The Google Pixel 6A arrived on the market in July 2022 with a lot of expectations. Companies such as Samsung, Motorola, and OnePlus released budget phones with such features that Google was already cornered in the market with its earlier Pixel 5A released in 2021. But the Pixel 6A’s revamped design, stunning cameras, and flagship-level chipset made it a real contender in the budget segment. To find out if it is still a smart choice to buy a Google Pixel 6A, which was released during the launch of another talked-about phone, the Nothing Phone (1), continue reading the blog.
Build And Design
The Pixel 6A’s dual-tone design is highly refreshing and not as boring as the Pixel 4A. The device has an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass 3 in the front and plastic in the rear. Weighing only 178 g, the in-hand feel of the phone is quite comfortable, though the rear can get scratches, smudges, and dust impressions easily. The raised camera bump and the vague Google logo on the back are enticing, and the cameras are covered with glass lenses for protection. The overall bezels on the phone are thin, apart from the one at the bottom. The device lacks both the audio jack and card slot and is only available in a single configuration of 128GB/6GB. The Google Pixel 6A is available in three soothing colors: Charcoal, Chalk, and Sage, and has IP67 protection.
Display
The 6.1 in OLED display of the Pixel 6A comes with around 500 nits of brightness in manual mode and more than 850 in adaptive mode, which is quite impressive. The refresh rate is only 60 Hz and is quite a setback when compared to Samsung phones or Nothing which is in a similar price range and is offering 120 Hz. The contrast and colors of the display are accurate enough and come with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The under-display fingerprint scanner of the Pixel 6A initially faced problems, but with the latest update, the issue has been resolved.
Technical
The Google Pixel 6A is equipped with a 5 nm Tensor chip, which is a flagship-level processor and is also found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The device comes out of the box with Android 12 and is upgradable to Android 13. It provides a clean experience with no third-party apps or adware. The update will also address the random bugs and stutters that were causing the phone to lag. With a 64-bit architecture and an octa-core CPU, the Google Pixel 6A has an overall AnTuTu score of 688,083. In the Geekbench scorecard, when it comes to multi-core, the device scores 2,659 points, while in single-core it has 1,032 points. The Pixel 6A comes with a Mali-G78 GPU and scores 3,722 on GFXBench Manhattan and 3,346 on T-Rex. The powerful software setup can handle high-graphics games at maximum settings without lag, and on the clean and crisp HDR display, it looks visually stimulating. When the phone is under heavy use or is charging, the device gets heated up a bit, which is not a concern, but the company should look into it.
Camera
In the department of cameras, Pixel phones have always excelled, and the Pixel 6A has not disappointed either. The device has a dual camera setup and comes with a 12.2-mm wide lens that has a Sony sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. The main camera lens is equipped with OIS stabilization, and the dynamic range for both the lenses is excellent. Images will have natural skin tones along with bright and accurate colors if clicked in the daylight, while night photography with the Night Sight mode can also compete with several mid-range phone cameras. For videography, OIS stabilization is also available, and the device can capture 4K videos at 30 or 60 FPS. The 8 MP selfie camera also performs admirably, taking sharp and clear images during the day while softer, and less detailed images at night. There are many AI features in the photography department, but the most interesting one is the “Magic Eraser.” This feature removes unwanted objects from your image, which is extremely cool but struggles when removing a large number of things. It goes without saying that the machine-learning implementation on Google’s Tensor chip is at the heart of these camera miracles.
Battery And Connectivity
The Google Pixel 6A has a 4410 mAh battery and supports 18 W of wired charging. Where smartphones like the Xiaomi 11T Pro provide 120 W charging options, the 18 W feels almost like a snail. If you are a heavy user of your phone with lots of streaming and gaming, then the battery will not last a day, but light usage like social media, checking emails, and watching YouTube videos can provide 24 hours of battery life with a single charge. The device supports 5G connectivity and comes with WiFi 802.11 and Bluetooth 5.2.
Final Verdict
Google took a serious gamble by economizing on the design, system memory, and display while packing the phone with a powerful processor, and this paid off. The Google Pixel 6A was launched at $430, but now it is available for around $350 on Amazon. If you are a casual smartphone user doing daily activities with a bit of gaming and photography, then you should definitely consider the Google Pixel 6A.
See more: Nothing Phone (1) Long-Term Review That You Should Know Before Buying
