Predictably, the Pixel 6a’s display is the smallest of the three Pixel phones, measuring 6.1in. You’re stuck with just the one nano-SIM slot, too. There’s no space for a microSD card, either, which means that if you end up completely filling your on-board storage, you’ll either have to start deleting stuff or pay for a Google One subscription. Your guess is as good as mine as to why Google still refuses to add this feature - all of its rivals have been supporting this unlock method for years now, so its absence here is jarring. We’ve also entered our third year since Google last incorporated face unlocks. A message would sometimes display on the screen asking me to hold my thumb in place for a little longer before it unlocked – which wasn’t ideal. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor has been removed and in its place lies an under-screen scanner, which I found to be a bit inconsistent. The phone comes in a choice of three colours: Sage, Charcoal and Chalk (pictured here). Moving on, the Pixel 6a is IP67 rated against dust and water ingress, meaning it should survive a dunk up to a depth of 1m for up to 30 minutes, and the front is coated in a protective layer of Gorilla Glass 3. When approached for comment, Google said: “We can confirm, on background, that this is a one-off fault.” After getting in touch with them, I swiftly received a replacement handset which didn’t have this issue. I discussed this with other reviewers at a recent industry event and I was the only one with this issue, so it’s possible that I simply got unlucky with an early production sample. The rear panel was slightly misaligned with the frame, resulting in sharp protrusions on the bottom left and right corners of the handset. Unfortunately, my initial review model had a small manufacturing defect. The other Pixel models have glass-coated backs, which helps with scratch protection, although when placed next to each other you can’t really tell the difference. Rather than describing it as plastic, Google says that the Pixel 6a has a "thermoformed composite” rear and this is surrounded by an aluminium frame. This stretches across the entire width of the phone but isn’t quite as thick as it is on the more expensive models. It’s smaller in size, measuring 152 x 72 x 8.9mm, but retains the chunky horizontal camera bar from the regular Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Google Pixel 6a review: Design and key featuresĪt first glance, the Pixel 6a doesn’t look too dissimilar from its siblings. It’s also identical in price to the new Nothing Phone (1), although we’re yet to receive a handset for review so can’t comment on how the two compare. The mid-range market has exploded this year, with excellent choices coming from the likes of the Xiaomi 12 Lite (£332), Samsung Galaxy A53 5G ( £399) and the OnePlus Nord 2T 5G ( £369). The Pixel 6a also finds itself in dangerous territory when it comes to non-Google competition. This is only a temporary deal, of course, but if savvy shoppers time it right, they can scoop up a flagship-level Pixel, with a larger, 90Hz display, 8GB of RAM and a superior 50MP main camera for just a little bit more. In fact, at the time of writing this review, the Pixel 6 is currently on offer for just £450. The issue, however, is that the Pixel 6 is nine months old by this point – with the Pixel 7 on the way – and so it now costs considerably less than it did at launch. READ NEXT: The best mid-range smartphones Google Pixel 6a review: Price and competitionĬonsidering the mid-range £399 price, these cuts don’t sound too unreasonable, at least on paper. It has reverted to the 12.2MP main camera used on the previous three generations of Pixel, as opposed to the 50MP number that debuted on the Pixel 6, but this is supported by a 12MP ultrawide sensor and an 8MP selfie camera. Elsewhere, the Pixel 6a has a smaller 6.1in, 1080p, 60Hz HDR OLED display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and an under-screen fingerprint reader.
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