We took over a week to cool off from the Google I/O conference. You were expecting my enthusiasm for some ads to subside now, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m more excited about the Pixel 6a than I’ve been with a phone in a long time.
Given the high cost of things, I’m happy to see such powerful phones that are on the lower end of the price spectrum. Whether it’s last year’s Pixel 5a, Galaxy A53, iPhone SE (2022) or even the OnePlus Nord N20, you can get a lot of money without exceeding $500.
What I think will set the Pixel 6a apart from its peers comes to the hardware. Not only has Google updated the A-series design to match the Pixel 6, but $449 will give you access to Tensor, the company’s in-house chipset built for AI and machine learning applications. And while the main camera is the same 12.2MP as the Pixel 5a, I think the 6a will prove to be the best camera phone at this price.
You were right about Tensor
Tensor is a really cool chip in practice. It allows for the best speech recognition you’ll find on a smartphone, plus other smart features like Magic Eraser, virtually instant language translation, and faster live captions. In fact, the list of hidden features of the Pixel 6, many of which are made possible by Tensor, is a long one.
I never liked using the voice-to-text feature on the phone, but that all changed when I got my hands on the Pixel 6 Pro. Suddenly, voice texts became more natural, as the phone was now able to pick up the exact cues for entering punctuation. That right should translate to the Pixel 6a.
The Pixel 6a will also be able to use Magic Eraser, an incredibly powerful photo editing tool that allows you to remove background objects from your photos with amazing precision. It’s not perfect, but for many pictures, it works like a dream. And now Google is upgrading it, letting you change some of the colors of objects in your shots.
The Tensor is also a top-tier processor, which means the Pixel 6a should run for periods about every other cheap Android phone. In fact, it seems that only the iPhone SE (2022) will be able to outperform it in terms of raw horsepower, but I think the 6a will carry many other advantages.
When I started compiling my wishlist for the Pixel 6a several months ago, I said I hope to see Tensor. Some called me crazy, so I feel confident about revealing Google. It’s hard to believe we’d get this chip for just $449.
I can’t wait to see the cameras
Some have expressed disappointment that the Pixel 6a won’t have the same 50MP main camera as the Pixel 6. I never expected Google to do this, especially since the company has used that same 12.2MP sensor for years, even as recently as the Pixel 5a.
The Pixel 6a will use a 12.2MP sensor for the main camera and will be joined by a 12MP ultrawide shooter. You might look at the latter and wonder, “Didn’t the Pixel 5a have a 16MP ultrawide camera?”
You would be right about that, dear reader. But the main difference here is that the Pixel 6a’s sensor has larger pixels, which means it can let in more light. That should translate into brighter shots.
The Pixel 5a amazed me with its photography prowess last year, and the Pixel 6 Pro even more so. I have a feeling the Pixel 6a will sit somewhere in the middle – it will have mostly the same sensors as the 5a, but the processing power of 6.
We should get some killer photos, while the inclusion of Night Sight should give the Pixel 6a a serious step up over the iPhone SE (2022). Google even pointed this out during the I/O keynote, which is one of the main differences between the Pixel 6a and the iPhone SE (2022).
Pixel 6a futuristic look
The Pixel 6a arrives in general availability on July 28, which is just over two months old. It’s time to wait for what I think will be Google’s hottest phone of the year. In fact, I think the Pixel 6a could be the hottest smartphone of 2022. I’ll obviously reserve full judgment for my reviewers, but I think the value proposition on paper is the best we’ve seen so far — and we’ll probably see that for the rest of the year.
Tensor at $449 got me even more excited, as I’ve used the Pixel 6 Pro practically every day since its launch. I know what the slide can do and what it unlocks for Android. I’m glad you’ll be able to use it for less than $500, which is a huge deal for a lot of people out there.
So you could say I’m counting down the days until the Pixel 6a comes out. Make sure to stick to the full review.
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