Google Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 3a: Worth the upgrade?

• Source: Google

  Google Pixel 6a

  A return to form

  $328 $449 Save $121

  The Pixel 6a is the latest in a proud lineage of mid-range phones from Google, and this is the best one yet, thanks to a flagship-grade chipset and AI smarts only found on a Google phone.

  Pros

  • Same SoC as regular Pixel 6
  • IP rating
  • Dual cameras

  Cons

  • No headphone jack
  • Unreliable fingerprint scanner
  • Only one size

• Google Pixel 3a

  Where it began

  The Pixel 3a takes the absolute best of the Pixel 3 and 3XL and pairs it with a mid-range processor and plastic body to create an affordable smartphone with all the Google smarts. Even though this phone has several successors, it’ll be fondly remembered for years to come as the start of an important lineage of mid-range phones.

  Pros

  • Better fingerprint scanner
  • Headphone jack
  • Two sizes to choose from

  Cons

  • Worse build-quality
  • No IP rating
  • Mid-range SoC

The Google Pixel 3a was released in May 2019, and it quickly became one of our favorite Android phones of all time. That mid-range phone took the greatness of the Pixel line, the software, Google Assistant features, and cameras, and paired them with a mid-range processor and plastic body for $400. That formula started a legacy of great affordable phones that captured the best of the Pixel DNA with very little compromise. The release of the Pixel 6a marks the end of software support for the 3a, which begs the question — is it time to upgrade?

Price, availability, and specs

The Pixel 3a isn’t available from Google or carriers anymore, but you can find them on eBay, etc., at low prices. Right now, Amazon offers a refurbished 3a for just $98. The 6a, being the latest mid-range Pixel, is a different story. It’s available unlocked through the Google Store, Best Buy, and Walmart for as little as $250 and on contract from most major carriers.

The Google Pixel 6a follows the path set by its predecessors, but with one major change — the processor is no longer a mid-range Snapdragon SoC. Now, the 6a runs the same first-generation Google Tensor chipset as the regular Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, making it a solid 5G phone. You can compare all the specs against each other below:

• 	Google Pixel 6a	Google Pixel 3a
  SoC	Google Tensor	Snapdragon 670
  Display	6.1” 2400×1080 (20:9) 60Hz OLED	5.6″ 1080×2220 18:9/6.0″ 1080×2160 18:9 60Hz OLED
  RAM	6GB	4GB
  Storage	128GB	64GB
  Battery	4,400mAh	3,000/3700mAh
  Ports	1x USB Type-C	1x USB Type-C, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
  Operating System	Android 13	Android 12
  Front camera	8MP f/2.0 IMX355 84°FOV	8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4″, 1.12µm
  Rear cameras	12MP f/1.73 IMX 363 w/OIS 77° FoV; Ultra-wide: 12MP f/2.2 IMX386 114° FoV	12.2 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS
  Dimensions	152.2mm x 71.8mm x 8.9mm, 178g	151.3 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm, 147g/160.1 x 76.1 x 8.2 mm, 167g
  Weight	6.72 oz	5.18 oz/5.8 oz
  Charging	18W USB PD	18W USB PD
  Price	Starting at $450	$100

Design

Both phones share the design of the flagship they are based on, and while the 3a is still a handsome-looking phone, it doesn’t hold a candle to the unique design the Pixel 6 series has adopted. While the 3a is all plastic, the 6a adopts a metal frame for more durability while retaining the plastic back, which is now glossy rather than matte.

Both devices use the design of the flagship they were launched alongside, and while the Pixel 3 series is still a handsome-looking set of devices, it can’t hold a candle to the new design language used on the Pixel 6a. The two-tone design and camera bar makes the phone stand out in a sea of similar-looking Android phones.

The Pixel 3 series had an almost two-tone design, with the top part of the phone surrounding the camera being a slightly different shade from the rest of the phone. The 6a leans into this more heavily, with a black camera bar adding contrast to all models and a different shade of whichever color you choose flanking it.

The trusty capacitive fingerprint reader on the back of the 3a is gone on the newer phone, which has an optical scanner under the display. It’s slower and less reliable than the one found in the old 3a, but it still does the job well. The headphone jack is also missing, but in 2022 that’s inevitable.

The Pixel 3a is a comfortable phone to hold, especially if you have the smaller one, and the white model has aged impeccably without any marks, but there’s no denying the design of the 6a.

Display

The Pixel 3a has a 1080p, 5.6-inch OLED display that runs at 60Hz and can reach a peak brightness of 442 nits, which is quite dim. There was also a large 6.0-inch model, but the rest of the specs remained the same.

The display on the 6a isn’t that different. It comes in one size, using a 6.1-inch 1080p OLED running at 60Hz and reaching a max brightness of 500 nits, which is a bit brighter at least. The main upgrade is the ability to display HDR content on YouTube and other streaming services, where the display can be boosted to 800 nits. While those on-paper specs aren’t much different, the 6a is much nicer to use in the real world, thanks to the tiny bezels and hole punch camera. Those enable the 6a to have a larger display than the bigger Pixel 3a XL while only being 1mm taller and wider than the small 3a.

If you own a Pixel 3a, the screen alone probably isn’t enough to warrant upgrading to the new phone, but the improvements made are impressive nonetheless.

Performance

Here is where the Pixel 6a starts to pull a significant lead over the 3a. The 4GB of RAM and Snapdragon 670 were good back in 2019, but those specs don’t come close to the first-generation Tensor SoC paired with 6GB of RAM in the 6a.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have amazing machine learning features like Magic Eraser, lightning-fast voice-to-text, and good Tensor performance; the 6a gets all the same tricks. The 60hz display makes the phone feel a bit sluggish in places, but the 6a is one of the smoothest phones you’ll find, regardless of price.

Another factor in this improved performance is storage. The 3a uses slow eMMC storage, while the 6a gains UFS (ultrafast storage) 3.1, which makes downloading files and opening big apps much smoother than before. You’ll notice this every day, especially when downloading apps, which is almost instant on the 6a.

Despite the 3a and 6a having the same primary front and rear cameras, the 6a takes better photos thanks to the enhanced computational photography Tensor is capable of. It also benefits from an ultrawide lens, which offers more flexibility than the older model. While the new camera features like Action Pan are nice, the differences overall are minor.

Software

The Pixel 6a was launched with the same Android 12 currently running on the Pixel 3a, but it was updated to Android 13 in August 2022. There are still not too many differences between the two, given that Android 13 is a smaller update. However, Android 13 adds select upgrades such as per-app languages, more granular permissions, and small Material You and UI enhancements.

The Pixel 3a reached its end of life (EOL) in May 2022 and won’t see a software update ever again — it is stuck on Android 12 forever. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6a is already able to run the Android 14 Preview. The newer phone will see three Android upgrades up to Android 15 and receive two more years of security patches. Here lies the main reason to upgrade.

As time goes on, the 3a will become more vulnerable to online threats, while the 6a that replaces it will be kept updated and safe until 2027. Each month and year, the 6a will leave its older sibling behind.

Should you upgrade?

Yes, you should. The 3a is a superb phone, and my Grandfather loved using it over the last three years, but the 6a is a significant upgrade in almost every way, with a snappy performance that can’t be beaten by most modern phones, let alone a 2019 Pixel 3a. Combine that with the fresh software support and the fact the battery in a Pixel 3a will have degraded by now, and it’s a no-brainer.

Some argue that too much emphasis is placed on security patches, but we disagree. Keeping your phone secure against upcoming threats is vital, especially if the phone is going to be used by someone less tech-savvy. The Pixel 3a has lived a good life, but in our opinion, it’s time to say goodnight, sweet prince, and move on to one of the best budget Android phones around, which will easily last the next half a decade. Maybe a Google Pixel 6a is in your future?

Source: Google

Google Pixel 6a

$328 $449 Save $121

The Pixel 6a is the latest in a proud lineage of mid-range phones from Google, and this is the best one yet, thanks to a flagship-grade chipset and AI smarts only found on a Google phone.

The only situation where we’d recommend buying a Pixel 3a is if you want a cheap media player. The 64GB should hold all of your Spotify playlists, and the included headphone jack is something a lot of people miss having on their phones. For less than $100, the 3a should serve that role well.

Google Pixel 3a

The Pixel 3a takes the absolute best of the Pixel 3 and 3XL and pairs it with a mid-range processor and plastic body to create an affordable smartphone with all the Google smarts. Even though this phone has several successors, it’ll be fondly remembered for years to come as the start of an important lineage of mid-range phones.