I’m not sure why anyone would pay $150 more for a Pixel 7, when the Pixel 6a is this good.
The Pixel 6a is a major deal because of one word: Tensor, google's custom designed chip. The 6a's
battery life easily lasts me all day thanks to tensor. And for those times you need to eke
out a few more hours, Google's battery saver and extreme battery saver features work really well.
In terms of day-to-day performance, the only real difference I've noticed
between the 6a and the 7 is photo processing speed and of course screen refresh rate. The
6a’s 60 hertz screen does look noticeably slower next to the 7’s 90 hertz display.
It's also technically out of step compared to the Samsung Galaxy A53, which costs $399 US dollars.
What Google lacks though in screen quality and refresh rate, they certainly make up
for with camera quality. The 6A's camera hardware, while not the same as the Pixel 6,
still gets you extremely good photos and videos for $449 US dollars thanks to Tensor. Well lit
photos from the 6a’s main camera look pretty much indistinguishable from the higher priced
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. In lower light, because the 7 and 7 Pro have pixel-binning 50 MP sensors,
compared to the 12 megapixel sensors on the 6a, low light photos won’t look as
impressive. The 6a does come with night sight which uses computational photography and a long
exposure to capture pretty good looking shots considering how little light was around.
Tensor on the 6a has also significantly improved video quality. tThe 6a video
quality is extremely usable. Plus you also get the excellent cinematic mode
which looks just as good as footage taken on the 7 Pro in many scenarios.
Now at this point, you're probably thinking, okay, great, the 6a's camera system, it's so good,
I don't even need to consider the 7 or the 7 Pro and that's mostly true, unless you need to zoom.
Last week I was out in a park and wanted some footage of this cool crane on a dock,
if I just had the Pixel 6a, this is all I would have gotten. But with the 7 Pro’s telephoto
camera I was able to get much better footage that showed the crane zoomed in. Also note the 6a’s
camera system seems to pick up LED banding from my lights which isn’t something the 7 or 7 Pro do.
The 6a also makes it easier to remove people in the background of your photos
by utilizing Magic Eraser. And this feature also works well with photos you didn't take
with your pixel camera. There’s also a new mode that lets you de-emphasize the color
of an object so your eye isn’t drawn to it as much. You also get all the other helpful
camera features like the rule of thirds grid, level guide, selfie illumination,
and focus guide that make the Pixel camera system one of the best and easiest to use in my opinion.
But what about selfies? The processing of images is still excellent. Though there
is a bit of a color difference you’ll also lose out on a bit of detail with the 6a’s
smaller 8 megapixel sensor, compared to the 10.8 megapixel sensor on the 7 and
7 Pro and the bonkers 32 Megapixel sensor on the Samsung A53 phone.
Another thing to consider with the 6a, is real tone,
where the pixel will more accurately capture darker skin tones. Its the most premium feeling
A-series pixel to-date. It’s thermoformed composite back feels as slick as glass.
It’s alloy frame gives it a nice metallic feel. It’s also water resistant now too!
The speakers on the phone are good. And you can’t forget about the Android software
experience with features like the on-device Google Assistant, call screen, hold for me,
the fantastic security checkup settings area, material you color and icon theming,
living wallpapers and of course, home screen widgets.
The 6a will also work great and unlock exclusive features with Google’s ever
expanding ecosystem of devices like the PIxel Buds Pro, Pixel Watch, Chromebooks,
and the upcoming Pixel Tablet. So should you go for the 6a or should you wait for the 7a or should
you grab a 7 or 7 Pro while on sale? If you’re looking for a basic phone
to do things like take calls, photos, videos, and maybe play a game or two,
and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you should just get the Pixel 6a.
But what about the Pixel 7? While it’s only $150 more, I don’t think its worth it for the
90 hz display, slightly better camera system, wireless charging, and Face Unlock. I’d only go
for the 7 over the 6a if you find the 7 on sale and the price difference is $75 or $50 dollars.
If you’re looking at the 6a as well as the iPhone SE or Samsung A53, I’d still go with
the Pixel 6a. I’d choose it over the iPhone because of the more modern design and better
camera system and over the Samsung because of the camera system and software experience, however,
if you really care about screen refresh rate and higher megapixel camera sensors,
that’s where the Samsung A53 will beat the Pixel 6a.
The Pixel 6a is priced at $449 US dollars and comes in three colors.
I've left purchase links in the description, so you can check out the 6a's current price.
And if you're interested in learning more about the Pixel 7 and the 7 Pro,
you should check out the comparison video I did of both of these phones and you can get
to that video by clicking here. And don't forget to hit that thumbs up
button below if you like this video and found it helpful. Thanks for watching.