Google Pixel 6a – 128 GB-Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with 12 megapixel camera and 24-hour battery – Sage

Product Information

Video recording goes up to 4K and 60fps - which is all anyone really needs, if we’re being honest - with a range of modes like time lapse and slow motion. The front camera maxes out at 1080p though, a side effect of its 8MP sensor. The Pixel 6a has a 60Hz refresh rate, which means scrolling isn't quite as fluid compared to flagships — or, in fact, the Pixel 7a, which has increased the refresh rate to 90Hz. Google opted to use the same chip in the Pixel 6a as in the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro - its self-designed Tensor chipset - and this means the three phones are equally powerful. And don’t get us started on how long the Pixel lasted without battery saver on - our complaints would go on longer than the phone would last (well okay, there’s some hyperbole there, but we were seriously disappointed by the phone’s lasting power). The Pixel often struggled to last a full day of use, even when battery saver mode was active the whole time. And we’re not talking about a day of hardcore gaming, video recording and so on - the Pixel 6a struggled with everyday medium use.

Google Pixel 6a – 128 GB-Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with

The Google Pixel 6a, then, now offers better value than ever. That said, it would have been a more competitive phone, both against other Pixel phones and the slew of affordable phones on the market, if its starting price had been lower. The battery is 4,410mAh, which isn’t even small for a phone of this size, so we can’t get our heads around why it doesn’t last longer. The secret sauce, as always, is Google's machine learning, powered by its in-house Tensor chip. As in the Pixel 6, here, it powers a handful of impressive computational photography and video modes. Our favourite is 'Magic Eraser', which instantly removes unwanted subjects from images — perfect if you're taking pictures of busier city landmarks on holiday or you want to remove household items from your latest baby photo. The new Pixel 7a boasts the latest 2nd-gen version of this chip, but our long-term use hasn't changed our opinion on its performance: It's smooth and speedy to use, and we haven't encountered crashes or shuttering when taking snaps.The main camera produces very well-balanced photos, rich in detail and dynamic range across a range of light levels. The ultrawide is similarly good if slightly softer on fine details but it is consistent on colour and tone to the main camera, which isn’t the case for most at this price. The dedicated night sight mode produces great images in low light while the digital zoom is pretty good at 2x but unravels by 7x. Portrait mode is very good and works on objects and pets as well as people, while video quality up to 4K at 60 frames a second is solid. The 8MP selfie camera is similarly effective capturing a great amount of detail. The camera app has many of the features as Google’s other phones, including the object eraser or camouflage tools, which recolours distracting and unwanted elements of a photo to make them less obvious.

Pixel 6a replacement screen has a green hue - Google Pixel 6a Pixel 6a replacement screen has a green hue - Google Pixel 6a

The battery life issue won’t ruin the phone for everyone, but it does make you stop and think “can I use a phone that needs charging multiple times per day?” If you can, that’s great. But we imagine lots of people will rule out the phone based on this simple issue. Perhaps Google is hoping you won’t be using the phone much, because it’ll be plugged in and charging for so long each day. The 18W powering here means the phone takes nearly two hours to power up to full, which is impressively slow for a handset at this price. The Google Pixel 6a retains the same design language of its siblings, but there are a few changes - for better and worse.

What you need to know about the Google Pixel 6a

In tests, we found this hasn't changed on the Pixel 6a, despite the camera's primary lens being downgraded from a 50-megapixel (MP) wide-angle to a 12.2 MP wide-angle. (That's closer, at least on paper, to a Pixel 5.) You also get a 12 MP ultra-wide on the rear module of the 6a, while your selfies are shot in a solid 8 MP. We like that the 6a is thin and less chunky than the 6 or 7 Pro, sitting flush when on flat surfaces. Even after months of use, we're continually impressed with the sleek design. On the front there’s an 8MP f/2.0 selfie snapper, which is a little low-res compared to front cameras on rival devices, but the camera performs just fine.