Google Pixel 6A 5G 128GB (Charcoal)
The brains behind Pixel 6a. Google Tensor makes Pixel 6a super smart, secure and powerful. It's the first chip designed by Google just for Pixel The battery that follows your lead. Google Pixel's Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours. It learns your favourite apps, so it doesn't waste power on the ones that you rarely use A camera that lets you express yourself. Make faces look sharper with Face Unblur, take beautifully accurate photos of different skin tones with Real Tone and remove unwanted objects with Magic Eraser Google Tensor helps you get things done fast. Google Tensor makes Google Pixel 6a fast and responsive. Apps launch fast, pages and images load quickly, and everything runs smoothly Pixel charges fast. Really fast. When you plug in your Google Pixel, it charges fast. With just a few minutes of charging, your phone gets hours of power.Translate languages in real time. With Live Translate, you can chat in 11 languages, interpret face-to-face conversations and translate signs right from your Pixel.Your protection, built into Pixel.
The brains behind Pixel 6a. Google Tensor makes Pixel 6a super smart, secure and powerful. It's the first chip designed by Google just for Pixel The battery that follows your lead. Google Pixel's Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours. It learns your favourite apps, so it doesn't waste power on the ones that you rarely use A camera that lets you express yourself. Make faces look sharper with Face Unblur, take beautifully accurate photos of different skin tones with Real Tone and remove unwanted objects with Magic Eraser Google Tensor helps you get things done fast. Google Tensor makes Google Pixel 6a fast and responsive. Apps launch fast, pages and images load quickly, and everything runs smoothly Pixel charges fast. Really fast. When you plug in your Google Pixel, it charges fast. With just a few minutes of charging, your phone gets hours of power.Translate languages in real time. With Live Translate, you can chat in 11 languages, interpret face-to-face conversations and translate signs right from your Pixel.Your protection, built into Pixel.
The brains behind Pixel 6a. Google Tensor makes Pixel 6a super smart, secure and powerful. It's the first chip designed by Google just for Pixel The battery that follows your lead. Google Pixel's Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours. It learns your favourite apps, so it doesn't waste power on the ones that you rarely use A camera that lets you express yourself. Make faces look sharper with Face Unblur, take beautifully accurate photos of different skin tones with Real Tone and remove unwanted objects with Magic Eraser Google Tensor helps you get things done fast. Google Tensor makes Google Pixel 6a fast and responsive. Apps launch fast, pages and images load quickly, and everything runs smoothly Pixel charges fast. Really fast. When you plug in your Google Pixel, it charges fast. With just a few minutes of charging, your phone gets hours of power.Translate languages in real time. With Live Translate, you can chat in 11 languages, interpret face-to-face conversations and translate signs right from your Pixel.Your protection, built into Pixel.
The brains behind Pixel 6a. Google Tensor makes Pixel 6a super smart, secure and powerful. It's the first chip designed by Google just for Pixel The battery that follows your lead. Google Pixel's Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours. It learns your favourite apps, so it doesn't waste power on the ones that you rarely use A camera that lets you express yourself. Make faces look sharper with Face Unblur, take beautifully accurate photos of different skin tones with Real Tone and remove unwanted objects with Magic Eraser Google Tensor helps you get things done fast. Google Tensor makes Google Pixel 6a fast and responsive. Apps launch fast, pages and images load quickly, and everything runs smoothly Pixel charges fast. Really fast. When you plug in your Google Pixel, it charges fast. With just a few minutes of charging, your phone gets hours of power.Translate languages in real time. With Live Translate, you can chat in 11 languages, interpret face-to-face conversations and translate signs right from your Pixel.Your protection, built into Pixel.
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The lowest price for Google Pixel 6A 5G 128GB (Charcoal) right now is $225.00 at Perfect Preowned, compared across 19 retailers.
The all-time low was $165.00 on 26 Apr 2026 — today's price is 36% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 9 June 2026.
Last updated at 09/06/2026 19:32:26
Google Pixel 6a 128GB Charcoal - Good Condition (Refurbished) 128GB / Charcoal / Good
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Google Pixel 6a 5G (128GB) [Brand New]
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Google Pixel 6A - Refurbished - 128GB / Good / Charcoal
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originally posted on bestbuy.com
My previous SmartPhones have been Samsung Galaxy phones but the low end models. These served me well for several years, but I have two issues - Samsung preloads their apps and does not allow you to delete them, even though many (if not most) I never used because I used other (better) apps that did the same thing. Because you cannot delete them, the small base memory (32Mb) on the models I had filled up rapidly. It got to the point that I was having to clear cache pretty much daily to get anything done. In addition to looking at Samsung with more memory, I looked at Motorola and Google Pixel phones. Because I use a lot of Google products, I ultimately picked the Pixel. I use my phone mostly as a mobile computer and hardly use the voice at all (I do text). So the WiFi ... MoreMy previous SmartPhones have been Samsung Galaxy phones but the low end models. These served me well for several years, but I have two issues - Samsung preloads their apps and does not allow you to delete them, even though many (if not most) I never used because I used other (better) apps that did the same thing. Because you cannot delete them, the small base memory (32Mb) on the models I had filled up rapidly. It got to the point that I was having to clear cache pretty much daily to get anything done. In addition to looking at Samsung with more memory, I looked at Motorola and Google Pixel phones. Because I use a lot of Google products, I ultimately picked the Pixel. I use my phone mostly as a mobile computer and hardly use the voice at all (I do text). So the WiFi connection speed was probably more important to me at this point than the 5G support. The base memory of 138Mb will serve me probably for years. Because I had my old phone backed up on Google and the convenient app and data transfer provided with this phone, getting everything to the new phone was practically automatic. I did have to manually transcribe some lists from a Samsung app to Google Keep, but that was the only thing I had to manually do. The phone has a great screen with excellent clarity and though slightly smaller than the Pixel 7, it's fine for my needs. The camera is a step up from the older Samsung which is great, though I probably use it less than the typical user. The photo apps have some amazing features like tuning up older photos even though not taken on this phone and erasing photobombs. I already had an account with a provider so I got the unlocked version, slipped the SIM card and and off it went. I've been using the phone during a trip over the holidays and now for over three weeks and I haven't found anything that I don't like about the phone. This Pixel doesn't use induction charging (which my car supports) so I did have to buy a new charging cable for the USB port in the car because this has a USB-C connector rather than the microUSB of the Samsung. It comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and USB converter that lets you do the data and app transfer when you first set up the phone, but my car didn't have USB-C. I rarely had any problem with the battery life in the old Samsungs I had and so far haven't had any issues with battery life on the Pixel, although I haven't really stressed it to see if it matches the specification for the phone.
originally posted on store.google.com
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.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
I'm been using Google Pixel phones since version 3 and this 6a is a replacement for a Pixel 4 that decided to come unglued. That's right - unglued. Google it. It's a thing for the Pixel 4 phones. So I'm really hopeful that 2 years from now this phone will NOT suffer the same fate. I'm an iPhone user, but my day job requires me to work with Android phones as well so I'm always flipping back and forth and the Pixel is the Android device I always come back to. One of the best features of this phone is that because it is made by Google, it runs pure Android, which means you don't have to wait for an OEM (cough...Samsung) to always get the latest versions of Android OS. In the two years I've used the Pixel 4 it's never been more than 14 days behind the latest major ... MoreI'm been using Google Pixel phones since version 3 and this 6a is a replacement for a Pixel 4 that decided to come unglued. That's right - unglued. Google it. It's a thing for the Pixel 4 phones. So I'm really hopeful that 2 years from now this phone will NOT suffer the same fate. I'm an iPhone user, but my day job requires me to work with Android phones as well so I'm always flipping back and forth and the Pixel is the Android device I always come back to. One of the best features of this phone is that because it is made by Google, it runs pure Android, which means you don't have to wait for an OEM (cough...Samsung) to always get the latest versions of Android OS. In the two years I've used the Pixel 4 it's never been more than 14 days behind the latest major version and monthly security patch version. So while Google continues to struggle with getting other OEMs to update the OS on Android this is never a problem with the Pixel phones. If you need to always be running the latest Android OS like I do for my day job, Pixel phones should definitely be a purchase for you. Being used to the Pixel 4, the 6a's almost full inch of extra screen space seems tiny on paper but looks amazing in person. I'm a Fortnite player on Android and have been very impressed with how much better Fornite runs on the 6a compared with the 4 but the larger usable screen space for apps and games is the feature I notice the most. The pinhole camera took some adjustment to get used to and I do like the fingerprint unlock. The form factor of the 6a is easy to hold for long gaming sessions being slightly more blocky (if that's even a word) than the 4. On the software front, Android continues to add innovative and useful features such as the new magic eraser feature for the camera where you can remove unwanted objects quickly as easily from the phone and the adaptive battery and extreme battery saver features do allow you to skip a day or two of remembering to plug the phone in to charge and with Android 13 around the corner, this Beta's are already available for install on this phone. Overall this is a solid Android device and so far the build quality is far superior to the previous Pixel devices.
| Model year | 2022 |
| RAM Size | 12 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 6 GB |
| Flash Memory Installed Size | 128 GB |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 6 GB |
Google Pixel 6a 128GB Charcoal - Good Condition (Refurbished) 128GB / Charcoal / Good
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Google Pixel 6a 128GB Charcoal - Excellent Condition (Refurbished)
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Google Pixel 6A 128GB Charcoal, Unlocked B
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Google Pixel 6a | Refurbished 128GB / Black / Good - 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee
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Google Pixel 6a 5G (128GB) [Grade A]
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My previous SmartPhones have been Samsung Galaxy phones but the low end models. These served me well for several years, but I have two issues - Samsung preloads their apps and does not allow you to delete them, even though many (if not most) I never used because I used other (better) apps that did the same thing. Because you cannot delete them, the small base memory (32Mb) on the models I had filled up rapidly. It got to the point that I was having to clear cache pretty much daily to get anything done. In addition to looking at Samsung with more memory, I looked at Motorola and Google Pixel phones. Because I use a lot of Google products, I ultimately picked the Pixel. I use my phone mostly as a mobile computer and hardly use the voice at all (I do text). So the WiFi ... MoreMy previous SmartPhones have been Samsung Galaxy phones but the low end models. These served me well for several years, but I have two issues - Samsung preloads their apps and does not allow you to delete them, even though many (if not most) I never used because I used other (better) apps that did the same thing. Because you cannot delete them, the small base memory (32Mb) on the models I had filled up rapidly. It got to the point that I was having to clear cache pretty much daily to get anything done. In addition to looking at Samsung with more memory, I looked at Motorola and Google Pixel phones. Because I use a lot of Google products, I ultimately picked the Pixel. I use my phone mostly as a mobile computer and hardly use the voice at all (I do text). So the WiFi connection speed was probably more important to me at this point than the 5G support. The base memory of 138Mb will serve me probably for years. Because I had my old phone backed up on Google and the convenient app and data transfer provided with this phone, getting everything to the new phone was practically automatic. I did have to manually transcribe some lists from a Samsung app to Google Keep, but that was the only thing I had to manually do. The phone has a great screen with excellent clarity and though slightly smaller than the Pixel 7, it's fine for my needs. The camera is a step up from the older Samsung which is great, though I probably use it less than the typical user. The photo apps have some amazing features like tuning up older photos even though not taken on this phone and erasing photobombs. I already had an account with a provider so I got the unlocked version, slipped the SIM card and and off it went. I've been using the phone during a trip over the holidays and now for over three weeks and I haven't found anything that I don't like about the phone. This Pixel doesn't use induction charging (which my car supports) so I did have to buy a new charging cable for the USB port in the car because this has a USB-C connector rather than the microUSB of the Samsung. It comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and USB converter that lets you do the data and app transfer when you first set up the phone, but my car didn't have USB-C. I rarely had any problem with the battery life in the old Samsungs I had and so far haven't had any issues with battery life on the Pixel, although I haven't really stressed it to see if it matches the specification for the phone.
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.
I'm been using Google Pixel phones since version 3 and this 6a is a replacement for a Pixel 4 that decided to come unglued. That's right - unglued. Google it. It's a thing for the Pixel 4 phones. So I'm really hopeful that 2 years from now this phone will NOT suffer the same fate. I'm an iPhone user, but my day job requires me to work with Android phones as well so I'm always flipping back and forth and the Pixel is the Android device I always come back to. One of the best features of this phone is that because it is made by Google, it runs pure Android, which means you don't have to wait for an OEM (cough...Samsung) to always get the latest versions of Android OS. In the two years I've used the Pixel 4 it's never been more than 14 days behind the latest major ... MoreI'm been using Google Pixel phones since version 3 and this 6a is a replacement for a Pixel 4 that decided to come unglued. That's right - unglued. Google it. It's a thing for the Pixel 4 phones. So I'm really hopeful that 2 years from now this phone will NOT suffer the same fate. I'm an iPhone user, but my day job requires me to work with Android phones as well so I'm always flipping back and forth and the Pixel is the Android device I always come back to. One of the best features of this phone is that because it is made by Google, it runs pure Android, which means you don't have to wait for an OEM (cough...Samsung) to always get the latest versions of Android OS. In the two years I've used the Pixel 4 it's never been more than 14 days behind the latest major version and monthly security patch version. So while Google continues to struggle with getting other OEMs to update the OS on Android this is never a problem with the Pixel phones. If you need to always be running the latest Android OS like I do for my day job, Pixel phones should definitely be a purchase for you. Being used to the Pixel 4, the 6a's almost full inch of extra screen space seems tiny on paper but looks amazing in person. I'm a Fortnite player on Android and have been very impressed with how much better Fornite runs on the 6a compared with the 4 but the larger usable screen space for apps and games is the feature I notice the most. The pinhole camera took some adjustment to get used to and I do like the fingerprint unlock. The form factor of the 6a is easy to hold for long gaming sessions being slightly more blocky (if that's even a word) than the 4. On the software front, Android continues to add innovative and useful features such as the new magic eraser feature for the camera where you can remove unwanted objects quickly as easily from the phone and the adaptive battery and extreme battery saver features do allow you to skip a day or two of remembering to plug the phone in to charge and with Android 13 around the corner, this Beta's are already available for install on this phone. Overall this is a solid Android device and so far the build quality is far superior to the previous Pixel devices.
I've been using this phone for about 10 days now and I have to say its fantastic. At first I was thinking about the Pixel 7 or 7 Pro, but in hindsight I'm very happy with the 6a. I'm going to cover some of the main features: Size - the phone is small enough to operate easily one handed, and doesn't feel like a huge device in your pocket. Camera - the camera is excellent - the combined cameras allow you to take photos on the main camera from 0.6 to 2.0 zoom, and the quality is great. I took a few quick photos below. There is also a night sight mode to take good shots in the dark. NFC - being NFC enabled provides good capability through google Wallet to make payments - you can leave your wallet at home. Audio - the phone has good stereo output, I thought the sound ... MoreI've been using this phone for about 10 days now and I have to say its fantastic. At first I was thinking about the Pixel 7 or 7 Pro, but in hindsight I'm very happy with the 6a. I'm going to cover some of the main features: Size - the phone is small enough to operate easily one handed, and doesn't feel like a huge device in your pocket. Camera - the camera is excellent - the combined cameras allow you to take photos on the main camera from 0.6 to 2.0 zoom, and the quality is great. I took a few quick photos below. There is also a night sight mode to take good shots in the dark. NFC - being NFC enabled provides good capability through google Wallet to make payments - you can leave your wallet at home. Audio - the phone has good stereo output, I thought the sound would only come from the spaces at the bottom of the phone but the design uses a speaker in the earpiece along with one near the microphone area. Sound is good and clear. Unlock - I read a lot of people have had issues unlocking this phone with the on screen fingerprint unlock - I haven't had too many issues, but found enrolling the same finger twice has increased accuracy (especially if you are using a glass screen protector). Its less sensitive than my old phone but I this probably means the phone is requiring a more accurate print - which should be more secure. Charging - the 6a doesn't support wireless charging but I don't see this as a negative - the phone charges quickly using a regular cable and fast charger. Note you don't get a charger in the box so will need to use one of your existing chargers - probably a good environmental move from Google as we all have many chargers now. Usability - I've been using Android 12 and yet to upgrade to 13 - but the features are great. Being a pixel you get access to some features I don't think I've seen on other android handsets - I've used the call on hold feature when you call a call centre, and it works great, listening to the hold music for you and alerting you when someone is on the line. I think the pixel line is worth it for these useful features alone. So overall I think the Pixel 6a is an excellent phone at an excellent price. Consider that you will receive 5 years of security updates from google, and you are looking at a device with good long term support.
Pros: 1. Outstanding overall performance for any category and especially for a midrange device 2. Solid battery life 3. Google's software extras and excellent long term update support 4. Nice design and solid construction 5. Decent display 6. Excellent camera for a midrange device 7. Top notch haptics Cons: 1. No wireless charging and wired charging could be faster 2. Display looks good but isn't perfect. Some may wish for a faster refresh rate. Personal preference: keep in mind that at 6.1" this device is a little smaller than some other new phones. I found the size to be very convenient, but you may want to see one in person to make sure it's the right fit for you. Full review: The Pixel 6a continues Googles recent trend of creating smartphones which deliver ... MorePros: 1. Outstanding overall performance for any category and especially for a midrange device 2. Solid battery life 3. Google's software extras and excellent long term update support 4. Nice design and solid construction 5. Decent display 6. Excellent camera for a midrange device 7. Top notch haptics Cons: 1. No wireless charging and wired charging could be faster 2. Display looks good but isn't perfect. Some may wish for a faster refresh rate. Personal preference: keep in mind that at 6.1" this device is a little smaller than some other new phones. I found the size to be very convenient, but you may want to see one in person to make sure it's the right fit for you. Full review: The Pixel 6a continues Googles recent trend of creating smartphones which deliver incredible value. And while the 6a is scaled down from the top end specifications of it’s slightly larger sibling, this device still manages to bring all the core elements of flagship performance to the midrange market. I’ve been using this phone extensively for the past week or so and can attest that it provides a fantastic smartphone experience which goes well beyond what I’ve seen in other respected midrange offerings. Most importantly, Google has provided the same high end custom Tensor processor as was debuted in the Pixel 6. Although the layout of the ARM cores is a little different Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, this is absolutely a top end piece of silicon with performance that will rival or, in some cases, exceed that of a Snapdragon 888, depending on what you’re asking it to do. While Qualcomm has now updated the 888, this Tensor chip remains extremely competitive and provided superb performance in everything I threw at it. I’ve used the device with 3D games, HD video, email, news readers, photo editing, and 2D gaming and in all cases it has been fast and fluid. The Tensor chip also has superb AI support to enable Pixel features such as live call transcription (including display of voice prompt menus), live translation (interpreter mode), and on-device speech recognition that doesn’t need to send your speech audio to the cloud in order to understand you. These are genuine quality of life improvements that help make using this phone more fun and more efficient. The display is the same full HD resolution as that of the Pixel 6, and while many high end phones now offer higher resolution, this display remains sharp and easy to read. I never missed the extra pixel density vs. the Galaxy S21 Ultra I usually use. The display also benefits from using OLED technology for vibrant colors and deep blacks. On paper, the only issue is that this is a 60Hz display while many newer phones run at 90Hz or even 120Hz. It’s a rational compromise that you’re unlikely to notice unless you’re coming from a high refresh rate device. I did also notice some off-axis color shifting and other minor image quality issues. It’s a good display, but brightness, refresh rate, and color accuracy are not going to be as good as a higher priced flagship. None of these great features matter if the battery runs out, and in my usage battery life was solid. 4,410mah battery is plenty big enough for most users to make it through the day. I found that 4 hours of screen-on time should be easily achievable over the course of a day. Stand by battery performance is good too and I was able to get 1.5 -2 hours screen on time per day across two days on a single charge. Google has a well deserved reputation for solid smartphone cameras and this device is no exception. This is one area where midrange phones often suffer, but Google has brough to bear their superb image processing and AI software expertise to make for fast and highly reliable mobile photography experience. In every thing from bright sunlight to an unlit room with curtains closed, this camera reliably produced solid results. The camera setup is very similar to earlier Pixel phones (before the new Pixel 6), so the system is well proven and well respected. Some other minor negatives: there’s no wireless charging and the cable charge rate is slower than some other phones. Just charge it overnight and all is good. Also, RAM is slightly reduced to 6GB vs. the 8GB on it’s bigger sibling. In my experience, this wasn’t a big deal but if you do a lot of app switching you may find you need to reload apps a little more frequently than on some higher RAM devices. Internal storage is excellent at 128GB (although not expandable). Overall this is an outstanding mobile phone with solid performance, good battery life, good audio, a decent screen, an above average camera, and many years of software updates for a midrange price. Ironically, it’s strongest competitor may be the Pixel 6 itself, which for a relatively small premium offers a slightly larger size, better display, more RAM, and newer camera setup. Whether the premium is worth it is up to you, but if you’re looking for a device at this price point the Pixel 6a is tough to beat.
The Pixel 6A is the newest and smallest phone currently offered by Google. Like other A-series phones, this one reaches its low price point by including a reduced-performance screen, old camera hardware, and eschewing wireless charging. Also like former A-series Pixels, the 6A manages to maintain Google's clean presentation of Android with regular updates, perform better than most other mid-range handsets, and take some of the best photos of any phone, at any price. *Unlike* former Pixels A, the 6A is not a battery champion, nor does it include a headphone jack or a charging brick. It seems Google has decided that wired headphones and charging bricks are no longer things anyone needs. On the plus side, the 6A uses Google's Tensor chip, meaning it can run all the ... MoreThe Pixel 6A is the newest and smallest phone currently offered by Google. Like other A-series phones, this one reaches its low price point by including a reduced-performance screen, old camera hardware, and eschewing wireless charging. Also like former A-series Pixels, the 6A manages to maintain Google's clean presentation of Android with regular updates, perform better than most other mid-range handsets, and take some of the best photos of any phone, at any price. *Unlike* former Pixels A, the 6A is not a battery champion, nor does it include a headphone jack or a charging brick. It seems Google has decided that wired headphones and charging bricks are no longer things anyone needs. On the plus side, the 6A uses Google's Tensor chip, meaning it can run all the fancy AI-processing software of its bigger siblings. The choice to stick with the high-end Tensor means good performance, but comes at the expense of a little bit of battery life. In my week using the Pixel 6A, I was able to get a full day battery life with medium-heavy use, but I always found myself reaching for a charger at bedtime. The inclusion of the power-hungry Tensor is probably the reason the 6A includes a middling 1080p screen, running at 60Hz (despite rumors that the Samsung panel is able to run up to 120Hz). ~~What's Good?~~ • Camera: Despite using older hardware, the camera is fast, responsive, and produces excellent shots in light or dark, with industry-leading editing tools. • The size: this is the smallest and lightest Pixel for sale by Google. It's nice to have the option of a smaller phone. • Pixel software features: speech to text, live translate, live transcribe, spam call detection, hold for me, etc. set Pixel phones apart, and they work great here • Design: The phone looks good, and the decreased size of the camera lip is perfect for fitting into a case with a flat back • Setup experience: This phone is super easy to set up, whether or not you transfer files, calls, apps, and texts from your old phone or not ~~What's Not So Good?~~ • Battery life: It's slightly better than my Pixel 6 Pro, and better still with 5G turned off (I noted some overheating with 5G on), but this is not a battery champion. • The screen: The 60Hz refresh rate is not cutting it, the touchscreen isn't as responsive as should be, it doesn't get dim enough in low light, and the colors are a bit off. • Fingerprint reader: Despite my best efforts, it's slower than my Pixel 6 Pro • The size: Yes, this is both good and bad. The phone is larger and heavier than it needs to be for people who actually want small phones, and too small for people with larger hands who want a great user experience • RAM management: Multi-taskers look elsewhere. The 6A manages its 6 GB of RAM by aggressively shutting down background applications. For example, you won't be able to keep Pokémon Go running if you turn on the camera. ~~Who this phone is right for~~ The Pixel 6A is a good phone for anyone who wants a true Android experience with a great camera and good portability. I can see this phone working very well for kids and grandparents, because it's relatively inexpensive, doesn't offer a bunch of bells and whistles, but just works well and feels fairly good doing it. I can attest to it working well for kids because my kid has been using my old Pixel 4XL. It's super easy to set up the phone as a kid's phone, and you can use the Android Family Link app to control the kid's access to apps and screen time. I love it. Personally, I found the 6A to be too small and the 1080p, 60Hz screen to be way behind the 120Hz LTPO panel of the 6 Pro, or even the 90Hz OLED screen of the Pixel 6. I'm a guy with pretty large hands, and I need a larger phone to feel comfortable. If you also have large hands and an extra hundred or two to spend, I would recommend the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro over the 6A, unless cost is a concern. ~~Bottom line~~ The 6A is a fine phone, especially if you can take advantage of some of Google's sweet trade-in deals and knock the price down low. As a Pixel fan, I felt very comfortable using the 6A, and was impressed at how good the phone was at running the Pixel AI routines like Live Transcribe, voice texting, and more. Photos from the Pixel 6A still impress, despite being taken using hardware that is now over 5 years old. The form factor of the Pixel 6A may be too small for people who like big phones, and too large for people who want small phones, but it's still very handsome, well-designed, and relatively compact. See my photos comparing the size of the 6A to previous Pixels. As a person coming from a Pixel 6 Pro to test this phone, I did not enjoy using the 1080P, 60Hz screen, but someone unconcerned with high-end displays might not have any issues. In my mind, the Pixel 6A is best for kids or people who just need a basic phone with a great camera that just works, and who appreciate Google extra Pixel touches like spam detection, Assistant voice typing, Hold for Me, and more.
I've owned several Google phones in my life,but nothing since the Nexus 6 phone, which was a top of line offering when it came out 8 years ago. I was anxious to see what these newest Pixel phones were compared to the Nexus, so I was kind of surprised to see how "budget" this latest offering was from Google. I like the smaller size of 6.1 inches, after owning so many XL sized phones, and I also current own a Samsung s22 Ultra, so this guy felt nice and compact compared to that and a few others I have had recently. It was kind of disappointing not to see wireless charging and such a low (60hz) refresh rate on a phone in 2022, but, considering this phone is marketed as a "budget" model, I guess you have to sacrifice some things to keep the price in check.It also does ... MoreI've owned several Google phones in my life,but nothing since the Nexus 6 phone, which was a top of line offering when it came out 8 years ago. I was anxious to see what these newest Pixel phones were compared to the Nexus, so I was kind of surprised to see how "budget" this latest offering was from Google. I like the smaller size of 6.1 inches, after owning so many XL sized phones, and I also current own a Samsung s22 Ultra, so this guy felt nice and compact compared to that and a few others I have had recently. It was kind of disappointing not to see wireless charging and such a low (60hz) refresh rate on a phone in 2022, but, considering this phone is marketed as a "budget" model, I guess you have to sacrifice some things to keep the price in check.It also does not have fast charge, so it takes awhile to charge this guy up. the battery didnt really last all day for me, in heavy use, so keep that in mind. Fortunately it still has the excellent Pixel camera that has been a trademark of the recent Google phones, although I am not a fan of the weird camera "bump" that spans across the back of the phone. The under screen finger print sensor works ok, but there is no face unlock, so get used to using your fingerprint to unlock this phone, which, in my testing didnt work quickly every single time.Plus, I found it strange that Google decided to place the power button ABOVE the volume rocker; every phone I have ever owned had the power button below the volume rocker. If you care about long term software support, google will give you 4 years of updates, so this thing will be current for a long time, but not sure how the all plastic body of this phone will last in the long run. I keep it in a case, and will put a screen protector on it, so that should help. All told its a decent, budget phone, and if you are looking to keep things under 500 dollars for a new phone, this fits the bill well; although the step up model Pixel 6 has been on sale several time recently for around the same price, so if you want some additional features in the same price range, you might want to look at that one too. You wont be disappointed either way!
If your phone is less than 2 years old, you may want to skip this as an upgrade. If you're still rocking a Pixel3 or older, read on. The Pixel 6 series rocks Google's new Tensor chip, their first attempt at an in house system on a chip (SOC). While it works, there is definitely an early adopter tax going on. Many features such as the under the screen finger print sensor, live translation, or even system responsiveness are not on par with many other chips. I found myself often going back to my Pixel 4a when I needed to get tasks done quickly and for my daily driver. Google did release a system update that helped with some of the issues, but I suspect that we won't be getting full system performance out of the Tensor chip until Android 13 is released. The phone itself ... MoreIf your phone is less than 2 years old, you may want to skip this as an upgrade. If you're still rocking a Pixel3 or older, read on. The Pixel 6 series rocks Google's new Tensor chip, their first attempt at an in house system on a chip (SOC). While it works, there is definitely an early adopter tax going on. Many features such as the under the screen finger print sensor, live translation, or even system responsiveness are not on par with many other chips. I found myself often going back to my Pixel 4a when I needed to get tasks done quickly and for my daily driver. Google did release a system update that helped with some of the issues, but I suspect that we won't be getting full system performance out of the Tensor chip until Android 13 is released. The phone itself is well built and feels good in the hand. I like not having the indent in the back of the case which means that any case I purchase for the phone no longer needs to have the cutout. Speaking of cutout , I do not like the position of the camera cutout on this phone. Top center is prime real estate on the screen both in vertical and horizontal mode, and the camera clutters it up. The previous top left corner on the 4 and 5 felt less obtrusive and I found myself forgetting it was there most of the time. Battery life is great on the Tensor chip, but I wonder how much of that will change once the chip is really unleashed. As it stands, even under moderate to heavy gaming, I was still getting a full day of use out of the phone. Given that this still only includes an 18W charging port, this is critical, as you'll likely be plugging this in over night and using the adaptive charge to keep your battery in tip top shape. As far as software/SoC features go, Google is touting magic eraser as their big new gimmick and honestly I wasn't impressed. Anyone that has used Photoshop has seen how digital erasing works and I found the results to be the same or less impressive than using a desktop. Unless what you're erasing is surrounded by a surface with lots of random patterns, such as clouds, the pictures look very obviously edited, something that most desktop apps do better. I also found that through copying the new photos app apk file to my Pixel 4a, I received the same results, so this is more of a software gimmick than a SoC feature. Speaking of photos, I really did not see an upgrade in visual quality on the 6a vs. previous Pixel models. Yes, the 6a can do 240fps @ 1080p and 30fps @ 4k in video recording, but the picture quality itself is not much better. Pair this with the same 6GB of RAM as we've seen for many years and the fact that Google killed the headphone jack while the 5a retained it while also being water resistant and the used market is looking a lot better than the new market right now.
I am switching from OnePlus 6T to this Pixel 6a, this Pixel 6a is definitely faster. On power up, you get option to transfer from previous phone and I opted to use the usb cable to do the transfer. Plugging the two phones together using usb cable to transfer data was quite easy and completed flawlessly. Using this phone needs some getting used to, one big difference is the unmovable search bar at the bottom. To power off, you have to press the power and volume up button at the same time, which feels pretty strange. The user interface is very pretty. You can enable the icons to match the phone's theme, this is pretty interesting. The default home screen icon arrangement is a 4x5 grid but it is very easy to change to a 5x5 grid to match my previous phone. Being a 6.1" ... MoreI am switching from OnePlus 6T to this Pixel 6a, this Pixel 6a is definitely faster. On power up, you get option to transfer from previous phone and I opted to use the usb cable to do the transfer. Plugging the two phones together using usb cable to transfer data was quite easy and completed flawlessly. Using this phone needs some getting used to, one big difference is the unmovable search bar at the bottom. To power off, you have to press the power and volume up button at the same time, which feels pretty strange. The user interface is very pretty. You can enable the icons to match the phone's theme, this is pretty interesting. The default home screen icon arrangement is a 4x5 grid but it is very easy to change to a 5x5 grid to match my previous phone. Being a 6.1" phone, the Pixel feels narrower in my hands, so its keyboard buttons are a little smushed. One big improvement compare to my previous phone is how fast the fingerprint sensor is, it even match the Samsung S21 Ultra in fingerprint unlock speed. When unlock using fingerprint, it gives a short buzz to indicate that it's working. I’ve also noticed that this Pixel phone can get quite warm. On average, the Pixel is my warmest phone. During initial setup was the warmest. This Pixel 6a has two speakers, which lets me have a stereo sound that none of my other phones provide. Battery life is very good. Actively using the phone for 5 hours only drops the battery level by 40% (i.e. from 100% to 60%) On the first day, I ran it down to nine percent before realizing that the OnePlus quick charger wasn’t charging this Pixel 6a. Neither was my battery pack, so I had to buy a new charger that support PD (power delivery) to charge the phone. Luckily I found a Quick Charge 3.0 charger lying around and it seems to do the trick. But I am still buying a new charger so I can have maximum charging speed. This Pixel 6a is very smart, it can do voice typing, live translate offline. Using camera to translate is so much smoother and accurate than Google Translate. This phone is able to transcribe calls and videos with the capability of TV captions even without internet connection. The camera is a massive improvement over my OnePlus 6T, especially the night sight, which captures accurate colors in environments where I can barely see what I’m looking at. The wide angle is a nice feature that my old phone didn’t have. And the return of the Photo Sphere feature! A really cool feature that I haven’t seen in a few years. It can also meshes panorama photos and photo sphere a lot cleaner that other phones. One other feature that stands out is the Magic Eraser, I had so much fun using the feature to make clean and convincing photos. Overall, I’d say the Pixel 6a is a good modern phone, with amazing camera capabilities.
If you're shopping for a Pixel, you're probably looking for a clean, bloat-free Android experience with regular and frequent security updates. This is important overall, but also important if you're using this as a work phone since many companies have MDM (Mobile Device Management) systems that require your devices have up-to-date security patches. Overall goodness: Overall, it's a great phone at the right size. I already have a giant 2-screen phone, so as a second (work) phone, this is just right. I'm confident that I'll get years of frequent security updates and it's got plenty of power for email, video calls, phone calls, etc. If you're looking at this as your primary/personal phone, you may miss some things (see below), but it's still a great choice for the ... MoreIf you're shopping for a Pixel, you're probably looking for a clean, bloat-free Android experience with regular and frequent security updates. This is important overall, but also important if you're using this as a work phone since many companies have MDM (Mobile Device Management) systems that require your devices have up-to-date security patches. Overall goodness: Overall, it's a great phone at the right size. I already have a giant 2-screen phone, so as a second (work) phone, this is just right. I'm confident that I'll get years of frequent security updates and it's got plenty of power for email, video calls, phone calls, etc. If you're looking at this as your primary/personal phone, you may miss some things (see below), but it's still a great choice for the money. We know Pixels are renown for their great cameras and this one is no different. I came from a 3a XL to this 6a and having a Pixel camera around is always a good thing. What's not so great: The fingerprint scanner is not great. Is it terrible? No, it's probably somewhere in-between. I've had the in-display fingerprint readers since the Note 10. You can help improve this one by entering the same finger multiple times, increasing the sensitivity (search the Settings for "sensitivity". This is important if you have a screen protector - if so, re-enroll them after applying one), and enrolling the "best" fingers. What I mean is, my index fingers and thumbs are the driest/smoothest so my middle finger actually works better. If my index finger works 10-20% of the time, my middle finger works about 50-60% of the time. Not great compared to the 100% hardware fingerprint readers we're used to, but it'll do. What's missing: I didn't need wireless charging, but that would have been nice to have. Also, I'm using Bluetooth headsets/earpieces for work calls, so I don't miss the headphone jack on this one. I do prefer wired headphones/earphones when I possible, but I have tons of other dedicated devices for that.
| Model year | 2022 |
| RAM Size | 12 |
| Memory Storage Capacity | 6 GB |
| Flash Memory Installed Size | 128 GB |
| Ram Memory Installed Size | 6 GB |
