The Pixel 6a is an Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

as part of the

Google Pixel Google Pixel is a brand of consumer electronic devices developed by Google that run either ChromeOS or the Android operating system. The Pixel brand was introduced in February 2013 with the first-generation Chromebook Pixel. The Pixel line inclu ...

product line. It serves as a mid-range variant of the Pixel 6 and

Pixel 6 Pro The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a pair of Android smartphones designed, developed, and marketed by Google as part of the Google Pixel product line. They collectively serve as the successor to the Pixel 5. The phones were first previewed in Au ...

. The device was announced on May 11, 2022 as part of Google I/O's keynote speech.

Specifications

Hardware

The Pixel 6a is built with an aluminum frame, a plastic back and Gorilla Glass 3 for the screen. The design includes a camera bar and two-tone color scheme on the back similar to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The device is available in Chalk, Charcoal, and Sage. It has stereo loudspeakers, one located on the bottom edge and the other doubling as the earpiece. A USB-C port is used for charging and connecting other accessories. The Pixel 6a uses the Google Tensor system-on-chip, with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of non-expandable UFS 3.1 internal storage. The Pixel 6a has a 4410 mAh battery, and is capable of fast charging at up to 18 W. It has an IP67 water protection rating. The Pixel 6a features a 6.1-inch 1080p OLED display with HDR support. The display has a 20:9 aspect ratio, and a circular cutout in the upper center for the front-facing camera. The Pixel 6a includes dual rear-facing cameras. The wide 27 mm f/1.7 lens has the Sony Exmor IMX363 12.2-megapixel sensor, while the ultrawide 114° f/2.2 lens has a 12-megapixel sensor; the front-facing camera uses an 8-megapixel sensor. It is capable of recording 4K video at 30 or 60 fps.

Software

The Pixel 6a ships with

Android 12 Android 12 is the twelfth major release and 19th version of Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. The first beta was released on May 18, 2021. Android 12 was released publicly on October 4 ...

at launch, coinciding with the

stable release A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

of Android 12 on the

Android Open Source Project Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of ...

. It is expected to receive 3 years of major OS upgrades and 5 years of security updates. The device received an update with a bootloader to activate modding in the first weeks after its release.

Known issues

The fingerprint sensor has security issues where it recognizes non-registered fingerprints. The device makes use of a different optical fingerprint sensor than the ones found on the higher-end Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices, and the issue seems to be unique to the Pixel 6a in particular. A software update was released in mid-September 2022 to potentially address these issues.

References

External Links

* {{Google Pixel Google hardware Android (operating system) devices Google Pixel Mobile phones introduced in 2022 Mobile phones with 4K video recording Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras Smartphones