Google recently announced the Pixel 6a, and enthusiasts are already comparing the smartphone with its predecessor, the Pixel 5a. To recall, the first Pixel ‘a’ series smartphone came out in 2019 as the Pixel 3a. With the Pixel 6a, Google is betting against budget models from other companies like Samsung and Apple. The Pixel 6a was announced alongside a couple of devices, including the Google Pixel Buds Pro, Pixel 7, Pixel Watch and an Android tablet that will be released by the company next year.
The Pixel 5a was launched in August 2021, a month before Google rolled out the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The smartphone comes with a balanced combination of performance and battery life. At $449, the Google Pixel 5a is the oldest device available on Google Store. It is the affordable version of the Pixel 5 launched in 2020 but comes with the same Snapdragon processor and cameras. While it was launched with Android 11, the smartphone has already got the Android 12 update.
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The Google Pixel 6a comes with a 6.1-inch OLED display with a resolution of 429 pixels per inch. Unfortunately, the smartphone’s display only supports a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. On the other hand, the Pixel 5a features a slightly larger albeit less sharp display at 6.34-inch and 413 pixels per inch. One can differentiate between the two smartphones by looking at the front-facing camera. The Pixel 5a has it in the top left corner, while the Pixel 6a has it in the center. Except for the high brightness mode on the newer smartphone, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and support for HDR display is standard on both devices.
Pixel 6a Vs. Pixel 5a
Performance is one of the key aspects of the Google Pixel 6a. The device comes with Google Tensor, a 2.8 GHz octa-core chipset built on Samsung’s 5nm architecture. Tensor scores about 718K points on the Antutu benchmark, which places the chipset in the flagship segment with others like Snapdragon 888 and Dimensity 1200. Compared to Tensor, the 2.4 GHz Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5a is about half as powerful. While both smartphones can handle multitasking and high-res video recording, the Pixel 6a should be able to execute demanding tasks with ease. While both the smartphones have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the Pixel 6a features newer and faster memory. In addition, Google has improved device security by equipping the Pixel 6a with the Titan M2 security coprocessor. Talking about connectivity, the regular Pixel 6a and Pixel 5a from the Google Store support sub-6 5G networks. However, Verizon’s Pixel 6a model supports mmWave 5G as well.
When it comes to cameras, both the Pixel 5a and the Pixel 6a have dual-rear camera setups. The primary sensor on these devices has a resolution of 12.2MP (f/1.7) and supports both optical and electronic image stabilization. However, the Pixel 6a features a 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide sensor instead of the 16MP (f/2.2) ultrawide sensor on the Pixel 6a. The front camera on both devices is an 8MP (f/2.0) shooter. Benefitting from Google’s advancements in computational photography, the Pixel 6a will support features like Magic Eraser, Real Tone, Face Unblur, and manual white balancing. In addition to these features, Google claims that the Pixel 6a can last beyond 24 hours with its 4410 mAh battery, slightly smaller than the 4,680 mAh battery on the Pixel 5a. While the former supports 18W wired charging, the latter tops at 12W. Those who like to listen to music via a wired headset might be disappointed as the Pixel 6a does not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The most striking difference between the Pixel 5a and the Pixel 6a is their design. The Pixel 5a has a metal unibody design found on the Pixel 4a. It has a bezel-less display, a square camera cutout on the rear panel, and a dedicated fingerprint scanner. On the contrary, the Pixel 6a carries forward the design language of the Pixel 6 series. It has the iconic camera visor on the rear panel, with a dual-tone finish. The Pixel 6a makes for a solid upgrade over the Pixel 5a, especially for those who want more processing power and a flagship-like exterior. For $449, the Google Pixel 6a will come in three different finishes. It will be available to pre-order from July 21, 2022.
Next: Pixel 6a Vs. Pixel 6: How Google’s Cheaper Android Phone Compares
