Google Pixel 7a vs Pixel 6
73
out of 100
VS
70
out of 100
Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Google Pixel 7a (with Google Tensor G2) that was released on May 10, 2023, against the Google Pixel 6, which is powered by Google Tensor and came out 19 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 7a
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- Delivers 26% higher peak brightness (1063 against 844 nits)
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
- The phone is 1-year and 7-months newer
- The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 6
- Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
- Has a 0.3 inch larger screen size
- Supports higher wattage charging (30W versus 18W)
- Reverse charging feature
Review
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
Choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately identify the smartphone that best meets your particular needs.
Value for money
You can enter your local prices of these phones (in USD or other currency) and click on the "Calculate" button to see which one has a better value for money.
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| 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 | 90 Hz | 90 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 700 nits | 500 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | 1300 nits | 800 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 81.8% | 83.4% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | - | 99.8% |
| PWM | - | 397 Hz |
| Response time | - | 5 ms |
| Contrast | - | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 152 mm (5.98 inches) | 158.6 mm (6.24 inches) |
| Width | 72.9 mm (2.87 inches) | 74.8 mm (2.94 inches) |
| Thickness | 9 mm (0.35 inches) | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) |
| Weight | 193.5 g (6.83 oz) | 207 g (7.3 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP67 | IP68 |
| Rear material | Plastic | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | White, Gray, Blue, Orange | Black, Blue, Yellow |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | Yes, in-display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Google Tensor G2 | Google Tensor |
| Max clock | 2850 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 2.35 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 2 cores at 2.85 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 |
| Lithography process | 5 nanometers | 5 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G710 MP7 | Mali-G78 MP20 |
| GPU clock | 850 MHz | 848 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~1153 GFLOPS | - |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 5 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 5 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 9
| CPU | 186320 | 187698 |
| GPU | 295964 | 298218 |
| Memory | 115569 | 100887 |
| UX | 139389 | 137683 |
| Total score | 734006 | 720896 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | - | 42.1 °C |
| Stability | 63% | 56% |
| Graphics test | 38 FPS | 38 FPS |
| Graphics score | 6382 | 6385 |
| Web score | 7591 | 7576 |
| Video editing | 6397 | 6351 |
| Photo editing | 19367 | 17599 |
| Data manipulation | 10118 | 10314 |
| Writing score | 15231 | 15163 |
AnTuTu Benchmark Android Rating (163rd and 171st place)
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory clock | 3200 MHz | 3200 MHz |
| Channels | 4 | 4 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 128, 256 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.1 |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | Android 13 | Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | Stock Android | Stock Android |
| OS size | - | 17.6 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 4385 mAh | 4614 mAh |
| Max charge power | 18 W | 30 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes (7.5 W) | Yes (21 W) |
| Reverse charging | No | Yes, (wireless) |
| Fast charging | Yes (20% in 36 min) | Yes (41% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:57 hr | 1:53 hr |
| Web browsing | 11:24 hr | 08:58 hr |
| Watching video | 14:49 hr | 16:38 hr |
| Gaming | 05:50 hr | 05:24 hr |
| Standby | 77 hr | 92 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 64 megapixels | 50 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 9000 x 7000 | 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 | 120° | 114° |
| Lenses | 2 (64 MP + 13 MP) | 2 (50 MP + 12 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens | - 64 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/1.73", Sony IMX787 (Exmor-RS CMOS) - Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) - Optical stabilization |
- 50 MP - Aperture: f/1.9 - Focal length: 25 mm - Pixel size: 1.2 micron - Sensor: 1/1.31", Samsung GN1 (ISOCELL Plus CMOS) - Laser autofocus - Optical stabilization |
| Ultra-wide lens | - 13 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/3.06", Sony IMX712 (Exmor-RS CMOS) |
- 12 MP - Aperture: f/2.2 - Focal length: 17 mm - Pixel size: 1.12 micron |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Samples | Photo samples of Google Pixel 7a from DxOMark | Photo samples of Google Pixel 6 from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 13 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4032 x 3024 | 3840 x 2160 |
| Aperture | - | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | - | 24 mm |
| Pixel size | - | 1.12 microns |
| Sensor type | - | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
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 | 5.3 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| 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 | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Flagship |
| Announced | May 2023 | October 2021 |
| Release date | May 2023 | October 2021 |
| 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
If the display is more important to you, then choose the Google Pixel 7a. But if the design is more of a priority – go for the Google Pixel 6.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 34