Google Pixel 6a: Australian pricing, availability and specifications

Google's cheaper Pixel 6a will be here soon, and we've got all the details you need to know around Australian pricing, features and availability.

It's been a long while since we've had a new Google Pixel A series phone launched here in Australia. The Pixel 5a never made it to our shores – you had to be either in the USA or Japan to buy one – meaning that the last Pixel A phone launched in Australia was the Pixel 4a 5G, launched back in September 2020.

That changes this year, with the Pixel 6a set to go on sale in Australia at the same time it launches in the USA. Here's what you need to know about the Pixel 6a.

Pixel 6a: Australian availability

The Pixel 6a will go on sale in Australia from 28 July 2022, with pre-orders opening a week earlier on 21 July 2022.

Google Pixel 6a: Australian pricing

The Pixel 6a will sell in Australia for $749 outright. It's not yet clear if local telcos will also offer it as a contract phone, but it's highly likely. We'll know more closer to July 21 in this respect.

Google Pixel 6a: Camera

The Pixel 6a uses the same "camera bar" design as the Pixel 6 phones, but with sensors somewhat scaled down from those flagship models. The front-facing selfie camera has an 8MP sensor, while at the rear you'll take snaps with 12.2MP primary and 12MP ultra-wide sensor.

Cameras aren't just a game of megapixel numbers, however, and we've got high hopes for some exceptional capabilities within its price range for the Pixel 6a. That's primarily due to the inclusion of Google's own Tensor processor and the AI/ML features it enables.

You get the full suite of features introduced with the Pixel 6, including the "magic eraser" for removing objects, a new and refined skin tone mapping feature for more accurate representation, plus Google's always-impressive low light shooting capabilities.

Google Pixel 6a: Hardware features

Like prior A series Pixel phones, the Pixel 6a is essentially a Pixel phone boiled down to the basics, in the same way that Samsung's Galaxy FE phones and Apple's iPhone SE phones offer cheaper takes on their flagship models.

The Pixel 6a is built on the same Tensor processor as the bigger Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro handsets, alongside 6GB of RAM and 128GB of fixed online storage. Google's never offered a Pixel phone with microSD expansion, and it seemingly never will.

That 6GB of RAM is on the smaller side for a modern Android phone, but then Google has some advantages at a software level in terms of optimisation that might still give it plenty of performance power. It can equally leverage the power of its own Tensor silicon here to make it a smoother phone in real world operation.

One area where Google has cut the price down is via the display. The Pixel 6a features a 6.1 inch 1080x2400 pixel OLED display, smaller than the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro. Where it markedly differs is in screen refresh rate, locked at just 60Hz. Comparatively the Pixel 6 has a 90Hz capable display, and the Pixel 6 Pro runs at up to 120Hz. What's really more notable here is that a lot of competing Android handsets at the Pixel 6a's price point are now offering either 90Hz or 120Hz as standard.

It's also slightly less robust than its full price Pixel 6 stablemates, opting for Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and IP67 water resistance.

On the networking side, the Pixel 6a is a 5G phone. Some models of the Pixel 6a will support both sub-6Ghz and mmWave, but the model sold in Australia will be sub-6Ghz only.

For power, the Pixel 6a relies on a a 4,410mAh battery, slightly smaller than that of its immediate predecessor, the Pixel 5a. Google says it should be good for up to 24 hours of battery life. We'll have to wait to test that claim, although it is worth noting that Google's other Tensor-based phones have exhibited some of the best battery performance we've seen from any phones recently.

Google Pixel 6a: Software features

New Pixel phones always ship with new Android versions – or at least they have done to date – which means we can pretty much predict that Android 13 will go live to the world on around 28 July 2022, because that's when the Pixel 6a launches.

Android 13 is really all about enhancing the kinds of features Google's been pushing in its mobile OS for some time now. That means more of the Material You design ideas already present in Android 12, more security features including end-to-end RCS encrypted chat support and more permissions checking for apps on a rolling basis and increased language support. This will allow users to set the default language on a per-app basis.

Google says that the Pixel 6a will get at least 3 Android upgrades, so up to Android 16 at least, as well as 5 years of Android security updates

Google Pixel 6a: Specifications

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