There was a lot of speculation and rumors surrounding the announcement of the new phone from the company. The 6a is a great device for those looking for a new taste of thePixel flavor without breaking the bank.

Price and availability

Due to the global chip shortage, there has been a tough few years for smartphones. The releases of the 4a and 5a were impacted, so many expected the 6a to have a limited regional release as well. In addition to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the U.K., and the US, the 6a is also available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan,

On July 28th, the Pixel 6a will be on sale for $449. You can pre-order it at any store that sells phones.

Review

Someone holding the Google Pixel 6a. The display is on and showing the phone's home screen.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

If you aren't sold on the Pixel 6a yet, read our full review to find out if it's the right phone for you.

Is the phone a good one? It is not possible to say yes. The display is 60hertz, there is no wireless charging, and the battery life is only good for a day of use. The rest of the experience is very good for a phone that costs just $449. Excellent performance, great cameras, and a great suite of software features are what the Pixel 6a has to offer.

The smaller footprint of the Pixel 6a is a breath of fresh air if you have never been a fan of the larger size and weight of the regular Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

Google Pixel 6a resting against a yellow fire hydrant.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

The design of thePixel 6a is similar to that of thePixel 6. The 6a uses less expensive materials than the base. The company always tries to keep a consistent design for its various phone series. The expectation was that the Pixel 6a would meet it.

The phone has a 6.1-inchOLED display that supports up to 60 frames per second. The display has a camera at the top of the screen and a sensor at the bottom. There are two microphones on the phone.

The internal frame of the Pixel A is noteworthy, even though all that is standard for what we have come to expect from the phone. ThePixel 6a uses an aluminum frame to hold everything together, which is a standard feature for budget devices. If you are looking for a phone that is built to last and is priced under $500, the Pixel 6a should be a good choice.

There are three different colors of the Pixel 6a.

Cameras

The Google Pixel 6a. Someone is holding the phone with the camera app open.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

There are three cameras on the Pixel 6a. It has a 12MP ultra wide lens on the back and an 8MP front facing lens. The main difference between the two is that the 6a has a second back-facing camera, while the 6a has a 50MP back-facing camera.

The 6a doesn't have the best cameras in mobile tech, but it does have some nice cameras. The Pixel 6a is a good phone for taking pictures for social media because it is marketed as a good device. It is a great device for taking quality pictures on the go.

It is a pretty capable package when it comes to video recording. Both 4K and1080p video can be recorded at 30 frames per second and 60 frames per second. The rear camera is able to capture 4K time-lapses with stabilization, even though the front-facing camera is only able to record at 30 frames per second. Users can use the phone to record in slow motion with a frame rate of up to 120 frames per second.

Specs

Google Pixel 6 Pro tensor custom silicon

The Pixel 6a has the same chip as the rest of the line, which makes it stand out from other A-Series devices. It's a big step forward for budget-line phones, as previous A-series phones featured weaker processors than their mainline and Pro counterparts. The Titan M2 security coprocessor is included in the Pixel 6a.

The battery in the Pixel 6a supports fast charging. The phone gets over 24 hours of battery life on a single charge and up to 72 hours of life when in extreme battery saver mode. In our review, we found the 6a's battery to be much less powerful than promised. The Pixel 6a was almost completely drained after four hours.

Despite the poor battery performance of the rest of the line, it shouldn't come as a big deal. The 6a does not support fast-charging like the company does. It takes nearly two hours to get a full charge from a dead phone, no matter what power source you use.

What about the Pixel Fold and Pixel Watch?

Google Pixel Watch render, showing the screen and a white strap.

At I/O 2022, the first piece of Wearable watch tech was showcased by Google. Fans are excited to see what is in store for Wear OS 3, despite the fact that the Pixel Watch was the worst kept secret.

There were issues with the supply chain in the new year. Since the major update went live earlier this year, fans have been waiting for the chance to try out the folding technology. Due to 12L's focus on tablets and foldables, users will be able to see exactly what Google had in mind when it dropped features.

There is a recommended video.