The Google Pixel 6a has pleased me more than any other phone that has come across my desk in the past 12 months. I could go into depth about several of the phone’s advantages, including its cameras, machine learning capabilities, and other features, which undoubtedly contribute significantly to my opinion that the Pixel 6a is among the finest smartphones of 2022.
The Pixel 6a, however, I believe, appeals to me on a deeper level because it reconciles two seemingly incompatible aspects of my personality: 1) I want the finest things in life, and 2) I am a renowned cheapskate.
I expect the bourbon I consume to have a deep, nuanced flavor that can only be attained by oak-aging and skilled production. You’re crazy, though, if you think I would spend that much on a drink. I frequent the most upscale eateries and resorts while traveling within my price range, which, I tell you, has a ceiling so low that you must stoop to fit underneath it. If “success” is defined as “purchased at significant markdown,” then I dress for it. In other words, the products I like should have a high level of quality, but not to the point where the price tag has too many zeros.
In a nutshell, this describes the Pixel 6a. You might anticipate finding some wonderful features in a premium phone, but you won’t be paying the kind of amount that premium phone would require. What is there to dislike about that set up?
We can discuss some of the amazing features of the Pixel 6a, and we will, I assure you, but for now, let’s just be amazed at the $449 price tag Google places on this device. You can get a great phone for less than $500 thanks to it. You could get two Pixel 6as for the same price as an iPhone 14 Pro or a Galaxy S22 Plus, one for daily usage and the other solely for mocking your fellow spendthrifts.
However, if money were the sole consideration, we would be praising any of the forgettable sub-$200 Android phones. The price of the Pixel 6a is so alluring because of how much device you get for your money. Even though this phone costs $449, you get far more for your money.
Google Pixel 6a: The cameras are key
Consider the cameras, which deliver the quality of images you would anticipate from far more costly flagships. The Pixel 6a’s hardware is nothing special; Google utilizes a 12.2MP sensor for the primary camera and a second 12MP shooter for the ultrawide lens. However, it can use the same picture editing features as other Pixel smartphones. Images are clear and crisp as a consequence, even when you use the phone’s digital zoom to enlarge them.
We recently compared the cameras of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6a to determine if the more costly flagship Pixel captured better pictures than Google’s entry-level model. It did, though just barely. Yes, the more expensive Pixel 6a is better at low-light and portrait photography than the more expensive Pixel flagship, but other than that, it’s difficult to tell the difference in quality.
Take a look at this picture of some toast and hard-boiled eggs. Both photographs capture the same color quality, whether it’s the purple of the grape jam or the brown grain of the table, and both show the same gleaming yolk. Yes, the hardboiled egg in the background of the Pixel 6a photo has a more pronounced blue hue, but unless you’re looking for differences, you probably won’t notice that.
The Pixel 6a is more than a formidable alternative versus devices in its price range if it can compete with more costly camera phones. The Pixel 6a costs $20 more than the iPhone SE (2022), but its picture of this produce stand is quite fine. However, the Pixel 6a gives deeper hues, especially when combined with the stand’s wood paneling. In addition, the Pixel 6a features a night mode, whereas the iPhone SE does not.
Along with the ability to take photos, you also receive a nice selection of photo editing tools, with Google’s Magic Eraser taking center stage. With only a tap, you can quickly erase undesired individuals and objects from images. You may now conceal things in images so that they don’t detract from the subject thanks to a new feature introduced by the Pixel 6a.
Google Pixel 6a: The benefits of Tensor
The Google-designed Tensor processor, which also powers the Pixel 6 range of smartphones, is what drives Magic Eraser. (Tensor G2 silicon is used in the Pixel 7, which was released after the Pixel 6a.) Even if Tensor isn’t a performance powerhouse, it does have a very complex core that is powered by machine learning and offers a variety of features that make the most of artificial intelligence.
These include the capacity to translate words as they are said, the ability to converse with people who speak different languages via an interpretation tool, and the capability to utilize some voice commands without first using the wake word “OK, Google.”
In other words, even though the Pixel 6a costs at least $150 less than the Pixel flagship, it can perform the same tasks. My fellow cheapskate, there’s that talk about price once more.
The fact that the Pixel 6a doesn’t appear to be a cheap phone also helps. Instead, it has opted for the flagship Pixels’ design, which features a recognizable horizontal camera bar that spans the rear of the device. I’m aware that not everyone like design, but I find it pleasing to the eye, and I appreciate how little visual difference there is between Google’s flagship phones and its more affordable A-series smartphones.
The Pixel 6a is not an error-free device. It performed poorly on our battery test, in which we force phones to repeatedly browse the web until their batteries run out, similar to other Google phones. (However, with normal use, battery life holds up a little better.) And although the phone may not initially appear to be different from a flagship Pixel, once you handle it, you’ll sense the inferior materials. Hey, if you want a phone for less than $500, you have to make some sacrifices.
