When the Google Pixel 6a was officially presented yesterday, there was only one question in my mind: Where is it sold? While the Google I/O rendering has left that query hanging, the good news is that the Pixel 6a ships to a select group of countries on a much larger scale than the Pixel 5a did.
In a disappointing move last year, Google decided to sell the Pixel 5a only in Japan and the US. However, the Pixel 6a phone, according to Google device availability pageIt’ll be in 12 counties where Google already sells Pixel 6 phones. It’s also coming to Puerto Rico, which currently doesn’t have access to the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro like the rest of the US. Good news for those who have felt left out of the fun of Google Tensor.
Google’s decision to limit the availability of the Pixel 5a is somewhat understandable given shipping issues and a global chip shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But at a time when the cost of living is rising, it is good that Google is making sure that its cheap phones are available to users who may need to replace old or broken phones.
Shoppers do not lack for choice in this segment of the smartphone market, with devices such as the iPhone SE (2022), Samsung Galaxy A53, OnePlus Nord 2, or OnePlus Nord N20. But more choice is always good, since more competition for users’ attention and money leads (in theory) to better products overall.
It’s especially good in the case of the Pixel 6a since Google brings a lot of fun software tricks to its own phones instead of building them into Android. This includes things like Live Translate to help you talk to others in real time, or Edit Magic Eraser which lets you recolor or remove objects that spoil your photos.
Poor availability was probably the Pixel 5a’s worst issue, but it had other drawbacks as well. Unfortunately, the lack of wireless charging has not been addressed with the Pixel 6a. We’re also interested in the Pixel 6a’s in-display fingerprint sensor, which moved from the back of the previous phone. The Pixel 6 sensor proved to be slow.
But overall, we are very optimistic about the new Google phone. In fact, the Pixel 6a could beat the iPhone SE with a larger screen and a more powerful camera system. Stay tuned for our full review later this summer.
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