Taking Google’s Pixel 6a for a test drive after extensively using the Pixel 6 as my daily-driver for the past 9 months was a comfortable, smooth ride – unsurprisingly. Right out of the box, the smaller form-factor and lighter weight immediately relieved my palm of the arduous heft that is now common to today’s flagship phablets from the big three handheld device manufacturers. Compared to the Pixel 6, the 6a feels much more natural to handle and easier to navigate, as opposed to the ‘top-heavy’ feeling from the larger and longer screens associated with the top-tier premium smartphones. The lack of bulk comes at a small price in the reduced megapixel camera, lesser RAM, and smaller storage; but make no mistake, this phone does almost everything its older, more ... MoreTaking Google’s Pixel 6a for a test drive after extensively using the Pixel 6 as my daily-driver for the past 9 months was a comfortable, smooth ride – unsurprisingly. Right out of the box, the smaller form-factor and lighter weight immediately relieved my palm of the arduous heft that is now common to today’s flagship phablets from the big three handheld device manufacturers. Compared to the Pixel 6, the 6a feels much more natural to handle and easier to navigate, as opposed to the ‘top-heavy’ feeling from the larger and longer screens associated with the top-tier premium smartphones. The lack of bulk comes at a small price in the reduced megapixel camera, lesser RAM, and smaller storage; but make no mistake, this phone does almost everything its older, more powerful, bigger brothers can do. Snappy and as responsive as you’d expect Google’s newest flagship line to perform. Out of the package, the new G2 Tensor chip paired with the Android 12 operating system, stands to outperform almost every competitor’s phone in the equivalent price-range. As of this review, after the initial setup, a notification popped up to upgrade to the latest operating system: Android 13. The only feature that I actually do miss in this iteration, is the ability to charge the device wirelessly. Not a big issue for some, though many of my chargers, including my nightly charging stand, are wireless. This is due to the lack of a glass back, of which, both of the other Pixel’s in the 6a’s generation contain. This, however, leads to the lighter weight and increased portability of this incredibly capable smartphone. The battery life seems to be an improvement over the more memory intensive models out there, and I routinely get a full day of regular usage, winding down to around 55% just before bedtime, despite having a smaller milliamp/hour capacity. All in all, a great choice, and the perfect price-point for the opportunity to step into this generation’s line-up of exceptional Pixel smartphones.

Like a few smart gadget enthusiasts, I have a multi-platform/cross-platform smart network in my home alongside my Google Home devices; newer/latest, +older, and legacy 'non-smart' electronic devices; lights, speakers, cameras, etc. I have older 'smart tvs' and a new one I got this year. If you are just going to use the common default apps for tv/movie streaming services on your smart tv - you may find that you do not need this device. Your latest smart tv will pretty much have similar services and apps. The home interface between the smart tv default vs Google TV is very similar - so no issues there. However, I find that Google understands voice commands better - it was easier to tell it what to do and it does it correctly; the other ones just frustrate me. There is ... MoreLike a few smart gadget enthusiasts, I have a multi-platform/cross-platform smart network in my home alongside my Google Home devices; newer/latest, +older, and legacy 'non-smart' electronic devices; lights, speakers, cameras, etc. I have older 'smart tvs' and a new one I got this year. If you are just going to use the common default apps for tv/movie streaming services on your smart tv - you may find that you do not need this device. Your latest smart tv will pretty much have similar services and apps. The home interface between the smart tv default vs Google TV is very similar - so no issues there. However, I find that Google understands voice commands better - it was easier to tell it what to do and it does it correctly; the other ones just frustrate me. There is an issue with my smart TV that is resolved when using the Google TV Chromecast. The issue with the sleep functionality - the default is set to turn off the TV after 15-20 minutes - and turning off the sleep functionality is not available on settings and even if you follow known solutions, it may still not work on the device - the steps can be so cumbersome - tinkering with the TVs developer options. It was a great relief to find that this is not a problem with the Chromecast device. It was really frustrating when I pause what I am watching, and find that I have do something, I come back and the TV is turned off and I lose where and what I am watching; and when using my tv to play digital music files (MP3, etc) available in my local network - after 4-5 songs - it turns off - it cannot play indefinitely. Sometimes I just want my TV on - even on the home screen - especially for longer than 20 minutes - while I decide what to do next. Also, what I like about the Chromecast device is that it can travel with me - my work laptop is secured and I avoid using it for 'personal' data. I also find that it is easier to cast my computer/PC while the Google Chromecast device. I have been using my new smart tv without the Chromecast device for 5 months, and when I connected and used the Google Chromecast - I find it overall better. And even more great is I can use the Chromecast device to upgrade my older TVs and it will not cost me a brand new TV. I am still getting used to the remote that came with the device, the volume control is on the side and not on the face of the remote; also it does not have buttons for 'shortcuts' to my most used apps - not a showstopper.

After using a non-Android phone for about six months, I was anxious to end my suffering. I read about electronic devices for a living, and the Pixel 7 series caught my attention as soon as it was announced. Seeing the positive press about the new devices and seeing how happy my wife and mother are with their Pixel 6s, I decided the 7 Pro would be my next phone. Unlike my previous phone choice, I definitely made the right call this time. Even though smartphones are phones, I don't think people pay much attention to that essential functionality when choosing a device. People, myself included, often prefer other forms of communication because of the pain points involved with making phone calls, particularly when calling businesses and getting stuck going through a ... MoreAfter using a non-Android phone for about six months, I was anxious to end my suffering. I read about electronic devices for a living, and the Pixel 7 series caught my attention as soon as it was announced. Seeing the positive press about the new devices and seeing how happy my wife and mother are with their Pixel 6s, I decided the 7 Pro would be my next phone. Unlike my previous phone choice, I definitely made the right call this time. Even though smartphones are phones, I don't think people pay much attention to that essential functionality when choosing a device. People, myself included, often prefer other forms of communication because of the pain points involved with making phone calls, particularly when calling businesses and getting stuck going through a seemingly endless series of menu options, only to be put on hold. I am thankful that Google has put effort to improving the experience with Direct My Call and Hold For Me to make calling businesses less painful. On a related note, the spam filtering and call screening features also work well. One of the biggest the features I pay attention to when purchasing a phone is the camera, and the Pixel excels in this regard. The images are sharp and the colors are accurate. While I predominantly use the main shooter, the wide angle with macro mode and the telephoto lens are great to have. The photos in daylight are wonderful, but where the Pixel truly differentiates itself is in lowlight situations. The ability for night sight to pick up colors and details barely visible to the naked eye is seriously impressive. The additional AI features with the camera, such as magic eraser and unblur, are also nice additions. The Pixel 7 Pro is a nice looking phone that feels well made. I typically opt for black phones, but I really like the Hazel color to change things up. While looks are important, comfort is more so. Google chose rounded edges that make the phone comfortable to hold rather than straight sides with sharp edges that make it uncomfortable in the hand like my previous phone. The screen is large, sufficiently bright, and the curved glass give it a nice feel. Speaking of feel, I was concerned that the phone's size would mean I wouldn't be able to use it with one hand, but its slim and rounded design actually mean I mostly use it with one hand for things like web browsing and typing. As for the operating system, I am a big fan of Android and the attention Google pays to user experience, with its customizability and excellent notifications system. However, it would be nice if there was an option to remove the search bar from the bottom of the home screen, but this is not a big deal. Setup and moving all of my apps, messages, photos, calendar, etc from my old device to the Pixel was very straightforward and quick, allowing my to be up and running on it in about 20 minutes. The battery lasts me a full day with average use, as expected, and the charging speed is about average. Improving the battery life and supporting higher-speed charging are areas for improvement, but the current battery life and charging speed do not take away from the experience. I understand Google did not design the Tensor 2 chip to be the most powerful mobile processor on the market, but I have found it to perform well in day-to-day use, such as rendering websites and moving between apps. I am not a gamer, so I cannot comment on how it performs in that regard. In all, I am very pleased with the Pixel 7 Pro and foresee getting years of use out of it.