Let's start with the price of this new Pixel 6a, which is the main selling point. With this price comparison, you'll get a good idea of the choices available in the Pixel range.
What do you get with this new $599 Pixel 6a phone, from Google?
Probably the first things you notice on a smartphone are the design and the screen. Here, the 6a's screen is the smallest in the Pixel lineup, but at a 6.1-inch diagonal it's big enough for enjoyable everyday use. Compared to the other two Pixels, these are 6.7 and 6.4 inches.
Another important element of screens is the refresh rate expressed in hertz. Of the three, the 6a is the slowest with 60 Hz, against 120 and 90 Hz for the other two. Demanding gamers will no doubt be disappointed with this rate, which prevailed on phones two or three years ago. But for normal use and for playing videos, no worries here.
Rated Gorilla Glass 3, the glass is tough, and the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display supports high dynamic range (HDR) imaging – which is very common these days.
For the design, Google has stuck to the style of the Pixel 6, with the bar of three cameras on the back and the chassis being metal – a good point considering that the majority of entry-level or mid-range smartphones are built in plastic. The set remains light at 178g.
In the same department of design, Google has provided a 4410 mAh battery offering an autonomy of more than 24 hours, which can be extended up to 72 hours with the battery saver when circumstances require it.
In addition, the 6a also supports fast charging up to 18 W, provided you use one of the two USB-C chargers (30 or 18 W) offered by Google, can we read in the fine print.
Under the hood, the Pixel 6a uses the same eight-core Tensor chip as the Pixel 6 and it shows in the performance of the device. Its high frame rate of up to 2800 MHz and 6 GB of RAM make it a very good phone in all uses, even if its two siblings get 12 and 8 GB. And like these, the 6a has 128 GB of storage. On trial, apps, downloads, and videos all run smoothly, not sluggishly.
Google promises that its 6a will have three updates to its Android mobile system. Shipped with Android 12, the 6a will get full software support until summer 2027, with Android 15. All things considered, that's a very good lifespan for a smartphone that will get better with updates day.
Let's finish with the triple camera system, the Pixel 6a only has a 12.2 Mpx wide-angle sensor already exceeded by what already exists on the Pixel6 (50 Mpx). Like the other two Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, the 6a has optical and electronic image stabilization.
In short, this is a very interesting smartphone in terms of quality-price-performance, provided you appreciate the compromises here and there by the Internet giant.
In Canada, the Pixel 6a will be available for pre-order from July 21, 2022 at an MSRP of $599 and in stores from July 28.
Google store: https://store.google.com/category/phones?hl=fr-ca
