Google Pixel 6a – 128 GB-Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with 12 megapixel camera and 24-hour battery – Sage

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The Pixel 6a is the best mid-range phone you can buy and a fantastic option if you’re looking for a smaller Android. Google opted to use the same chip in the Pixel 6a as in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro - its self-designed Tensor chipset - and this means the three phones are equally powerful. With a 6.1-inch display, the Pixel 6a isn't a small phone, but it's much more compact than the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro — closer to the iPhone 13. So, if you found the Pixel 6 to be big, this affordable alternative feels better. That said, you may still want to invest in a cover to protect the rear panel, which seems a bit easier to scratch. The software is smart and refined, and will be updated for at least five years, which is longer than most rivals. The camera is miles better than any mid-range model, competing with phones twice the price or more.

Google Pixel 6a review: Nobody (but Google) puts Google in a Google Pixel 6a review: Nobody (but Google) puts Google in a

The secret sauce, as always, is Google's machine learning, powered by its in-house Tensor chip. As in the Pixel 6, here, it powers a handful of impressive computational photography and video modes. Our favourite is 'Magic Eraser', which instantly removes unwanted subjects from images — perfect if you're taking pictures of busier city landmarks on holiday or you want to remove household items from your latest baby photo. That’s likely thanks to Google’s AI scene optimization, which can tweak pictures depending on the setting to make them as attractive as possible. This isn’t really a phone designed for gamers though, with its mid-range chip and small display, so it’s unlikely that too many customers will mind. I used the Pixel 6a’s primary camera for the bulk of my shooting, and it delivers results worthy of the Pixel name. The color recreation is accurate, especially in rich sunlight like the image of the flowerpot above. Google’s natural bokeh is impressive, too, and is most evident in the picture of the pink and white flowerbox. I didn’t notice any issues with clouds washing out in the sky, whether I was above them (in the image of the airplane wing) or below (in the image of the waterfall). The only real complaints come if you crop in. No matter how smart Google’s processing is, a camera with a smaller, lower megapixel sensor just doesn’t let in as much light or provide as much information as something like the 50MP shooter on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.Smartphone battery life is often hard to quantity. A device might perform well in lab-based tests but struggle in everyday use, given the huge variance of screen-on time that you’ll use day-to-day, and as such testers can be hesitant to provide decisive verdicts on a phone’s lasting power.

Google Pixel 6A Case,Pixel 6A Case [10FT Military Oterkin for Google Pixel 6A Case,Pixel 6A Case [10FT Military

The new Pixel 7a boasts the latest 2nd-gen version of this chip, but our long-term use hasn't changed our opinion on its performance: It's smooth and speedy to use, and we haven't encountered crashes or shuttering when taking snaps. Of the three colors, the Sage Pixel 6a is the most exciting variant hands down as Chalk and Charcoal are just par for the course. The issue for power users is the limited battery. We found from tests that it's fine for about a day of normal use, but not too much more. On the plus side, having one of the best power banks solves that. Google Pixel 6a verdict The battery life issue won’t ruin the phone for everyone, but it does make you stop and think “can I use a phone that needs charging multiple times per day?” If you can, that’s great. But we imagine lots of people will rule out the phone based on this simple issue.The slipperiness we encountered on the Pixel 6 isn't as much of an issue, as the 6a can be held with one hand, but we've found a case to be useful in adding grip.

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Instead of using the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s 50MP main camera, the Pixel 6a gets a 12.2MP f/1.7 one, which sits alongside a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide snapper with a 114-degree field of view. Google’s green phase started in earnest with the Sorta Sage Pixel 5. That continued with the Pixel 6, but the company went lighter with something more playful compared to the staid, almost minty green that came in 2020.Video recording goes up to 4K and 60fps - which is all anyone really needs, if we’re being honest - with a range of modes like time lapse and slow motion. The front camera maxes out at 1080p though, a side effect of its 8MP sensor. The Google Pixel 6a retains the same design language of its siblings, but there are a few changes - for better and worse. Our results were clear and crisp, and after around 10 months of using the handset, we're consistently impressed by how well it performs under all lighting conditions.

Google Pixel 6a review: Still the best value Android phone

The phone comes with all the standard Google-built apps like GMail, Photos, the Play Store and Maps, but there aren’t any pre-installed extras, saving you from that stint of deleting half the pre-installed tools. The Android software you get out of the box is simple to use and easy to navigate. There are neat customisation options, like the ability to match the colour of your icons to your wallpaper, plus the return of live translation that helps you converse in 11 languages or read text you don't understand from photos — perfect for your next jaunt abroad.

The fingerprint scanner is faster and more reliable than Pixel 6, but is still it is not quite as good as the best available. Photograph: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian We like that the 6a is thin and less chunky than the 6 or 7 Pro, sitting flush when on flat surfaces. Even after months of use, we're continually impressed with the sleek design. Perhaps Google is hoping you won’t be using the phone much, because it’ll be plugged in and charging for so long each day. The 18W powering here means the phone takes nearly two hours to power up to full, which is impressively slow for a handset at this price.