Which color Google Pixel 6a should you buy?

The Google Pixel 6a is finally here, but before you go grab the new best budget Android phone on the market, you have one final choice you need to make before you click Add to Cart and checkout: the color. For the first time since the Pixel 3a, a Pixel a-series phone is available in more than one color at launch, and while the names here are shorter than in years past, they each still offer something unique for the Pixel 6a and the lucky owner holding it.

If you’ve been having reservations about whether to go Sage or stick it out with yet another almost-black Pixel, here’s what each Pixel 6a color brings to the party and which one you should ultimately buy.

Sage Google Pixel 6a

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The only Pixel 6a colorway to actually have, y’know, color in it is the Sage Pixel 6a, with hues that harken back to the Pixel 5 and the Nest Audio smart speaker. Unlike the Sorta Seafoam Pixel 6, the Sage Pixel 6a is all green, with none of that lemon-lime dichotomy. The top accent bar is a lighter shade of the exact same green, so you won’t have to worry about things clashing once you introduce a colored case to the mix.

The earthy hue here is pale and understated. In full afternoon sun, the green will stay true. However, with clouds or early, more indirect rays, it shifts into more of a light teal or blue. I very much dig the vibe of the blue, especially the way it plays with some cases and accessories. Make your friends green with envy with the Sage Pixel 6a — or you can be less fun and go monochromatic with our next two options.

Chalk Google Pixel 6a

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White phones get a bad rap for being “dirt-prone,” but really, they show exactly as much dust, dirt, and grime as their boring black counterparts. You should go for the Chalk Pixel 6a over the Charcoal for two big reasons: first, Chalk’s stark contrast between the white backplate and the pitch black camera bar better draws the eye and lets the Pixel 6a’s new design absolutely pop the way Google intended.

The second reason might seem a bit off, but hear me out: go with Chalk for more exciting looks once you get a case on it. When you use a completely solid case, the color won’t show through regardless of what you have. However, when you grab a clear or semi-clear case, the Chalk’s brighter demeanor will let accent colors, printed designs, and translucent cases absolutely shine. Black phones dampen and darken fun cases, while white turns everything up a notch.

Charcoal Google Pixel 6a

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Charcoal may not sound sexy — well, unless you’re prepping a backyard barbeque — but that doesn’t mean this colorway is a dull, lifeless briquette in the slightest. The nearly black main backplate on this colorway won’t draw the light or any unwanted attention, with even the Google G blending into its shadowy depths. The slightly lighter accent bar up top is more pewter or gunmetal than the silvery accent bar on the Chalk Pixel 6a, but it adds some flair without resorting to some garish accent color like some previous A-series models.

This option may not be super exciting like the Sage, but as they say, black goes with everything. While I prefer my phones with a little more color to them, I have no doubt this is the Pixel 6a colorway many of you will go with because it’s not easy being green and white phones invite stains and smudges. No matter what color case you throw at it, the Charcoal Pixel 6a is guaranteed to work well with them all.

Still can’t make up your mind?

No matter which color Pixel 6a you grab, you’re still getting the power of the Google Tensor processor, the best-in-class photos, multi-day battery, and you’ll be first up to receive Android 13 and five years of monthly security patches. If you’ve somehow come this far and still aren’t sure which color to buy, here are a few more things to consider as tiebreakers:

• If you intend to get the Pixel Buds Pro, too, you might stay away from Sage. The white case on the Buds Pro will go with anything, but the Lemongrass and Coral will clash. Fog’s light blue might work well with it, but if you insist on being all matchy-matchy, you might want to go Chalk or Charcoal here.
• The Chalk Pixel 6a, with its stark contrast, will draw the most attention if you intend to go out into the world with your phone naked, while the Charcoal will draw fewer eyes but still sport this new Pixel style.
• This is nitpicking, but the Charcoal Pixel 6a feels like too many shades of black between the matte black frame, glossy black camera bar, almost-black backplate, and the deep gray accent bar. And then you’re adding a likely black case to the mix. Yeah, the Chalk and Sage may be flashy, but at least they have contrast.
• Sage green on the Pixel 6a might be a definitely different shade here than it was on the Pixel 5. However, it still meshes marvelously with the Sage Nest Audio and several Sage green cases from Google, Caseology, and other brands.

Speaking of cases, a great Pixel 6a case means never having to stick to one color for your phone. Whether you want to show off that Pixel 6a color to the world or swap it for a color Google doesn’t offer, there’s a perfect case just waiting for you and your new phone.