Which Android phone is the better value?

After months of waiting, the Google Pixel 6a is finally available. Google’s latest midrange flagship takes the best features of the Pixel 6 series and offers them in a more compact form factor with a lower price tag to match. But is the Pixel 6a really all it’s cracked up to be, or should you hang on to your Pixel 5a for another year? Is the Pixel 6a a worthy successor to the Pixel 5a? Here’s how the two mid-range phones stack up.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5s: Specs table

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Design and durability

The Pixel 6a features the same design language as the Pixel 6 series, which means there’s a camera bar at the rear housing the primary and ultra-wide lenses along with the LED flash. The metal bar and in-display fingerprint scanner are also present here; however, the rear glass panel has been replaced with a “3D thermoformed composite back” with a fingerprint-resistant coating.

The phone carries an IP67 rating, so you can spill some water on it without worrying about liquid damage. If you wished Google launched a Pixel 6 mini due to the massive size of the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, the 6a is your answer.

The Pixel 5a’s design is reminiscent of the Pixel 5, with a squarish camera housing at the rear. It features a metal unibody that is also IP67 dust and water-resistant.

One significant design omission on the Pixel 6a is the missing headphone jack — it is the first mid-range Pixel to skimp on this connectivity option. That said, it’s easy to find excellent wireless earbuds, so most users are unlikely to miss the 3.5mm jack much. On the bright side, the Pixel 6a features an in-display fingerprint scanner, which is thankfully different from the one Google uses on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. As for the Pixel 5a’s capacitive scanner, it is located at the rear.

The Pixel 6a is available in three colors—Charcoal, Chalk, and Sage—a welcome change from the Pixel 5a’s single colorway.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Display

The Pixel 5a packs a 6.34-inch FHD+ OLED panel with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a punch-hole on the left. This year’s mid-range Pixel 6a packs a slightly smaller 6.1-inch display with a center punch-hole, though it does come with High brightness mode and full 24-bit color depth support. The panels on both phones refresh at 60Hz and are protected by Gorilla Glass 3; they also feature an Always-on display and HDR playback.

The lack of a 90/120Hz refresh rate on the Pixel 6a will disappoint many, especially since almost all mid-range phones now come with 120Hz panels. However, this could be a conscious decision from Google, keeping the device’s price and battery life in mind.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Front and rear cameras

Source: Google

Google has always extracted fantastic image quality from even some relatively old camera sensors on its Pixel lineup. It switched to a newer and larger 50MP sensor on the Pixel 6 series, but that’s not making its way to the Pixel 6a. Instead, you get a primary 12.2MP f/1.7 shooter with OIS and 1.4μm pixel width — the same sensor also does duty on the Pixel 5a and even the Pixel 5.

The ultra-wide shooter is different on both devices. While the Pixel 5a has a 16MP f/2.2 sensor with a 117° field of view and 1.0μm pixel width, the newer mid-range Pixel sports a 12MP f/2.2 shooter with 1.25μm pixel width and a slightly narrower 114° field of view. The two Pixels sport the same 8MP f/2.0 selfie snapper.

Despite the largely similar camera hardware, the Pixel 6a should deliver better image quality thanks to the more powerful ISP of the Tensor chip. It also packs more camera features like Real Tone, Face Unblur, and manual white balancing, thanks to the additional horsepower offered by Google’s custom mobile chip.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Hardware and performance

The Pixel 5a packs a formidable mid-range chip from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 765G. This octa-core chip runs at 2.4GHz and is coupled with an Adreno 620 GPU. That’s more than enough grunt for common everyday tasks; however, last year’s baby Pixel struggled a bit with resource-intensive gameplay.

The Pixel 6a is powered by Google’s first in-house Tensor chip developed for smartphones. It is coupled with a 20-core ARM Mali-G78 MP20 GPU. The same chipset also ticks inside the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The big G claims the CPU performance is 80% faster than the Snapdragon 765G, while the GPU offers up to 370% more horsepower.

What differentiates Tensor from other chips in the market is the custom bits that Google has incorporated. This includes the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) for AI and ML tasks, which is behind many Pixel 6-exclusive features like Magic Eraser, Face Unblur, and live language translation. The enhanced ISP is another highlight of the Tensor chip and enables features like Real Tone and HDRNet. Since the same chip powers the Pixel 6a, it also packs the same functionality.

Both phones have 6GB RAM, but the Pixel 6a uses a newer and faster LPDDR5 RAM module. Additionally, it packs a faster UFS 3.1 NAND storage chip for better I/O performance and file transfer speeds.

Even in terms of security, the Pixel 6a is an upgrade over its predecessor. While the Pixel 5a packs the first generation Titan M security module, the 6a has the Titan M2 coprocessor and a Security core to store and protect all your sensitive data safely.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Battery life and charging

The more compact form factor of the Pixel 6a means there’s not enough space to pack a massive 5,000mAh+ battery. It is powered by a 4410mAh cell that Google claims can “last beyond 24 hours.” This can be further extended up to 72 hours with Extreme Battery Saver mode. In comparison, the Pixel 5a’s 4680mAh battery can deliver “all-day” juice and can last up to 48 hours in power-saving mode.

Despite the Pixel 6a featuring a smaller cell, there should not be a big difference in the battery life of the two phones. This is because Google’s 2022 mid-range device packs a smaller 6.1-inch 60Hz OLED display, which should negate the additional power draw of the Tensor chip and reduce the load on the 4410mAh cell.

Both phones support fast charging, though they top out at 18W. Google claims you can charge them from 0-50% in 30 minutes with a Pixel 6-compatible USB PD 3.0 PPS charger. Neither phone supports wireless charging.

Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 5a: Carrier support and connectivity

The 2021 and 2022 mid-range Pixel phones support 5G, but there’s a slight twist here. The Pixel 5a can only connect to sub-6 GHz 5G. While the unlocked version of the Pixel 6a is also limited to sub-6 GHz connectivity, Verizon will offer a mmWave variant. Both the Google Pixel 5a and Google Pixel 6a work on every major US carrier; if you’re on an MVNO, you’ll want to confirm your carrier supports the phones—some MVNOs offer limited 5G support, even if the phone should theoretically work on the network.

The Pixel 6a supports the newer and faster Wi-Fi 6 standard, while the 5a is limited to Wi-Fi ac networks. The former also sports Bluetooth 5.2 vs. Pixel 5a’s Bluetooth 5.0. Google’s midrange Pixel 5a does have one ace up its sleeve: it features a 3.5mm headphone jack which the 6a misses out on.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Special features, software, and updates

The Pixel 5 launched in 2021 with Android 11 and is guaranteed to get Android version updates and security updates for three years, i.e., until at least October 2023. Thanks to the Tensor chip, Google promises to offer longer software support for the Pixel 6a. The phone is slated to receive OS upgrades for at least three years and regular security updates for five years.

Google Pixel 6a vs. Google Pixel 5a: Price and availability

Source: Google

The Google Pixel 6a is probably your best choice unless you’re willing to spend a little more money

Despite the bevy of improvements and the Tensor chip, the Pixel 6a carries the same price tag as last year’s 5a: $449. You will, however, have to shell out an additional $50 for the Verizon-exclusive mmWave version of the phone.

Google is also making amends with Pixel 6a’s availability after launching its last year’s mid-range device in just two countries: the United States and Japan. You will be able to get your hands on the phone in 14 countries starting July 28, 2022, including Australia, Canada, France the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Singapore, Spain, and more.

The Pixel 6a is a solid improvement over the 5a, though it is not an upgrade that you necessarily need to make. The additional power of the Tensor chip and the longer software support cycle are welcome additions, but the older camera sensors are a sore point. Nonetheless, the Pixel 6a is easily among the best Android phones in the market, and you can’t go wrong with it. If you’re willing to spend a little more money, the Google Pixel 6 might be a better choice; here’s how the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6a compare.

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