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Google Pixel 6a vs Pixel 6

56 out of 100
Google Pixel 6a
VS
60 out of 100
Google Pixel 6
Google Pixel 6a
Google Pixel 6

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Google Pixel 6a (with Google Tensor) that was released on May 11, 2022, against the Google Pixel 6, which is powered by the same chip and came out 6 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Memory 6 / 128 GB
  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery life
  6. Camera
  7. Comments (2)

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 6a
  • Shows 10% longer battery life (20:44 vs 18:55 hours)
  • Weighs 29 grams less
  • The phone is 6 months newer
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 6
  • Higher display refresh rate – 90 Hz
  • Handles wireless charging up to 21W
  • Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
  • Has a 0.3 inch larger screen size
  • Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
  • Supports higher wattage charging (30W versus 18W)
  • Reverse charging feature

Review

Evaluation of Google Pixel 6a and Pixel 6 crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
📱 Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

To get an accurate value-for-money index, update the default prices with actual prices from your country’s retailers (for the selected memory configs) and press the "Calculate" button.
Currency
6 / 128 GB
VS
8 / 128 GB
64.4
(Average)
Value Index
160.3
(Excellent)

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Phone:
Pixel 6a
vs
Pixel 6

Display

Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 inches 6.4 inches
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels 1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
PPI 429 ppi 411 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max rated brightness 500 nits 500 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR 1100 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes, HDR10+ Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio 82.2% 83.3%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display tests
RGB color space 96.9% 99.8%
PWM 240 Hz 397 Hz
Response time 3 ms 5 ms
Contrast ∞ Infinity ∞ Infinity
Screen space comparison
Pixel 6
6.4″ (20:9 ratio) = 15.3 in2
Pixel 6a
6.1″ (20:9 ratio) = 13.9 in2
~10% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
Pixel 6a +4%
880 nits
Pixel 6
849 nits
Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height 152.2 mm (5.99 inches) 158.6 mm (6.24 inches)
Width 71.8 mm (2.83 inches) 74.8 mm (2.94 inches)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) 8.9 mm (0.35 inches)
Weight 178 g (6.28 oz) 207 g (7.3 oz)
Waterproof IP67 IP68
Rear material Plastic Glass
Frame material Metal Metal
Colors White, Black, Green Black, Blue, Yellow
Fingerprint scanner Yes, in-display Yes, in-display
Screen-to-body ratio
Pixel 6a
82.2%
Pixel 6 +1%
83.3%

Performance

Chipset specifications of Google Pixel 6a and Google Pixel 6
SoC
Chipset Google Tensor Google Tensor
Max clock 2800 MHz 2800 MHz
CPU cores 8 (2 + 2 + 4) 8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture - 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex A55
- 2 cores at 2.25 GHz: Cortex A76
- 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-X1		 - 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex A55
- 2 cores at 2.25 GHz: Cortex A76
- 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache 4 MB 4 MB
Manufacturing Samsung Samsung
Lithography process 5 nanometers 5 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU) Tensor Processing Unit Tensor Processing Unit
GPU
Graphics Mali-G78 MP20 Mali-G78 MP20
GPU shading units 640 640
GPU clock 850 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS ~1085.4 GFLOPS ~1085.4 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Benchmark comparison of Google Pixel 6a and Google Pixel 6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Pixel 6a +3%
1487
Pixel 6
1438
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Pixel 6a +9%
3664
Pixel 6
3372
Compute Score (GPU)
Pixel 6a +30%
9543
Pixel 6
7318
Compute Score (GPU) 9543 7318
Single-core score 1487 1438
Multi-core score 3664 3372
Sources: Geekbench [3], [4]
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
Pixel 6a +3%
1015493
Pixel 6
990213
CPU 425227 381525
GPU 126878 162416
Memory 171601 178605
UX 291787 267677
Total score 1015493 990213
Samples [20 tests] [11 tests]
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Pixel 6a
n/a
Pixel 6
704
Stability - 63%
Graphics test - 5 FPS
Graphics score - 704
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Pixel 6a
1854
Pixel 6 +3%
1907
Stability 57% 60%
Graphics test 11 FPS 11 FPS
Graphics score 1854 1907
Sources: 3DMark [5], [6]
PCMark 3.0
Pixel 6a +2%
10455
Pixel 6
10273
Web score 7105 7877
Video editing 5884 6652
Photo editing 19072 18508
Data manipulation 10310 10427
Writing score 15550 13858
Submit your benchmark results

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Google Pixel 6a
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-26 -> Islom_1180AnTuTu 121235821
📘 2026-08-19 (duwi)AnTuTu 11774697
📘 2026-07-29 (Mimo)AnTuTu 111117985
📘 2026-07-28 (Hypermini)AnTuTu 111015541
📘 2026-07-27 (Ash)AnTuTu 11978066
Add View all (45)
Google Pixel 6
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-13 (Vladi♂️Slave♂️)AnTuTu 121281085
📘 2026-08-17 -> Paranoid _AntostAnTuTu 11930801
📘 2026-04-05 (Ethan Winters)AnTuTu 11927237
📘 2026-02-25 (Adora)AnTuTu 11933576
📘 2026-01-29 (Stormchasing)AnTuTu 11990213
Add View all (18)

Memory

RAM
RAM size 6 GB 8 GB
Memory type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory clock 3200 MHz 3200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage size 128 GB 128 GB
Storage type UFS 3.1 UFS 3.1
Memory card No No

Software

Operating system Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 17) Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 17)
ROM Stock Android Stock Android
OS size 14.3 GB 17.6 GB
OS updates 5 years -
Security updates 5 years -

Battery

Capacity 4410 mAh 4614 mAh
Max charge power 18 W 30 W
Battery type Li-Po Li-Ion
Replaceable No No
Wireless charging No Yes (21 W)
Reverse charging No Yes, (wireless)
Fast charging Yes (42% in 30 min) Yes (41% in 30 min)
Full charging time 1:51 hr 1:53 hr
Battery life tests
Web browsing 08:25 hr 07:07 hr
Watching video 14:20 hr 13:13 hr
Gaming 05:34 hr 05:02 hr
Standby 89 hr 85 hr
General battery life
Pixel 6a +10%
20:44 hr
Pixel 6
18:55 hr
Add your battery life

Main camera

Matrix 12.2 megapixels 50 megapixels
Image resolution 4032 x 3024 8192 x 6144
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
Slow motion 240 FPS (1080p) 240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens 114° 114°
Lenses 1) Standard: 12.2 MP
2) Ultrawide: 12 MP
1) Standard: 50 MP
2) Ultrawide: 12 MP
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution 12.2 MP 50 MP
Aperture f/1.7 f/1.9
Focal length 27 mm 25 mm
Sensor Sony IMX363 Samsung GN1
Sensor size 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) 1/1.31" (≈ 0.76 inch)
Pixel size 1.4 micron 1.2 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Laser autofocus
Stabilization Optical Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution 12 MP 12 MP
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 17 mm 17 mm
Sensor Sony IMX386 Sony IMX386 Exmor RS
Sensor size 1/2.9" (≈ 0.34 inch) 1/2.9" (≈ 0.34 inch)
Pixel size 1.12 micron 1.12 micron
Stabilization Digital Digital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Pixel 6a
133
Pixel 6 +2%
136
Video quality
Pixel 6a
126
Pixel 6 +6%
133
Generic main camera score
Pixel 6a
122
Pixel 6 +3%
126
Bokeh 65 65
Preview 67 65
Zoom 74 79
Samples Photo samples of Google Pixel 6a from DxOMark Photo samples of Google Pixel 6 from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels 8 megapixels 8 megapixels
Image resolution 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160
Aperture f/2.0 f/2.0
Focal length 24 mm 24 mm
Sensor Sony IMX355 CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.8" (≈ 0.36 inch) -
Pixel size 1.12 micron 1.12 micron
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D) No No
DxOMark front camera
Pixel 6a
n/a
Pixel 6
129
Photo - 130
Video - 127

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.2 5.2
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE, A2DP
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 3.1
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port No No
Network
Number of SIM* 1 1
Type of SIM card Nano Nano
eSIM support* Yes Yes
Hybrid slot No No
LTE Cat* 20 20
5G support Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
Headphone audio jack No No
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos No No
Speakers test
Max loudness
Pixel 6a +1%
87.4 dB
Pixel 6
86.3 dB

Other

Category Mid-range Flagship
Announced May 2022 October 2021
Release date June 2022 October 2021
Launch price (MSRP) $449 $600
Successor - Google Pixel 10a - Google Pixel 10
SAR (head) 0.99 W/kg -
SAR (body) 1.31 W/kg -
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint		 - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
Bundled charger Not included Not included
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

These smartphones have a lot in common, but we would recommend the Google Pixel 6. It has a better display, camera, connectivity, and design.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?
797 (48.8%)
837 (51.2%)
Total votes: 1634

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User opinions

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below
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Avatar
Kibria March 19, 2023 at 03:55 AM
It's value for money in all contexts of specifications with a latest tensor chip.
+22 Reply
Avatar
Jo Cz January 11, 2023 at 12:41 PM
Google Pixel 6 is just a little better than 6a but it doesn't worth increasing so much the price for this difference. So for me, in terms of ratio quality/price, 6a is better.
+85 Reply
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