Google Pixel 6a – 128 GB-Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with 12 megapixel camera and 24-hour battery – Sage

Product Information

Our results were clear and crisp, and after around 10 months of using the handset, we're consistently impressed by how well it performs under all lighting conditions. Google is on a roll. After years of good but not great phones, the Pixel 6a is another excellent model bringing the Android-maker’s magic down to a more affordable price. The Pixel 6a has a 60Hz refresh rate, which means scrolling isn't quite as fluid compared to flagships — or, in fact, the Pixel 7a, which has increased the refresh rate to 90Hz.

Pixel 6a replacement screen has a green hue - Google Pixel 6a Pixel 6a replacement screen has a green hue - Google Pixel 6a

The Pixel 6a takes 1 hour 45 minutes to fully charge, hitting 60% in 44 minutes using an USB-C adaptor outputting 18W or more (not included). There is no wireless charging. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian The Google Pixel 6a has a good camera for the price, with some useful features you won't get on rivals. I used the Pixel 6a’s primary camera for the bulk of my shooting, and it delivers results worthy of the Pixel name. The color recreation is accurate, especially in rich sunlight like the image of the flowerpot above. Google’s natural bokeh is impressive, too, and is most evident in the picture of the pink and white flowerbox. I didn’t notice any issues with clouds washing out in the sky, whether I was above them (in the image of the airplane wing) or below (in the image of the waterfall). The only real complaints come if you crop in. No matter how smart Google’s processing is, a camera with a smaller, lower megapixel sensor just doesn’t let in as much light or provide as much information as something like the 50MP shooter on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. And don’t get us started on how long the Pixel lasted without battery saver on - our complaints would go on longer than the phone would last (well okay, there’s some hyperbole there, but we were seriously disappointed by the phone’s lasting power). There's a lot of debate over whether or not this is a software or hardware issue (happens on some pixels straight out of the box) every update since August has claimed to remove the issue but there are still reports of it remaining.Smartphone battery life is often hard to quantity. A device might perform well in lab-based tests but struggle in everyday use, given the huge variance of screen-on time that you’ll use day-to-day, and as such testers can be hesitant to provide decisive verdicts on a phone’s lasting power. The single configuration of phone going on sale has 6GB RAM, and its chipset has a 5G modem, so you can connect to next-gen networks if you’re on the right contract. Your speed will depend more on your area and provider than on the phone though. Apple fans might prefer this budget iOS device, which has a powerful processor and decent, though solitary, rear camera, though its design and display aren’t exactly competitive. Instead of using the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s 50MP main camera, the Pixel 6a gets a 12.2MP f/1.7 one, which sits alongside a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide snapper with a 114-degree field of view.

Google Pixel 6a review: this mid-range master is a true

Since battery life is such a core aspect of a phone, it’s hard to recommend the Google Pixel 6a, despite it still having some strong qualities elsewhere. While pixels do need to be calibrated after screen repairs, this is usually just for the fingerprint sensor. Pictures are good. Sure, they won’t match snaps taken on the standard Pixel 6 in terms of vibrancy or detail, but they’ll beat out nearly any other handset at this price. The Pixel 6a is Google’s latest mid-range smartphone offering the same chips and performance as its top phones, but in a new, smaller body for a cheaper price.The Google Pixel 6a retains the same design language of its siblings, but there are a few changes - for better and worse. The Pixel often struggled to last a full day of use, even when battery saver mode was active the whole time. And we’re not talking about a day of hardcore gaming, video recording and so on - the Pixel 6a struggled with everyday medium use. The camera app has many of the features as Google’s other phones, including the object eraser or camouflage tools, which recolours distracting and unwanted elements of a photo to make them less obvious. The battery is 4,410mAh, which isn’t even small for a phone of this size, so we can’t get our heads around why it doesn’t last longer. The Google Pixel 6a, then, now offers better value than ever. That said, it would have been a more competitive phone, both against other Pixel phones and the slew of affordable phones on the market, if its starting price had been lower.