Google Pixel 6a — First impressions are good, very good

So you might have heard that there’s a new Google phone coming called the Pixel 6a. Well it’s been on our test bench for a week now and it’s fair to say, the first impressions are good. It’s far too early in our testing to be publishing a full review, but it’s certainly time to share our first thoughts.

A consistent look and feel

Unboxing these days is pretty dull; you’ll get the phone, a cable, maybe a converter and some basic instructions. The Pixel 6a is no exception to that, but once you get the phone setup you’re in for a budget-friendly treat. It looks and feels like it belongs among the full Pixel 6 range. The phone feels solid which often isn’t the case with budget models and, at a glance, it would be very easy to mistake the 6a for the Pixel 6. Google has done a great job of making the Pixel 6a belong, meet a budget and not feel as though you’re missing out.

The specs aren’t quite as sharp as some of the other devices on the market, but keep in mind this is built to a budget. At $749.00, and already available for pre-order through the Google store and usual retailers.

You’ve got three colours to choose from: Sage, Chalk and Charcoal with each offering a clean visual aesthetic.

The internals of note include:

• 4,410mAh battery with Fast Charge
• 128GB UFS 3.1 storage
• 6GB DDR5 RAM
• Google Tensor Processor – The same as the Pixel 6 Pro
• Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC

The screen is a 6.1-inch at a 20:9 aspect ratio and running FHD+ (1080 x 2400) at 60Hz refresh and 429ppi. The whole screen is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for decent protection. That said, it does feel slippery to the touch so I’d recommend a case to ensure the longevity of the device.

Early days, performance is impressive

It’s not — yet at least — provided any moments of concern with regard to the performance of the device. The Tensor processor and 6GB of memory (a minimum for reliable performance now) do a great job of providing and maintaining performance. Even with heavy use throughout the day including email, streaming media, calls, messaging (multiple apps) and work for Ausdroid the performance was maintained, at least until the battery died.

As we already said, it’s still pretty early days so stay tuned for our full review on the site in a couple of weeks’ time. In the meantime, if you’ve got any questions hit us up in the comments.