Google's Pixel A series has been quite the king of mid-range Android phones. Packed with the latest processors from the latest flagships, the Tensor chip, the Pixel 6A ($449) has been quite the champ, despite some of the features being removed from the higher-end flagship models (6 and 6 Pro). Is the Google Pixel 6A really the Android's version of the iPhone SE of this year? Let's check it out!

What's Inside the Box?

Phone (OBVIOUSLY), 1m USB-C to USB-C cable (USB 2.0), Quick Start Guide, Quick Switch Adapter, & SIM tool

Design

Starting off with the design: classic! It's Google and OBVIOUSLY Pixel. Everything about this new phone is just like the previous flagships, the Pixel 6 and 6A, with the same software (Android 12 and 5 years of software support) but with cheaper hardware. As for these models, you have the two-tone colors, sage green, chalk grey, and charcoal black to choose from; a large camera bump across the back; Gorilla Glass 3 back glass on the back (a nice touch compared to the plastic back); and a tactile aluminum frame on the back.

Hardware

Let's check out the four major key components that make up a good mid-range flagship phone: the display, battery and charging, memory and storage, and cameras.

The Pixel 6A has a full-screen 6.1-inch (156 mm) display up to a refresh rate of 60 Hz. The 60Hz is a bummer for a $449 smartphone, as other budget mid-range phones these days have a 120 or even 165 Hz refresh rate. Someone who is coming from an older phone, wanting to upgrade, might not feel much of a difference here, but this is probably the choppiest display compared to other phones in the market this year. Furthermore, the Pixel 6A has an OLED display with FHD+ (1080 x 2400) pixels at 429 ppi (pixels per inch) and supports HDR video with a contrast ratio of >1,000,000:1 and a full 24-bit depth for 16 million colors, great for streaming movies and videos.

Battery & Charging: Overall, a great battery for a mid-range phone. A 4410 mAh battery with fast charging that can provide up to 24 hours of battery life and 72 hours on extreme battery saver. Unfortunately, wireless charging was removed from this model.

Memory & Storage: With 6 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128 GB of storage, the Pixel 6A is able to perform outstandingly as a midrange phone with its built-in Tensor processor chip.

Camera: The pixel 6A has a 12-megapixel sensor for both standard and ultra-wide cameras. Despite the fact that both cameras have 12 megapixels, they are powered by the Sony IMX363 processor, which you may recognize from previous models. a low-resolution camera module that, when combined with the latest Tensor processor chip, is really great at taking photos in a mid-range phone, capturing depth, highlighting highlights and shadows, and so on, also shooting 4K videos at 60 frames per second. Unlike the iPhone SE, the Pixel 6A is slightly better with its cameras since it has an additional ultra-wide.

Software

The Pixel 6A currently runs the latest version of Android 12, with 5 years of extended software updates and support. As usual, you have all the same android features that you would find on other android phones, with some exclusive pixel features like "At a Glance", which can display pertinent and upcoming information based on your customization. Live transcription and subtitles, speech to text translation, privacy settings, notification customization, and many more are available on the Pixel 6A just like on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. There is also an e-sim built into this phone, in addition to the normal sim card that you have on your phone. PIxel 6A is also built with the Titan M2 processor to securely protect your confidential information from being stolen. One new feature that is being introduced into the Pixel 6A is the "Hold For Me" feature, which holds on to your long, boring, and lazy calls for your car insurance or gas bills and alerts you back when a human picks up the phone to further continue the conversation with you. This is a great feature that I'm really excited about.

Is the Pixel 6A, Google's iPhone SE?

Overall, the Pixel 6A is a fantastic mid-range phone, due to its Tensor chip and processing combined with the cameras. The display is really something that I am disappointed in on this phone, as other mid-range phones have higher refresh rates. An additional point to note is that the fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6A is incredibly slow. As for answering the final question, "Is the Pixel 6A Google's iPhone SE?", for the most part, yes, but there are always improvements to be made. You could also check out the latest generation iPhone SE made by Apple (iOS) if you're willing to buy a mid-range phone or Samsung's A53 5G (Android) as alternatives.