The Pixel 6A is the latest phone to join the competitive upper tier of midrange phones, also occupied by Samsung, Apple, and more. Google announced the new phone onstage at its I/O 2022 keynote, detailing just a few key things about it. First thing you should know: it isn’t coming out immediately. Unlike how many announcements take place as products are on their way to retailers, this one won’t be available to preorder until July 21st, 2022, with orders shipping the following week.
Unsurprisingly, this new (and smaller) 6.1-inch Pixel phone borrows many of the same design features from the pricier Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, with a raised camera section and a two-toned color scheme. The Pixel 6A is a big deal, as it’s the first Google midrange phone to ship with its Tensor processor instead of Qualcomm processors. It will be available in multiple colors, but it will ship with the same 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, no matter which one you buy.
In case you’re curious about how the Pixel 6A might stack up to competing devices, like Samsung’s Galaxy A53 5G and the iPhone SE (third-gen), and how it improves over the last-gen Pixel 5A, we’ve built this post just for you.
Google Pixel 6A vs. other midrange phones
| Category | Pixel 6A | Pixel 5A | Samsung Galaxy A53 5G | iPhone SE (third-gen) | Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Pixel 6A | Pixel 5A | Samsung Galaxy A53 5G | iPhone SE (third-gen) | Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) |
| Network | 5G | 5G | 5G | 5G | 5G |
| Screen | 6.1-inch OLED display | 6.34-inch OLED display | 6.5-inch OLED screen | 4.7-inch LCD display | 6.8-inch LCD display |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | 120Hz | 60 Hz | 120Hz |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 | 1080 x 1920 | 1080 x 1920 | 750 x 1334 | 1080 x 2460 |
| Biometrics | Under-display fingerprint sensor | Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor | Under-display fingerprint sensor | Touch ID | Side-mounted fingerprint sensor |
| Battery | 4,400mAh | 4,680mAh | 5,000mAh | 2,018mAh, according to GSM Arena | 5,000mAh |
| Front Camera | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels | 32 megapixels | 7 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
| Rear Camera | 12.2 megapixels (12-megapixel ultrawide) | 12.2-megapixel main camera (16-megapixel ultrawide) | 64 megapixels (12-megapixel ultrawide, 5-megapixel macro) | 12 megapixels | 50 megapixels (8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel depth) |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB | 6GB | 4GB, according to GSM Arena | 8GB |
| Processor | Google Tensor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G | Exynos 1280 | A15 Bionic | Snapdragon 695 5G |
| Storage | 128GB | 128GB | 128GB | 64GB | 256GB |
| microSD support | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Headphone jack | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Price | $449 | $449 | $449 | $429 | $499 |
| Wireless Charging | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Water Resistant | IP67 | IP67 | IP67 | IP67 | "Water-resistant design" |
| Includes charger | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Colors | White, Green, Black | Black | Black | Black, White, Red | Blue, Green |
| Operating System | Preloaded with Android 12 | Preloaded with Android 11 | Preloaded with Android 12-based One UI 4.1 | Preloaded with iOS 15 | Preloaded with Android 12 |
Correction May 11th, 5:30PM ET: The spec comparison table listed that the Pixel 6A will support wireless charging, but it won’t. We’ve updated the table, and we regret the error.