Review: Google Pixel 6A

Google Pixel phones have become synonymous with having excellent cameras—it’s in their DNA. Pixels have also long been some of the best devices for consistent software updates, from version upgrades and Pixel Drops that add new features to monthly security updates that keep the phones secure. So it’s disappointing when these pillars start to crack. 

The Pixel 6A is the latest from the company. It’s an excellent smartphone, and arguably the best bang for your buck at $449. It has a great display and offers fantastic performance. It also packs a pretty good camera, but gone are the days when the camera on the midrange Pixel handily outclassed its peers. Same with software support: The new Pixel has a good level of support, but what’s offered is not the best-in-class package that it used to be. Competition in this midrange price category is heating up, so while I wouldn’t normally nitpick over the small stuff, in this day and age I have to. Outside the US, there’s a dizzying number of great, affordable phones you can choose from. And here in the States, companies like Samsung are giving Google a run for its money in the mid-priced Android market. 

I have to restate that the Pixel 6A has a lot of strengths and I really have enjoyed using it over the past few weeks. The size is a big reason. The 6.1-inch screen is just a smidge larger than the Pixel 5, putting it on the smaller spectrum of most smartphones today. It's just very easy to hold and use, and the power and volume buttons on the recycled aluminum frame are satisfyingly clicky. 

It also comes in Sage! Forget the drab black and white phones, go for the green. Phones that stand out with lovely designs are important, and Google is one of few companies that doesn't restrict good design to the higher priced handsets. That said, note that the screen uses the older Gorilla Glass 3, which might be more prone to scratches than other phones. A screen protector is a good idea, though thankfully you won't have to worry about cracking the rear as it's a plastic composite. (It absolutely doesn't feel like the cheap plastic on a lot of budget and midrange phones though.)

Photograph: Google

A longstanding problem with Pixel phones has been screen brightness. It's always been tough to clearly see the display when you stand under the sun, but that's been remedied here. The screen ratchets all the way up to 800 nits in high brightness mode, and I've had no issues reading on it these swelteringly hot days. 

It's too bad the screen is stuck at a 60-Hz refresh rate. Most phones in this price range have adopted 120-Hz screens, like the Nothing Phone (1) and Samsung's Galaxy A53 5G. I noticed this immediately when I switched over from the Nothing phone; gone were the buttery smooth scrolling animations. But I readjusted to 60 Hz fairly quickly and it's totally fine. Again, I'm nitpicking here. On a similar note, the Pixel 6A does not feature wireless charging, nor does it have a MicroSD card slot or a headphone jack—features not everyone needs but would have been nice to have since they are available on similarly priced phones.

The Pixel 6A makes up for those shortcomings with a flagship-grade processor—the very same Tensor chip that's in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro—which means you're getting the best-performing Android phone for the money (at least in the US). I've yet to see this phone lag or stutter, and I can't say the same for Samsung's Galaxy A53 5G. This Pixel didn't struggle when I was setting it up and downloading all my apps, a process that bogs down a lot of midrange phones for a few minutes, nor did it slow down during intense matches in Apex Legends Mobile.

It also helps that it never seems to run out of battery even after a hard day of use. I've had more than five hours of screen-on time and still had under 30 percent left in the tank. The 4,410-mAh cell comfortably chugs along for a whole day with some spare juice left over for mornings when you forget to charge the phone overnight. However, this is a drop from last year's Pixel 5A, which had a larger battery (due to the larger overall size), and easily lasted two full days.

Photograph: Google

Even if phones like the Galaxy A53 or the Nothing Phone (1) outdo the Pixel 6A in certain specs, what keeps me coming back to Google's phones are its slick software interface and the many Google-exclusive smart features I've come to rely on. I've unfortunately had to make a lot of customer support calls over the past few weeks, but I'm thankful that I can use Google's Hold for Me feature so I don't need to listen to the anger-inducing hold music. I've long been a fan of Now Playing, which tells me what song is playing nearby without me having to ask, and I've routinely been using Google's amazingly accurate Assistant Voice Typing feature to quickly send messages instead of typing on the keyboard.

But there's always a dash of disappointment somewhere. Yes, the Pixel 6A will get five years of security updates, which is excellent, but it will only get three Android version upgrades (until July 2025). It's still more than most Android phones, but Samsung has a leg up here by offering four OS upgrades. Apple's latest iOS 16 is available for the iPhone 8, a 5-year-old device. How Google isn't leading here, considering it manages the Android operating system, is baffling to me. 

I may have been a little dramatic earlier in criticizing the camera, but the Pixel 6A has a good dual-camera system: a main 12-megapixel sensor joined by a 12-megapixel ultrawide. But call me spoiled. Every A-series Pixel phone before has used the same camera hardware as the flagship Pixel that came before it. It was one of the hallmarks of this midrange lineup—a stunning camera for the price. Here, the Pixel 6A does not use the upgraded sensors in the Pixel 6 but instead relies on the same aging camera hardware we first saw on the Pixel 3.

It still beats most of the midrange competition, especially with its ultrawide and selfie cameras. The Pixel 6A often delivers some of the best colors and exposes high-contrast scenes really well. It's also amazing when it comes to capturing photos of a subject in motion—shots where its peers will often leave you with a blurry mess. But if you take a closer look at some photos, phones like the Samsung Galaxy A53 can draw out finer details than the Pixel 6A, particularly in low light, largely thanks to larger image sensors. I wouldn't be so nitpicky on most phones this price, but this is the Pixel we're talking about. It's supposed to have the best camera. Video stabilization is, thankfully, much better, likely due to the Tensor chip.

When the older sibling of this phone, the Pixel 6, launched in late 2021, many people who bought it faced a dizzying number of software bugs. I didn't run into problems during my testing period with the 6, but it was hard to ignore the number of problems that cropped up. Even though there are probably many Pixel 6 owners who never encountered any glitches, the issue definitely damaged Google's reputation among the Android faithful and Pixel-curious buyers.

Just like my initial time with the Pixel 6, I have not encountered any severe bugs on the Pixel 6A. Even the fingerprint sensor is much more reliable this time around. The only issue I've noticed? The camera sometimes has trouble autofocusing in low light. I suspect a part of the reason for the Pixel 6's woes could've been the switch from Qualcomm processors to Google's own in-house Tensor chip, and it could very well be that many of the kinks have been ironed out now. We'll have to see whether issues creep in over the coming months. 

If you're not put off by that risk, then the Pixel 6A is one of the best phones you can buy right now, whatever your budget. The default model supports sub-6 5G, but you can pay $499 at Verizon for millimeter wave support if you want it. It's worth noting that Google will still sell last year's Pixel 5A, and it remains a good buy if you cherish two-day battery life and a headphone jack. We've also seen the Pixel 6 dip as low as $499, and its wireless charging support, 90-Hz screen, and better camera hardware are certainly worth the $50 difference if it ever drops that low again. 

Regardless, the Pixel 6A nails many of the most important functions most people care about and has an attractive price. It just doesn't raise the bar as much as previous midrange Pixels did.