- What makes a Pixel phone, a Pixel phone?
Is it that it runs stock Android?
Has a great camera?
Or that it gets software updates quickly?
Historically, it's been a little bit of all of the above,
but starting with Pixel 6 series,
there's a new feature at the forefront
of the Pixel identity, Tensor.
If you need evidence, then look no further
than the new Pixel 6A.
Case in point,
a couple of years ago, having a Pixel phone
meant having one of the best smartphone cameras
available on the market,
up there with Apple and Samsung,
whether you bought the high-end version
or the cheaper A series device.
That's not the case with this year's 6A.
The Pixel 6 and Pro use a new 50 megapixel sensor
for their main cameras.
But the 6A uses last year's 12 megapixel sensor.
Instead, Google is going all in on Tensor.
It's custom-built processor
as the defining feature of a Pixel phone,
while the camera takes a backseat.
It's a hint at what Google's priorities are
for future developments.
And it also happens to make the 6A
a very good mid-range phone.
Just like in previous years,
the 6A is essentially a paired down version of the Pixel 6
and to a lesser degree, the flagship 6 Pro.
Compared to the Pixel 6, the 6A is a little smaller
with a 6.1-inch screen instead of 6.4 inches
with fewer high end features like a standard refresh rate
rather than a 90 Hertz screen,
no wireless charging,
and a plastic back panel rather than glass.
Oh, and it's cheaper, $449 compared to 599.
You also get a little less RAM
and slightly less robust water resistance.
Also it happened.
Google got rid of the headphone jack on the 6A,
the last holdout in the Pixel series.
He had a good run, buddy.
The 6A also looks merely identical to the 6 and 6 Pro
with its pronounced horizontal camera bump,
black rail, and the two-tone color treatment.
The color options are a little less interesting.
There's just white, black in this sort of sage,
no kinda coral here.
It comes with 128 gigs of storage and 6 gigs of RAM,
which is too less
than the base configuration of the Pixel 6.
Size is maybe the biggest differentiator
between the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6A.
Pixel 6 is definitely a big phone with its 6.4-inch screen.
The 6.1-inch screen on the 6A is still relatively big,
but it feels much smaller
even though the size difference is only a few millimeters
here and there.
You can kind of use it with one hand, which I appreciate.
There's another difference here
that you can't see on the surface,
the in-display fingerprint sensor.
It's one of the features that a lot of 6 and 6 Pro owners
have criticized as slow and inaccurate,
especially compared to Samsung's flagships.
The 6A uses a different sensor,
but I can't say I've seen a huge difference.
Sometimes, it feels a little faster,
but it still trips up
and asks me to re-scan my finger occasionally.
I wouldn't expect a mid-range phone
to have a lightning fast in-display fingerprint sensor.
So it's a little easier to excuse on the 6A than the 6 Pro.
Just don't expect a night and day difference
if that's something you disliked about the Pixel 6
and you were hoping that the 6A would do better.
The 6A may be smaller, but thanks to Tensor,
it's just as mighty as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
Performance is snappy for day to day stuff
like jumping between apps,
typing out emails, and scrolling social media.
It even handles heavier tasks
like 3D rendering and graphics heavy gaming well.
And there's very little cameras shutter lag,
not true of every mid-range phone.
This is flagship performance from a phone
that costs half as much as a flagship.
Including Tensor also means
that the 6A gains its machine learning
and AI-driven features like live on-device transcription
that's more accurate
and less power hungry than previous versions.
There are also some new features in the phone app
to estimate hold wait times
and transcribe numeric menu options
so you don't have to listen
to a prerecorded list over again.
More importantly,
it means the 6A gets the same software support lifespan
as the 6 and 6 Pro,
including five years of security updates.
It's also equipped for whatever Tensor based AI features
Google may add in the future.
Battery performance on the 6A is good
and that tight integration between software and hardware
is at least partly responsible.
With lighter use, I can get through a day and a half
on a single charge,
and a full day of heavy use is no problem.
There's relatively fast 18-watt wire charging,
but no charger included in the box.
It may be different than what the 6 and 6 Pro offer,
but the Pixel 6A's camera system is still really good
for a mid-range phone.
There's just a main stabilized standard wide lens
and an ultra wide on the rear panel, which is just fine.
No mediocre, macro and depth sensors here.
Photos in good light are contrasty
with a slightly cool color tone.
Google has put a lot of emphasis
on its improved skin tone processing,
and portraits look good with flattering color.
It's not front and center anymore,
but a high quality camera is still very much part
of the Pixel identity.
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro where Google's first step
towards a new identity
with machine learning and AI-driven features
at the forefront and the 6A is following right behind.
Google wants its phones to be known
for more than good cameras.
Putting Tensor in the 6A, says it's much loud and clear.
The 6A gets a lot right.
Battery life is very good.
Day to day performance is excellent.
And of course, the camera is still topnotch
for the mid-range class.
It doesn't offer the best screen in its price bracket.
That honor goes to the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G,
and it's 6.5-inch OLED with a 120 Hertz refresh rate.
But the 6A is undoubtedly the better choice
for clean software and flagship worthy performance.
It's a Pixel, all right.
- Hey, all, thanks for watching.
It's been a really busy summer.
And something tells me it's about to get even busier.
So don't forget to subscribe,
and I'll be seeing you again very soon.