{"id":21453,"date":"2022-07-21T17:46:48","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T17:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pixel-6a-review-google-pares-down-the-pixel-6-to-perfection\/"},"modified":"2022-07-21T17:46:48","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T17:46:48","slug":"pixel-6a-review-google-pares-down-the-pixel-6-to-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pixel-6a-review-google-pares-down-the-pixel-6-to-perfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Pixel 6a review: Google pares down the Pixel 6 to perfection"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<aside id=\"social-left\" class=\"social-left\" aria-label=\"Read the comments or share this article\">\n<\/aside>\n<p><!-- cache hit 134:single\/related:3526f63b1102f3dbcec720fe301722e8 --><!-- empty --><\/p>\n<div class=\"gallery shortcode-gallery gallery-wide\">\n<ul>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-1.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-1-980x653.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-1-1440x960.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866176\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866176\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      The Pixel 6a has a flat screen with a slightly thicker bezel on the bottom.                     <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-10-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-10.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-10-980x653.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-10-1440x960.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866185\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866185\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      the back.                    <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-8-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-8.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-8-980x735.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-8-1440x1080.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866183\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866183\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      The top of the phone has a hole-punch camera and an earpiece speaker.                     <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-3.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-3-980x550.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-3-1440x808.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866178\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866178\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      Take a look at the gloriously flat screen.                     <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-7.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-7-980x522.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-7-1440x767.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866182\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866182\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      This side has a SIM slot.                     <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-6.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-6-980x354.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-6-1440x521.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866181\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866181\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      This side gives you a look at the buttons.                     <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-5.jpg\" data-responsive=\"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-5-980x573.jpg 1080, https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-5-1440x842.jpg 2560\" data-sub-html=\"#caption-1866180\">\n<figure style=\"height:735px;\"><figcaption id=\"caption-1866180\">\n                  <span class=\"icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                      The bottom has a USB-C port\u2014and no headphone jack.                     <\/p>\n<p>\n                      <span class=\"icon icon-camera\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                              Ron Amadeo                                          <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Google is really swinging for the fences this year.  The Pixel 6a is not only the latest entry in the reliably excellent Pixel A series;  that &#8220;mid-range&#8221; A-line is also getting a massive upgrade in the form of a flagship-class system on a chip.  Yes, the Google Tensor SoC that debuted in the Pixel 6 is also in the Pixel 6a.  It&#8217;s the same chip, and that means the Pixel A series is <em>doubling<\/em> in speed year over year.  Did we mention the phone is still $449?<\/p>\n<p>Google has created a mid-range juggernaut.<\/p>\n<h2>A new family of smartphones<\/h2>\n<p>With the launch of the Pixel 6 last year, Google finally landed on a solid path forward for its smartphone division.  Besides the in-house Google SoC (with lots of help from Samsung), Google also had a hardware design that it could finally call its own, based on the distinctive and even somewhat useful camera bar.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, Google upended the smartphone table every year and started over, seemingly from scratch.  This has meant a disjointed, directionless phone brand that mostly felt slapped together every year.  But the Pixel 6a is clearly &#8220;step 2&#8221; of a long-term iterative process for Google&#8217;s phone hardware.  The Pixel 6, Pixel 6a, and the Pixel 7 (which has already been officially announced and pictured) are all clearly part of the same smartphone family, and that represents a big step forward for Google hardware.  The company is getting just a bit closer to more serious hardware ventures from Apple and Samsung.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad_wrapper\" aria-label=\"In Content advertisement\">\n    <span class=\"ad_notice\">Advertisement <\/span>    <\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<figure class=\"image shortcode-img full-width\" style=\"width:980px\"><figcaption class=\"caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-text\">enlarge <span class=\"sep\">\/<\/span> The camera bar returns, but it&#8217;s a lot shallower than the Pixel 6 version. <\/div>\n<p>Ron Amadeo<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Pixel 6a is definitely part of that new smartphone family and feels more like a third, smaller size of the Pixel flagship line than a wholly new mid-range product.  The Pixel 6 Pro is the 6.7-inch version with a 120 Hz display, 5000 mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and an $899 price tag.  The Pixel 6 is 6.4 inches, with a 90 Hz display, 4600 mAh battery, and a $599 price.  The Pixel 6a is one more step down, at 6.1 inches, with a 60 Hz display, 4410 mAh battery, and 6GB of RAM for $449.  They all have the same design and the same SoC, they&#8217;re all water-resistant (the Pixel 6a is IP67), and they all have in-screen fingerprint readers.  Google&#8217;s lineup now feels a lot like Samsung&#8217;s, with three flagship phones at the top.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest downgrade is the 60 Hz display, which isn&#8217;t as nice as the 120 Hz display you&#8217;ll find in more expensive phones, but it&#8217;s fine for basic smartphone usage.  The camera system is headlined by the tried-and-true Sony IMX363 as the main sensor instead of the newer sensors in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.  Google has been using this sensor since the Pixel 2, and it&#8217;s very good at getting decent results out of the ancient chip.  It will probably outperform everything else at this price.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also no wireless charging and, as is usual for the Pixel line, no microSD slot.  This year, Google is also axing the headphone jack from the mid-range A series.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image shortcode-img full-width\" style=\"width:980px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"The Pixel 6a's camera cover is separate from the rest of the camera bar, which should reduce photo glare.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-9-980x735.jpg?resize=980%2C735&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"980\" height=\"735\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-text\">enlarge <span class=\"sep\">\/<\/span> The Pixel 6a&#8217;s camera cover is separate from the rest of the camera bar, which should reduce photo glare.<\/div>\n<p>Ron Amadeo<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pixel 6a has a flat screen with a slightly thicker bezel on the bottom. Ron Amadeo the back. Ron Amadeo The top of the phone has a hole-punch camera and an earpiece speaker. Ron Amadeo Take a look at the gloriously flat screen. Ron Amadeo This side has a SIM slot. Ron Amadeo This &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pixel-6a-review-google-pares-down-the-pixel-6-to-perfection\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Pixel 6a review: Google pares down the Pixel 6 to perfection<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22383,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/google-pixel-6a-where-to-pre-order-in-the-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":21453,"position":0},"title":"Google Pixel 6a: Where to pre-order in the US","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Today, Google opened pre-orders for its latest mid-range phone, the Pixel 6a, which comes complete with the power of Tensor. Here's where you can pre-order the Pixel 6a in the US, besides the Google Store, and where to get the best deals. Where to pre-order the Pixel 6a With the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"pixel 6a case","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/9to5google.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/07\/google-pixel-6a-case.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26824,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/budget-smartphone-comparison-googles-449-pixel-6a-vs-apples-429-iphone-se\/","url_meta":{"origin":21453,"position":1},"title":"Budget Smartphone Comparison: Google&#8217;s $449 Pixel 6a vs.  Apple&#8217;s $429 iPhone SE","date":"July 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Google launched the Pixel 6a last week, a $449 budget smartphone that's designed to compete with more affordable smartphones like Apple's iPhone SE. We picked up a Pixel 6a to see how it measures up to the iPhone SE in terms of design, performance, and camera technology. The Pixel 6a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"pixel 6a vs iphone se 2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/images.macrumors.com\/t\/uWnt1sbMCsn-FjTcbrrvadF7JI4=\/400x0\/article-new\/2022\/07\/pixel-6a-vs-iphone-se-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":27212,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/google-trade-in-values-for-old-pixels-skyrocket-w-pixel-6a-u\/","url_meta":{"origin":21453,"position":2},"title":"Google trade-in values \u200b\u200bfor old Pixels skyrocket w\/ Pixel 6a [U]","date":"July 27, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"For the next week, the Pixel 6a is available for pre-order in the US and the Google Store has a rather notable trade-in promotion that significantly increases the trade-in value of older Pixel phones. Update 7\/26: As a reminder, the boosted trade-in expires on Wednesday (July 27, 2022 at 11:59\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23110,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pixel-6a-and-buds-pro-what-color-did-you-get\/","url_meta":{"origin":21453,"position":3},"title":"Pixel 6a and Buds Pro: What color did you get?","date":"July 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Google's Pixel 6a is now less a week away from heading to customers, with pre-orders now open for both the new mid-range phone as well as the Pixel Buds Pro \u2013 did you order, and, if so, what color did you get ? The Pixel 6a is a fantastic mid-range\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"google pixel buds pro color options coral lemongrass fog charcoal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/9to5google.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/05\/pixel-buds-pro-colors-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22084,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/google-trade-in-values-for-old-pixels-skyrocket-with-pixel-6a\/","url_meta":{"origin":21453,"position":4},"title":"Google trade-in values \u200b\u200bfor old Pixels skyrocket with Pixel 6a","date":"July 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"For the next week, the Pixel 6a is available for pre-order in the US and the Google Store has a rather notable trade-in promotion that significantly increases the trade-in value of older Pixel phones. 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Google announced at I\/O 2022 that both products would be available to pre-order on July 21\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cdn.arstechnica.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Pixel6a-7-760x380.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21453"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21453\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}