The Google Pixel 6a offers perhaps the best performance in its class in the test. It also takes beautiful photos and lasts a long time. But there’s a catch.
About half a year ago, Google presented the new generation of its high-end smartphones from the Pixel series. In the test, the Google Pixel 6 Pro (test report) flexes its muscles and convinces us with its high build quality, the very good camera unit and the excellent 120 Hertz display. The fingerprint scanner behind the display works less well. At some point, Google got the software problems that the device struggled with for about three months under control. However, the Pixel 6 Pro was really expensive at first. In the meantime, however, you can get it for a good 700 euros.
A little later, the Google Pixel 6 (test report) had to show what it can do. It showed similar strengths – but also similar weaknesses – as the Pro model. We like the 90 Hertz display, the very good camera and the many good software features. Above all, it costs very little at just over 500 euros, which makes it a good value for money. Another weakness is the slow and sometimes unreliable fingerprint scanner behind the display. There is also only a 128 GB option and, as is usual with pixel phones, there is no option to expand this via micro SD cards.
Now it’s the turn of the third pixel smartphone of the current generation, the Google Pixel 6a . We test what the rather cheap version has to offer and show which strengths and weaknesses it adopts from the other models.
design & processing
First of all, the Google Pixel 6a is smaller than many other smartphones in its class. It is 15.2 centimeters long, 7.2 centimeters wide and 0.9 centimeters thick. It weighs 178 grams. Sage (green), Charcol (black) and Chalk (white) options are available upon purchase. We have the green variant, which we like with its subtle and pastel tones. The color varies slightly below and above the visor. The edge consists of a metal and is matt black. The back is made of plastic, but looks similarly high-quality as in the larger 6-series models.
The black visor with the camera unit in the upper area of the back is already familiar from the 6 and 6 Pro. However, it is less wide and does not protrude that far from the case. Because it stretches across the entire width, the Pixel 6a lies quite flat on the back.
The workmanship is as good as that of its big brothers. Nothing creaks or wobbles here. The buttons on the right side are also excellent. There is a loudspeaker on the lower side, which creates a kind of stereo effect together with the one above the display. This is comparable to that of the Google Pixel 6. If you watch a video in landscape format, there is a stereo effect. However, the sound booms more strongly from the lower speaker, which doesn’t really make a balanced impression. The volume fits for that. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack. Overall, the vibration motor also seems to be less powerful than in the larger Pixel models.
The fingerprint sensor is under the display. It’s a different system than the 6 and 6 Pro models. Still, he’s not much better. It still takes quite (actually too) long for the sensor to recognize the finger. However, he seems to recognize the finger more reliably. Especially if you want to use a film or bulletproof glass for display protection, you will probably have problems here again and again.
screen
The 6.1-inch display uses OLED. This is not yet a matter of course in the price segment, even if more and more providers are now using the technology even in cheaper devices. OLED offers perfect black values and enables the display of a clock or notifications as an always-on feature. The resolution is Full HD+, i.e. 2400 x 1080 pixels. That’s enough for the size of the display. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, and the camera hole is on the upper side. The display is good and the colors look strong. However, a kind of rainbow effect is quickly visible at acute angles, especially on a white background.
Google Pixel 6a images
We noticed the refresh rate of 60 Hertz negatively. The Google Pixel 6a feels like it jerks when scrolling through websites, apps and the settings menu, not only much more violently than the Google Pixel 6 Pro with its 120 Hertz display. It also seems choppy than other 60 Hertz displays such as that of an iPhone Mini. Although the Pixel 6a is lightning fast, it makes it look a little ponderous.
performance
In the Google Pixel 6a, the same processor works with its own Tensor chip as in the 6 and 6 Pro. However, the 6a “only” has 6 GB of RAM available. The non-expandable 128 GB memory is also a bit slower than in the larger models. Accordingly, the 6a performs slightly worse than the 6 Pro in benchmark tests. Mail-G78 MP20 GPU is used as the graphics unit.
In fact, the Pixel 6a achieves benchmark values that other smartphones in the 400-euro class can only dream of. With 7000 points in 3DMark Wild Life, it achieves similarly high values as its larger and more expensive brothers. In the everyday benchmark Work 3.0, the 6a scores 9600 points. Here you will notice a certain difference to the 6 and 6 Pro because of the lower RAM.
Overall, the performance of the Pixel 6a is outstanding. All apps open quickly, switching between programs is quick and there isn’t a situation that the Pixel 6a can’t handle.
software
Software is traditionally one of the strengths of Pixel phones. At least that was the case until the release of the Pixel 6 models. Because initially the 6 series had to deal with massive problems such as crashes and connection problems. It took Google a few months to fix them all. The Android 12 system is now running stably on Tensor. This also applies to the Pixel 6a.
