smaller even though the size difference is only a few millimeters here and
there. You can kind of use it with one hand, which I appreciate.
There's
another difference here that you can't see on the surface, the in-display
fingerprint sensor. It's one of the features that a lot of 6 and 6 Pro owners have
criticized as slow and inaccurate, especially compared to Samsung's flagships. The
6A uses a different sensor, but I can't say I've seen a huge difference. Sometimes,
it feels a little faster, but it still trips up and asks me to re-scan my
finger occasionally. I wouldn't expect a mid-range phone to have a lightning-fast in-display fingerprint sensor. So it's a little easier to excuse on the 6A
than the 6 Pro. Just don't expect a night and day difference if that's
something you disliked about the Pixel 6 and you were hoping that the 6A would
do better.
PERFORMANCE :
The
6A may be smaller, but thanks to Tensor, it's just as mighty as the Pixel 6 and
6 Pro. Performance is snappy for day-to-day stuff like jumping between apps, typing
out emails, and scrolling social media. It even handles heavier tasks like 3D
rendering and graphics-heavy gaming well. And there's very little camera shutter lag, not true of every mid-range phone. This is flagship performance
from a phone that costs half as much as a flagship.
Including
Tensor also means that the 6A gains its machine learning and AI-driven features
like live on-device transcription that's more accurate and less power hungry
than previous versions. There are also some new features in the phone app to
estimate hold wait times and transcribe numeric menu options so you don't have
to listen to a pre-recorded list over again.
SOFTWARE UPDATES :
More importantly, the 6A gets the same
software support lifespan as the 6 and 6 Pro, including five years of security
updates. It's also equipped for whatever Tensor-based AI features Google may
add in the future.
BATTERY & CHARGING :
Battery
performance on the 6A is good and that tight integration between software and
hardware is at least partly responsible. With lighter use, I can get through a
day and a half on a single charge, and a full day of heavy use is no problem. There's
relatively fast 18-watt wire charging, but no charger included in the box.
CAMERA :
It
may be different from what the 6 and 6 Pro offer, but the Pixel 6A's camera
system is still really good for a mid-range phone. There's just a main
stabilized standard wide lens and an ultra-wide on the rear panel, which is
just fine. No mediocre, macro and depth sensors here. Photos in good light are
contrasty with a slightly cool color tone. Google has put a lot of emphasis on
its improved skin tone processing, and portraits look good with flattering
colors. It's not front and center anymore, but a high-quality camera is still
very much part of the Pixel identity.
The
Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were Google's first step toward a new identity with machine
learning and AI-driven features at the forefront and the 6A is following right
behind. Google wants its phones to be known for more than good cameras. Putting
Tensor in the 6A says it's much loud and clear. The 6A gets a lot right. Battery
life is very good. Day-to-day performance is excellent. And of course, the
camera is still top-notch for the mid-range class. It doesn't offer the best
screen in its price bracket. That honor goes to the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G and
its 6.5-inch OLED with a 120 Hertz refresh rate. But the 6A is undoubtedly the better choice for
clean software and flagship-worthy performance.
It's
a Pixel, all right!