On the flip side, there’s not a lot that’s new in terms of camera hardware. The Pixel 6a’s primary camera is the same 12.2MP (f/1.7) sensor previously used by the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, while the 12MP (f/2.2) wide-angle unit is identical to the one found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. An 8MP (f/2) selfie camera sits inside a central hole punch notch on the front of the phone. What’s most bizarre, though, is its timing. The nine-month-old Pixel 6 has dropped in price since launch and currently isn’t far off what Google is charging for the Pixel 6a. If you can spare the extra cash, you’re better off going with Google’s flagship – if anything just for the slightly larger 6.4in 90Hz display and 50MP main camera. Very few phones can match the calibre of images it’s capable of capturing, and those that can are typically flagships costing twice as much as the Pixel 6a. Performance is also spot-on, not to mention that it uses one of the most colour-accurate displays I’ve ever laid eyes on. The 6.1-inch AMOLED display of the Pixel 6a offers a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+) and runs at a constant 60 Hz. In addition to HDR10, it also supports HDR10+ and HLG. HDR, Panorama, Bokeh Mode, Slow Motion, Time Lapse, AI Features, Scene Detection, Night Mode, Portrait Mode, Stereo Recording

Battery life is the only area where the Pixel 6a hasn’t done so well. This was to be expected – we found Tensor to be especially power hungry in our Pixel 6 review – but the Pixel 6a’s battery score is diminished by roughly three hours. Still, a result of 20hrs 47mins is very good, and should be enough to last you nearly two days on a single charge. If you intend to get the Pixel Buds Pro, too, you might stay away from Sage. The white case on the Buds Pro will go with anything, but the Lemongrass and Coral will clash. Fog's light blue might work well with it, but if you insist on being all matchy-matchy, you might want to go Chalk or Charcoal here. Where the Pixel 6a's Google-made Tensor processor mostly holds its own against similarly priced midrange phones, it's not a real competitor to top phones running the best silicon from Qualcomm. For hard-core gaming, you'll need to spend more on a flaghsip like the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro.B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B13, B14, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B29, B30, B32, B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B48, B66, B71 Pixel users are also the first who are able to enjoy new Android versions and also benefit from special software features such as the Magic Eraser, for example, which allows to easily remove particular objects from photos. Despite the relatively compact size, you still get a 6.1-inch OLED panel with a 60Hz refresh rate and a 2,400-by-1,080-pixel resolution. This equates to a fairly typical 20:9 aspect ratio and a pixel density of 429ppi. The display offers 24-bit color and, in use, the colors look quite good. The OLED panel provides excellent viewing angles, high contrast, and is sufficiently visible even in bright light. Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | Wild Life Extreme | Wild Life Unlimited Score | Wild Life Score | 2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics | 2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics | 2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited | 2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited | 2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics | 2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics Still images are just as impressive as light levels dim, too. The Pixel 6a did a tremendous job brightening the overall scene without altering the tint of the image, and it kept the light bloom from nearby street lamps to a minimum as well.

So there’s plenty to like about the Pixel 6a, then. Not that you should be surprised – after all, Google’s pedigree is well-documented at this point – but the Pixel 6a should still be applauded for squeezing this much stuff into a handset this affordable. More noticeable than the depth difference between the cameras is the fact Google's Pixel 6a's picture looks the best on the whole. Exposure is accurate, white balance is too, and there's a healthy amount of contrast, while shadow detail is more nuanced than it is on the Galaxy A53 5G.We also tested real-world gaming performance with WeTest PerfDog to monitor the average frame rate of a game over a session. With Alto's Odyssey, an entry-level game, the phone averaged 59.7fps. Though the 6a didn't hit a perfect average score of 60fps, we didn't perceive any frame rate drops in practice. Adding to its appeal, the Pixel 6a is on the smaller side compared with some competing devices. It measures 5.99 by 2.83 by 0.35 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.27 ounces. It's similar in size to the Pixel 5a (6.15 by 2.88 by 0.35 inches, 6.45 ounces), though the Apple iPhone SE (5.45 by 2.65 by 0.29 inches, 5.09 ounces) is considerably smaller and lighter.

Gaming performance is less stellar, though that's typically not a strong suit of midrange phones. On GFXBench's Aztec benchmark, the Pixel 6a averaged 24fps at its native resolution. That result vastly exceeds the A53 5G's score of 15fps at the same resolution, but it's still below the 30fps threshold for what we consider to be a quality gaming experience. Google saves on the resolution of the dual main camera of its latest budget smartphone: the 114° wide-angle and super-wide-angle modules only have 12 megapixels. However, the main camera is equipped with electronic and optical image stabilisation. It is possible to shoot videos in 4K at 60 fps. However, a telephoto lens is absent. In low light, the shots seem to be no match for their more expensive siblings, but the sharpness may be exaggerated. With the front camera, it is possible to create videos in Full HD at 30 fps. Above-Average Performance Moving on, the Pixel 6a is IP67 rated against dust and water ingress, meaning it should survive a dunk up to a depth of 1m for up to 30 minutes, and the front is coated in a protective layer of Gorilla Glass 3. The phone comes in a choice of three colours: Sage, Charcoal and Chalk (pictured here).

The Pixel 6a is a slim and powerful smartphone that is able to impress in almost all the important areas. The 6.1-inch Google smartphone scores with a very bright AMOLED with accurate colors, offers a solid battery life, and easily surpasses most other mid-range competitors with its dual-camera system. The device supports 18W wired charging, but wireless charging is, unfortunately, not available and not necessarily something we expect at this level. For reference, we fully charged the phone in 1 hour and 53 minutes. In the first 15 minutes of charging, the Pixel 6a reached a 14% charge, which is about what we expect for a device with 18W charging. Call quality is top-notch. Everyone we spoke to said we sounded clear and crisp over the Pixel 6a's mic. We measured the peak volume of the earpiece at 73.7dB, which is a little on the lower side; most phones average around 80dB. The speakerphone was closer to average, with a reading of 91.2dB. That's right in the 90-100dB range we typically expect. Since it never launched in the UK, I sadly don’t have the Pixel 5a benchmark test results for comparison, but suffice to say the performance gains between the now two-year-old Pixel 4a 5G and the new Pixel 6a are colossal.