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Now that the Google Pixel 6a is out, it's time for us to do a comparison of this new 5G mid-ranger from Google, and its predecessor – the Google Pixel 5a. Let's see what kind of upgrades we're dealing with, and whether you'll have enough reasons to sell the older one and buy the brand new mid-range Pixel.
AT&T Pixel 6a from Walmart
$10
25/mo
The Pixel 6a is also available at Walmart. This version is AT&T locked. Starting at $10.25/month for 36 installments.
The Pixel 6a is available for purchase on Amazon with a nice discount that makes it a sub-$300 phone.
Expired
The noise-canceling Google Pixel Buds Pro up for sale to go with your Pixel phone
You can now buy the Google Pixel Buds Pro to go with your favorite Pixel 6a, Pixel 6, or Pixel 6 Pro color. The first major effort to create Pro earbuds resulted in Pixel Buds with Active Noise Cancellation and a whopping 11 hours of battery life on a charge.
The Google Pixel 6a was officially unveiled on May 11, 2022. Pre-orders opened on July 21, and shipping began on July 28, 2022. Price: $449 for the base 128GB model.
The Pixel 5a was released back on August 26, 2021, with the exact same starting price of $449 for, again, the base model with 128GB of storage.
Pixel 6a vs Pixel 5a: Design and colors
The Pixel 6a (left) and Pixel 5a (right)
The design of the new Google Pixel 6a has changed quite a bit from its predecessor, now resembling the flagship Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, mainly by adopting their wide, horizontal camera module. The older Pixel 5a has a square one instead.
That aside, both of these mid-rangers look modern and premium, with minimal bezels and a holepunch selfie camera up front, although the new Pixel 6a does have slightly smaller bezels, and its selfie camera has been moved to the top center. It's also noteworthy that the Pixel 5a has a matte back, while the Pixel 6a's back is glossier.
As we can see from our size comparison above, the Pixel 6a is both a bit more compact and a bit lighter than the Pixel 5a. We're also getting less rounded corners on the former, which is actually a nice way to squeeze out a tiny bit more screen real estate.
Pixel 6a vs Pixel 5a: Display
The Pixel 6a's display (left) and Pixel 5a's screen (right)
In terms of display differences, the new Pixel 6a doesn't really bring anything worth noting over its predecessor, aside from the 6a being slightly smaller. We'll let our display benchmarks speak for themselves:
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
As we can see, the Pixel 6a is quite an improvement over the Pixel 5a in terms of max brightness. While the Pixel 5a could feel a bit dim under certain conditions, the Pixel 6a should be comfortable even under sunlight. As for the color temperature of both displays, they're both about equally good.
Let's look at the actual display specs of each phone, starting with the Pixel 6a's display specs:
Pixel 6a display specs:
6.1-inch, OLED
60 Hz refresh rate
1080p resolution
431 PPI (pixels per inch)
Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3)
Last year's Pixel 5a has a 6.3-inch OLED display with the following specs:
Pixel 5a display specs:
6.3-inch, OLED
60 Hz refresh rate
1080p resolution
415 PPI (pixels per inch)
Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3)
Unfortunately the Pixel 6a does not bring 120Hz display refresh rate, but it remains with the more traditional 60Hz, just like its predecessor. Other than that, no huge differences in the raw display spec numbers. It's worth noting that both phones' screens are covered with Gorilla Glass, which is always welcome.
Pixel 6a vs Pixel 5a: Hardware and performance
The Pixel 6a (left) and Pixel 5a (right)
The new Google Pixel 6a is powered by the search engine giant's own Google Tensor GS101 processor and 6GB of RAM. In our recent Google Pixel 6a review we found the phone to offer excellent performance both for casual use and heavy gaming. However, we noticed that the Pixel 6a could get uncomfortably hot during longer gaming sessions in games such as Genshin Impact, which is something to be aware of, if you're a hardcore gamer yourself. This phone's cooling under heavy loads might not be the best.
The Pixel 5a is instead powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, paired again with 6GB of RAM. In our Google Pixel 5a review we weren't exactly impressed with its performance, but it is still a good phone for casual use, and for playing the occasional not-too-demanding game.
Let's look at our performance benchmarks for both phones and see the raw numbers:
If the T-Rex HD component of GFXBench is demanding,then the Manhattan test is downright gruelling.It's a GPU-centric test that simulates an extremely graphically intensive gaming environment that is meant to push the GPU to the max. that simulates a graphically-intensive gaming environment on the screen. The results achieved are measured in frames per second, with more frames being better.
As is quite apparent, the Pixel 6a is a huge step up from the Pixel 5a in terms of performance, crushing its predecessor in most of our tests, by far. However, again, do keep in mind that the 6a can get uncomfortably hot when pushed for a long time (e.g. 20 minutes of playing Genshin Impact).
Pixel 6a vs Pixel 5a: Cameras
The Pixel 6a's horizontal camera module (left) and Pixel 5a's square one (right)
The Pixel 6a has dual cameras inside of its large, horizontal camera module – a 12.2MP main and 12MP ultra-wide. Those are both Sony sensors, the IMX363 and IMX386 respectively. New camera features that one has are most notably an enhanced Magic Eraser, capable of removing distracting objects from photos, better Night Sight and Real Tone.
The 2021 Pixel 5a packs dual main cameras – 12.2 MP one and a 16 MP (Ultra-wide) one. Those can record video at up to 3840x2160 (4K UHD) and 60 frames per second. The Pixel 5a's front camera is an 8 MP shooter capable of 1920x1080 (Full HD) video recording.
Pixel 5a camera samples
Let's look at our camera samples for both phones and compare the results, starting with video...
It's fair to say that both phones are capable of delivering some great video footage in good lighting. Small differences include the Pixel 5a having a bit stronger contrast and sharpening, while the Pixel 6a brightens the darker spots of an image more, making everything easier to see.
Both phones can switch from the main camera to the ultra-wide on the fly, during video recording, and the results exhibit the same over-sharpening and slightly stronger contrast on the Pixel 5a over the Pixel 6a's nicer and more normalized image.
Same goes for nighttime video recording, with both phones struggling, but the Pixel 5a having significantly worse over-sharpening and blown out brighter spots, while the Pixel 6a produces softer and more color-accurate nighttime videos.
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The video stabilization of both phones is quite good, and about on par. And we can say the same for the microphone quality.
Now let's compare the Pixel 6a and the Pixel 5a's cameras with some still sample photos.
< Pixel 6aPixel 5a >
As we can see from those daytime sample photos taken with both phones' main cameras, there's hardly any difference worth talking about. Both the Pixel 6a and the Pixel 5a should be more than suitable for those who like taking lots of pics in good lighting conditions.
< Pixel 6aPixel 5a >
In the shot above we can notice that the Pixel 6a produces slightly warmer images, while the Pixel 5a is ever so slightly more washed out and more notably, over-sharpens the image more, which can get unappealing, especially while zooming in.
< Pixel 6aPixel 5a >
Above is a difficult nighttime shot, but both phones produce respectable photos in the dark. Looking at the leaves of the tree we can see that the Pixel 6a has captured more detail, and again, more accurate colors, as opposed to the Pixel 5a, which made those blurry and their color colder.
Pixel 6a vs Pixel 5a: Battery
The Pixel 6a's battery size is 4410mAh, and it's capable of fast charging at up to 18W.
The Pixel 5a's battery size is slightly larger at 4680 mAh, but the phone's supported wired fast charging speeds are the same, at up to 18W.
No wireless charging for either phone, unfortunately.
During our Pixel 6a testing, we found it to be a comfortable day-and-a-half device under heavy use, but it could likely last longer with normal or light usage.
During our usual battery life testing for our Pixel 5a review, we found it to be a respectably long-lasting device too.
Check out our battery benchmarks below to see what you can expect in terms of raw numbers.
As we can see, the older Pixel 5a outperforms the Pixel 6a when it comes to battery endurance, but again, the 5a is a much less powerful phone, which plays a big role in how long its battery lasts.
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Rado, a tech enthusiast with a love for mobile devices, brings his passion for Android and iPadOS to PhoneArena. His tech journey began with MP3 players and has evolved to include tinkering with Android tablets and iPads, even running Linux and Windows 95 on them. Beyond tech, Rado is a published author, music producer, and PC game developer. His professional work on iPads, from producing songs to editing videos, showcases his belief in their capabilities. Rado looks forward to the future of mobile tech, particularly in augmented reality and multi-screen smartphones.
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