On July 21, Google opened pre-orders for the mid-budget pixel 6a smartphone. Western journalists received the device before the full start of sales. Here’s what they think of the new gadget.
Alison Johnson, The Verge
As the journalist notes, the Pixel 6a is capable of almost everything that the more expensive Pixel 6 has to offer. A $150 reduction in cost affected the lack of wireless charging, a change in cover material (plastic instead of glass) and a decrease in the refresh rate of the display (60, not 90 Hz).
Usually, the devices of the middle segment differ from the flagships by a simplified photo head and not so nimble iron. But pixel 6a gives a comparable quality of pictures and is equipped with the same chipset (Google Tensor). Alison Johnson also praised the OLED display, tactile feedback and autonomy. In a moderate scenario of operation, which includes games and video calls, the smartphone can work for a day and a half without recharging.
Among these minuses is not the most responsive fingerprint scanner and a low display scan frequency by modern standards.
Ryan Hager, Android Police
Hager immediately called the Pixel 6a “probably the best device in terms of value for money in the Android world.” The Android Police editor was attracted by the compact size of the 6.1-inch novelty, but disappointed with the rejection of the textured power button that the Pixel 5a had.
The brightness of the screen is enough for outdoor use in daylight. But the stereo speakers of the foreign expert were not pleased. In addition, the headphone connection is now only wireless – there is no audio jack.
The Tensor chip enabled the implementation of all of Google’s advanced technologies, including simultaneous translation, transcription of telephone conversations, and various camera add-ons. At the same time, the smartphone feels as fast as the Pixel 6, which costs one and a half times more expensive.
As Hager noted, the novelty caught the cellular signal worse than the Pixel 5a. There were also problems with the data connection over the cellular network after disconnecting from Wi-Fi. The autonomy of the journalist also did not suit – six hours of the active screen instead of ten, as it was with the Pixel 5a.
Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica
Editor Ars Technica noted that now the Google lineup resembles the Samsung line with three flagship smartphones. Now Pixel 6a is the eighth phone of the “corporation of kindness”, equipped with a Sony IMX363 sensor as the main one. However, the neural network algorithms of the IT giant still allow you to get photos of excellent quality.
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The plastic back panel successfully imitates glass, and the rejection of 5G mmWave frequencies made it possible to make a fully aluminium frame.
In the Geekbench 5 and GFXBench 5 benchmarks, pixel 6a’s performance is almost kept up with the Pixel 6 Pro. In measuring the speed of memory, the mid-budget is even slightly ahead of the flagship model. Of the significant disadvantages, Amadeo noted only the duration of technical support for the gadget, which is three years, which is less than that of Apple and Samsung.