Google’s Pixel line of smartphones by no means actually took off in India. Prior to the not too long ago launched Pixel 6a, the final smartphone to succeed in India was again in 2020, which was the price range Pixel 4a. Prior to that, there was a large hole with the final gadgets being the Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3XL, which have been launched in India again in 2018. Therefore, prospects in India who needed Google’s premium Pixel smartphones by no means received something past the Pixel 3 collection.

Google has now determined to carry its Pixel 6a to India, which is the successor to the Pixel 5a 5G. Compared to the common-or-garden Pixel 4a (Review), the Pixel 6a is an enormous leap ahead. There are new options, lots extra energy from the flagship-grade processor, and a much bigger battery. Its design even seems to be prefer it belongs to the extra premium Pixel 6 and 6 Pro household.

What’s worrisome although is its price ticket in India, together with some unusual {hardware} selections (show, RAM, and extra) that do not actually match into the premium mid-range phase right here. I’ve used the cellphone for a number of weeks and even made it by way of the milestone Android 13 replace, and this is what I give it some thought.

Google Pixel 6a worth in India

The very first thing concerning the Pixel 6a that will get your consideration is certainly its price ticket, which is Rs. 43,999 for the lone 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. It’s an enormous leap from the Pixel 4a (Rs. 31,999) which was extra of a mid-range machine when it launched. Thankfully, the Pixel 6a’s design has improved. It doesn’t look as fundamental because the Pixel 4a did, and is even obtainable in two finishes – Chalk and Charcoal – in India. Unfortunately, the Sage (inexperienced) color is not obtainable right here.

Google Pixel 6a design

The Google Pixel 6a’s physique just isn’t as premium because the Pixel 6 or the Pixel 6 Pro, but it surely nonetheless has good construct high quality and an IP67 score which is nice for a smartphone on this worth phase in India. The show glass is Corning Gorilla Glass 3 whereas the rear panel is comprised of plastic, with an aluminium alloy body holding all of it collectively.

While the show of the Google Pixel 6a remained smudge-free through the evaluate interval, the rear panel was a smudge and mud magnet and was additionally vulnerable to scratches. The raised digital camera module, fortunately, has a glass lens protecting the 2 rear cameras, however the remainder of the strip which can also be plastic is vulnerable to fingerprints. While the raised digital camera strip seems to be cool, the mud which retains gathering above and beneath it’s actually annoying and arduous to wash. Indeed, this cellphone is finest used with a case.

The Google Pixel 6a seems to be similar to the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro

There’s a hole-punch cutout within the show and the cellphone has moderately skinny bezels, save for the underside edge which is kind of thick. Despite being a smudgy mess when utilizing it, I preferred the in-hand really feel of the Google Pixel 6a because it’s small and lightweight (178g) sufficient for one-handed use. Those upgrading from the Pixel 4a would possibly discover it a bit larger and heavier, however I really feel this bigger show is a welcomed change.

Google Pixel 6a specs and software program

The Pixel 6a has the identical Tensor processor present in Google’s premium Pixel 6 and 6 Pro handsets. This SoC has been designed by Google and has a most clock pace of two.8GHz. It additionally has Google’s Titan M2 safety co-processor. Unlike most smartphones on this phase that supply a number of RAM choices, there’s solely 6GB of RAM within the Pixel 6a, and storage can also be restricted to 128GB with no room for growth.

Communications requirements embrace Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC and assist for the same old satellite tv for pc navigation techniques. The cellphone is powered by a 4400mAh battery and may cost as much as 18W, but it surely does not ship with a charger within the field. Compared to the Pixel 4a, the three.5mm headphone jack is lacking within the Pixel 6a. The cellphone fortunately has retained the stereo audio system which sounded high-quality and balanced however have been removed from finest at school.

I used the Google Pixel 6a with each Android 12 and Android 13. The Android 12 expertise was a stuttery mess with random bugs that you wouldn’t anticipate on a premium smartphone, least of all a Google smartphone. The Android 13 replace introduced some new options to the Pixel 6a, however total, felt extra refined and steady in comparison with 12.

The Google Pixel 6a has already obtained its Android 13 replace

Android 13 on the Google Pixel 6a introduces some good beauty additions, like a revamped media participant with a cleaner format, themes icons that now lengthen to third-party apps, and loads of color choices to select from when theming your machine. In phrases of safety, all apps now should request permissions earlier than posting a notification, and entry to pictures can now be restricted to a couple pictures as an alternative of granting entry to all the Photos app. Android 13 additionally provides the flexibility to assign a selected language to a selected app, which is useful particularly for customers in India.

The new clipboard function has a pleasant visible illustration of what is being copied and what’s saved within the cellphone’s reminiscence, whilst you go about day by day duties. Simply choose and replica textual content and the identical reveals up in a preview as a small block on the backside left nook of your show. Tapping on it even allows you to edit textual content earlier than copying it to a different app, which is good to have. The identical applies to photographs, the place copied photos may be edited in markup earlier than sharing it elsewhere.

Google claims that its Pixel smartphones will obtain updates for a minimum of 5 years from when the machine first grew to become obtainable. Google guarantees assured Android software program updates till July 2025 and safety updates till July 2027, which is nice to have.

Google Pixel 6a efficiency

The Google Pixel 6a’s show produced saturated colors when used with the default Adaptive setting however was toned down fairly a bit with the Natural color setting. With a full-HD+ decision, the show appeared fairly sharp with textual content and pictures and I didn’t have any issues viewing it outdoor below direct daylight. The 6.1-inch OLED panel additionally helps HDR10+ and did an excellent job of showcasing the identical when viewing supported content material. Unfortunately, it is solely 60Hz which is an enormous disadvantage for a premium mid-range Android smartphone.

The software program efficiency, by way of total smoothness, improved drastically after the Android 13 replace. Multitasking with 6GB of RAM was additionally not an issue. Still, the software program didn’t really feel as fluid in comparison with the expertise you get on different equally priced smartphones due to their high-refresh fee shows.

The Google Pixel 6a’s OLED show has a regular 60Hz refresh fee

The fingerprint sensor on the Google Pixel 6a had a serious safety bug once we first obtained the cellphone again in July. We have been in a position to unlock the cellphone even with an unregistered finger. This was later fastened with a software program replace. I did have some bother unlocking the cellphone as soon as Android 13 was put in, however re-registering my fingerprints solved the problem. However, it wasn’t all the time dependable because it refused to unlock at occasions, regardless of repeated makes an attempt, forcing me to key within the safety PIN.

The Google Pixel 6a scored 7,07,603 factors in AnTuTu together with 1,047 and a pair of,923 factors in Geekbench’s single and multi-core assessments, respectively. In phrases of graphics efficiency, the cellphone managed 60fps and 52fps in GFXBench’s T-Rex and Car Chase assessments. These outcomes are on par with most premium smartphones that the Pixel 6a will compete with, together with the the Xiaomi 11T Pro which did carry out higher in graphics benchmarks.

While artificial benchmarks did paint a reasonably image, the Google Pixel 6a did take a success with real-world gaming efficiency. Call of Duty: Mobile labored finest on the High graphics and High framerate settings. Performance took a success after taking part in the sport for about quarter-hour on the Very High settings, after which the sport started to lag and stutter. The Pixel 6a fared higher with extra informal video games. The cellphone didn’t warmth up a lot whereas taking part in, however did get fairly sizzling when recording video outdoor. Serious avid gamers ought to keep away from this one.

The Google Pixel 6a lasted 13 hours and 12 minutes in our HD video loop battery check, which was a bit decrease than what I anticipated protecting in thoughts its commonplace 60Hz refresh fee show. I managed to get a few day’s price of battery life with heavy use which included about an hour of gaming, and round half-hour of digital camera utilization.

Avoiding gaming or digital camera use fully received me a few day and half of battery life. This appeared fairly good for an informal person however not for energy customers. Since the cellphone doesn’t include a charger, I plugged it right into a 61W USB PD charger, which took the cellphone one hour and 50 minutes to completely cost. This was fairly sluggish in comparison with gadgets just like the Realme GT Neo 3 (150W) and the OnePlus 10R 5G Endurance Edition, which assist 150W charging.

Google Pixel 6a cameras

The Google Pixel 6a packs in a modest digital camera setup in comparison with the opposite smartphones on this phase. There’s a 12.2-megapixel main digital camera (with OIS) and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle digital camera on the again, and an 8-megapixel front-facing digital camera. The digital camera interface stays much like what we have now seen on earlier Pixel smartphones, with fast settings hidden below a gear icon.

Thanks to the Tensor processor, we have now software program options just like the Magic Eraser device that lets customers erase or camouflage undesirable objects in a picture. The outcomes aren’t good, however the function is useful when you really want to wash up that good Instagram-worthy shot.

The Camouflage possibility within the Magic Eraser device appeared to do a extra delicate job in comparison with the Eraser possibility

Photos captured in daylight have been sharp and clear with good dynamic vary and the same old contrast-heavy look that Google’s Pixel smartphones are identified to ship. I preferred that I may alter the white stability and publicity of the pictures utilizing the sliders within the viewfinder earlier than taking the shot, however these solely confirmed up once I tapped the display screen to focus.

Google Pixel 6a daylight digital camera samples: (prime to backside) Primary digital camera, ultra-wide-angle digital camera, selfie digital camera (faucet to see full measurement)

Google’s choice to go together with tried and examined sensors (the first digital camera comes from the Pixel 3), together with its heavy machine studying optimisations, manages to seize a number of particulars. This utilized to each the first and the ultra-wide-angle cameras. The ultra-wide digital camera was undoubtedly one of many extra usable ones I’ve seen on a smartphone at this worth level and captured high quality photos with good dynamic vary in all types of lighting circumstances.

Selfies got here out sharp and clear in daylight however appeared a bit smooth and with much less element in low mild. Edge detection was spot on in Portrait mode and so was the dynamic vary.

Google Pixel 6a low mild digital camera samples. (prime to backside) Primary digital camera, ultra-wide-angle digital camera (faucet to see full measurement)

In low mild, the first digital camera captured sharp photos with good dynamic vary. By default, it robotically switched to Night Sight, taking longer exposures when wanted. Videos captured at 1080p have been common at finest with a cropped view and delicate purple fringing. 4K movies had the perfect particulars and dynamic vary. Low-light video high quality was common and 60fps footage had a number of noise.

Verdict

At Rs. 43,999, Google’s Pixel 6a positive will get the job executed for informal customers and cell pictures fanatics. Google’s gamble of going with a high-end processor however slicing corners in some areas reminiscent of design, show, and system reminiscence appears to have paid off.

However, energy customers in search of premium construct high quality, strong gaming efficiency, sooner charging, and a fluid software program interface might want to take a look at competing smartphones as an alternative. The Xiaomi 11T Pro (Review) (begins from Rs. 39,999), the Oppo Reno 8 Pro (Review) (at Rs. 45,999), and the OnePlus 10R Endurance Edition (Review) (Rs. 39,999) are all wonderful options to the Pixel 6a.

There’s additionally the Google Pixel 6 which is presently available unofficially (with out guarantee) at round Rs. 43,500 and is certainly higher worth than the 6a due to a 90Hz show, an IP68 score, 8GB RAM, 50-megapixel main digital camera, and a much bigger battery together with wi-fi charging.

The Google Pixel 6a is in no way an all-rounder, however it’s nonetheless a really distinctive providing that ought to attraction to patrons who’re keen to place good digital camera efficiency and well timed software program updates above all the pieces else.