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It has appeared in leaks, it has appeared in the US inventory, and even in Google’s official coloring book — the Google Pixel 6a is coming soon. The upcoming Pixel 6a from Google is said to spice up the mid-range smartphone market thanks to its high-end specifications and low price. Whether you’re interested in buying Google’s next affordable Android smartphone or are just curious about what Google is bringing to the table, here is a rumor roundup of the Google Pixel 6a combining all the leaks and rumors we have heard so far.
When will Google launch the Pixel 6a?
Leakers have suggested that we will get out first glance at the Pixel 6a at Google I/O Developer Conference next month. This could mean we could see Google announce the Pixel 6a on May 11, 2022, full three months before it was expected to be announced. For reference, Google launched the Pixel 5a and the Pixel 4a in the August month of their respective launch year. Google could be looking to launch the Pixel 6a a bit early to avoid confusion with the upcoming Google Pixel 7, which we expect to be introduced at the tail-end of 2022.
Pixle 6a: Display and Design
Leaked renders of the Google Pixel 6a have suggested that the smartphone is set to get a Pixel 6 like design treatment. The leaked images show us a large camera visor running horizontally across the back of the phone, housing the dual-camera module. Apart from the horizontal camera block, the Pixel 6a is also set to keep a dual-tone finish like its costlier siblings. Just like the baseline Pixel 6, the Pixel 6a is rumored to boast a flat screen in the front with the selfie camera sitting in the punch-hole cutout.
A source has revealed that the phone will have the dimensions of 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.7 mm. The renders have also revealed that the smartphone is set to miss a 3.5mm headphone jack. Moreover, no physical fingerprint sensor can be seen in the leaked images which could mean that the Pixel 6a could arrive with an under-display fingerprint reader like its flagship siblings. A leaker also posted a hands-on video with the Aluminum cut out of the Pixel 6a giving us an idea of how the smartphone might look in real life.
On the display side of things, the Pixel 6a is rumored to come with a 6.2-inch OLED display. This display will reportedly boast FHD+ resolution and support up to a 120Hz refresh rate. Even though the smartphone is said to come with a smaller footprint than the last-gen, this will be seen as a significant bump in the display as the last generation Pixel 5a only supports 90Hz refresh rate. This is the first time an a-series Pixel smartphone will get a 120Hz screen. As mentioned above, the display will also house an optical fingerprint scanner and a punch-hole selfie camera.
Google Pixel 6a Specifications (Rumored)
Google is tipped to introduce its own Tensor chipset to the a-series with the Pixel 6a. Google debuted the Tensor SoC with its Pixel 6 series and now it is expected to expand to the Pixel 6a as well. It was earlier reported that the Pixel 6a would get a toned-down version of the Tensor chipset. A report has since confirmed that Google will be keeping the same Tensor chipset found in the Pixel 6 series in the Pixel 6a.
Thanks to the powerful chipset, Google Pixel 6a will come with the same set of features as the Pixel 6 flagship series, such as Google Assistant voice typing, Live HDR, on-device translations, and photo-editing features like Face Unblur and Magic Eraser. Other specs of the Pixel 6a may include a big 4,800 mAh battery, 30W fast charging, 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, and more. You can find the whole set of rumored Pixel 6a specifications down below:
| Category | Google Pixel 6a (Rumored) |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 152.2 x 71.8 x 8.7 mm |
| Display | 6.2-inch, OLED, 1080 x 2400 pixels, 120Hz |
| Processor | Google Tensor chipset |
| Memory | 6/8GB |
| Storage | 128GB |
| Expandable Storage | No |
| Rear Camera | Main: 12.2MP, f/1.7, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS Ultra-wide: 12MP, f/2.2, 1.25µm |
| Front Camera | 8 MP, f/2.0, 1.12µm |
| Security | Under-display Optical Fingerprint Sensor, Pi, Pattern, Password |
| Connectivity | 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
| 3.5mm Headphone Jack | No |
| Battery | 4,800mAh |
| Charging | 30W |
| Colors | Sorta Seafoam, Stormy Black |
| Operating System | Android 12L |
| Announcement Date | 11 May 2022 (rumored) |
Pixel 6a: Camera and battery
The camera is expected to be one of the areas where Google is expected to cut some corners, so as to lower the price of the Pixel 6a than the vanilla Pixel 6. Unlike the Pixel 6’s flagship-grade camera system, the Pixel 6a is expected to come with the same dual-camera module as the Pixel 5a: a 12.2MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide camera sensor. However, the performance of the camera is expected to improve thanks to Google’s own fine-tuned ISP of its Tensor chipset.
On the battery side of things, the Pixel 6a is tipped to come with a large 4,800 mAh battery. This will be coupled with 30W fast wired charging — up from 18W in Pixel 5a. The Pixel 6a is not expected to support any sort of wireless charging, but nothing has been confirmed as of now. Thanks to the hefty battery combined with Google Tensor’s optimization, you can expect the Pixel 6a to last at least one full day.
What will be the operating system of the Google Pixel 6a?
Thanks to it being a first-party Google smartphone, the Pixel 6a is expected to run Android 12L (or whatever the latest version of Android is at the time of phone’s release) out of the box. Google-flavored Android 12 comes with a number of features including Material You design language, wallpaper-based UX theming, privacy features such as camera and microphone indicators, a privacy dashboard, and much more. In addition to a buttery-smooth Android experience, you can expect the Pixel 6a to get the latest updates and security patches faster than other mid-range Android smartphones.
Pixel 6a: Price, Colors, and Availability
The price of the Google Pixel 6a has not leaked, yet. But, with the Pixel 6a, Google might look to offer a competitive smartphone that goes against the likes of the 2022 iPhone SE and Samsung Galaxy A53 5G. Google already aggressively priced its baseline Pixel 6 at only $599 in the United States, undercutting a lot of flagship devices. With the Pixel 6a, the company might look to complete its presence across all the pricing tiers. A few reports claim that the Pixel 6a will start at the same price as the last-gen, i.e. at $449, but this could change at any moment.
Google is expected to announce the Google Pixel 6a at its I/O event next month, however, the final release and availability could be pushed to as far as July 28, 2022, as per Jon Prosser. If the report is to be believed, Google could delay the release of Pixel 6a for full two months after announcing it. A few reports have also suggested that the Google Pixel 6a will be available only in Sorta Seafoam and Stormy Black colors.
What we want to see
Here are some things that we would like Google to improve with the Pixel 6a:
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Improved performance and stability fixes: One of the issues reported by many Pixel 5a users was that the phone’s performance degraded severely just after a few months of usage. We hope Google fixes these issues with the Pixel 6a because other OEMs, especially Samsung and Apple, have improved a lot in the software update and software support departments for the mid-range smartphones.
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Fixed overheating: Another issue prominent among the Pixel 5a users was the overheating issue. Many users reported that the smartphone became hot to touch without playing games or using it for long durations. This issue seemed to be linked to its Snapdragon chipset. Now that Google is set to introduce the Tensor chipset in Pixel 6a, we hope the company can optimize it properly and there are no overheating issues on the upcoming mid-range smartphone.
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Better battery life: Despite featuring a hefty 4,680mAh battery, the Google Pixel 5a failed to last a day for many users. The company is reportedly planning to ship an even bigger 4,800 mAh cell in the Pixel 6a and we’re hoping Google fixes its battery woes with the upcoming A-series smartphone.
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Wireless charging: It’s been over a decade since Qi wireless charging was first introduced, and yet it remains a luxury that is present only in the flagship smartphones. With the Pixel 6a, we hope Google sets an example (and a trend) by adding wireless charging support to mid-range smartphones.
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Better international availability: Amid the supply chain issues and chip shortages, Google launched the Pixel 5a only in the United States and Japan. These issues still exist in 2022 and are expected to even last until the mid of next year. But we are hoping that Google has sorted them out, and launches the Pixel 6a in at least all the countries where Pixel 6 is available.
What are your expectations from the Google Pixel 6a? Are you looking to purchase the next Google mid-range smartphone? Or will you go ahead and purchase the Pixel 6 which is also available at an affordable price? Let us know in the comments section below!
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