Opinion: During a packed I/O showcase where Google refreshed most of its hardware, the latest mid-range A series devices were announced. And it shows that Google wants to move away from focusing the series entirely on the camera.
Google has been on an impressive run lately. The Pixel 6 Pro was the most technologically advanced entry in the series to date, and the past few iterations of the A-series (including both the Pixel 4a and Pixel 5a) have impressed with their attainable price and strong cameras.
But the camera was really the only standout reason for one of those phones. Yes, the clean software was good and the promise of many years of updates would appeal to some, but with the constant better competition from brands like Realme, Oppo, Xiaomi and others, the cheapest Pixel was lacking in other areas.
With the release of the Pixel 6a, that changes. No major camera upgrades here, at least not many obvious ones. The sensors inside the cameras haven’t been updated to match the Pixel 6’s and have made Google phones standard fare we’ve seen since the Pixel 3. Instead, it looks like Google is shifting its focus away from photography to make sure the Pixel 6a matches. With your dear siblings in the matter of AI Smart.
The biggest difference between the Pixel 6a and the devices that came before is the switch to a flagship-worthy chipset in the form of Tensor. It was the silicon designed by Google that debuted with the 6 and 6 Pro and is specifically focused on improving machine learning speed and AI skills on phones. As we also found when we reviewed the Pixel 6 Pro ahead of its release, it delivered excellent day-to-day performance and scored well in Trusted Review Labs benchmark tests.
Previous A-series phones tended to use mid-range or low-end Qualcomm chips. These are capable chips, no doubt, but Tensor is far more high-end, feature-rich and gives Google the deep control to add in some clever extras. For example, Magic Eraser is a feature that lets you smartly remove photobombers and unwanted visitors from your snaps and is powered by Tensor.
Another element of Tensor, and the resulting Pixel 6a, is the Titan M2 chip and security core. In Google’s own words, it makes the phone more resilient to external attacks and powers many of the phone’s security features.
Tensor skills should also really help with camera performance. So while Google has stuck with the same sensor and hardware technology, the chip’s smarts enable some additional features that weren’t available before. For example the way skin tones are rendered, and the accuracy is blurry in portraits. As we’ve seen before, these tweaks may only get you so far, but it should at least put the Pixel 6A on par with other best mid-range phones when it comes to photos.
Google’s approach here is not much different with that of Apple and the iPhone SE 2022. That phone, like the Pixel 6a, uses the same high-end A15 chipset as the brand’s very expensive iPhone 13 Pro Max and instead of replacing the hardware inside the camera, it uses the chips’ smarts to improve the software. Is.
While some might think the Pixel 6a lacks any real camera advance, I think the decision to make it a more complete all-around phone is the right call and a more appealing device to more people. .
