Google Pixel 6a, analysis: the winning formula of the Pixel.

The day has come: the Google Pixel 6a is officially out after it was unveiled at the previous Google I/O . This mobile embodies the cheapest bet of the company, it should be the choice to make for those looking for the three “BBB” in a phone . Although the question is: does it deliver what it promises? I analyze it to verify it. I was faced with the Google Pixel 6a with the experience of having the Google Pixel 6 as a personal mobile from the first day of launch. They do not differ too much from each other from the outside beyond their size, both offer hardware with more similarities than differences and make the “Pixel experience” their personal bet to erect their banner within the crowded Android catalog. Let’s see what my experience has been with the cheapest Google mobile of this 2022.

Technical sheet of the Google Pixel 6a

Design: robust, solid and quite compact for the usual

There’s no better way to define the design of the Google Pixel 6a: it’s a reduction in size compared to the Pixel 6. As if Google wanted to star in the movie “Honey, I Shrunk the Phone” . And without this being bad, quite the contrary: used as I am to my Pixel 6, I have found myself much more comfortable with the new model. In fact, I have discovered that I preferred to leave the big one at home to take the small one out; all despite the fact that the Google Pixel 6a hardware implies a reduction in features, as I will detail later. The new mobile maintains the solid aluminum body and the lines that make the Pixel 6 family unique. With an appearance full of charisma, the Pixel 6a offers very rounded metal edges that greatly facilitate the grip , its rear face is made of plastic (it imitates glass so well that I was even fooled by the touch), it slips in the hand (quite a bit) and retains grease, all with an exquisite color contrast between the variations of green. And what to say about the strip for the rear cameras, it is the most distinctive element of the family. This strip protrudes much less than in the Google Pixel (below a millimeter). And it is quite exposed to scratches.

Google keeps the physical buttons on the right side with the order altered from what is usual in Android: volume down and power up . Personally I find it somewhat annoying, although it all takes getting used to (most of the time I try to turn the phone on by pressing the volume down button, which forces me to locate the correct button by sight). Clean sides like the top edge (one of the phone’s micros is located here; it has two), very generous frames around the screen ( the top and bottom areas are not symmetrical to each other ), hole for the front camera in the area center top of the panel and a lower edge with USB C and the main output of the dual stereo speakers (the nano SIM tray is on the right side). The other speaker is located above, in the call earpiece.

Display: Vibrant, colorful and high quality

The drop in category with respect to the Pixel 6 does not affect the screen too much: our protagonist offers an AMOLED panel that reduces the dimensions to 6.1 inches . It maintains the Full HD + resolution, the hole for the front camera, offers HDR10 +, is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and the refresh rate remains at 60 Hz. The smaller diagonal of the phone does not make the visual experience fall: the Google Pixel 6a looks like a charm . Natural and customizable color reproduction in three settings, correctly adjusted for saturation, very sharp, with a high level of detail, excellent contrast and with a touch response similar to that of the Pixel 6. The screen flows seamlessly and offers adequate maximum brightness for most situations (in the sun I do miss a little more brightness). The minimum brightness bothers in full darkness, although you can always reduce it by going to the accessibility settings. When it comes to the automatic change in lighting levels, I have not encountered any problems: the brightness adjusts itself well to different environments and situations .