Pixel 6a review: Google pares down the Pixel 6 to perfection

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  The Pixel 6a has a flat screen with a slightly thicker bezel on the bottom. [credit: Ron Amadeo ]

Google is really swinging for the fences this year. The Pixel 6a is not only the latest entry in the reliably excellent Pixel A series; that "mid-range" A-line is also getting a massive upgrade in the form of a flagship-class system on a chip. Yes, the Google Tensor SoC that debuted in the Pixel 6 is also in the Pixel 6a. It's the same chip, and that means the Pixel A series is doubling in speed year over year. Did we mention the phone is still $449?

Google has created a mid-range juggernaut.

A new family of smartphones

With the launch of the Pixel 6 last year, Google finally landed on a solid path forward for its smartphone division. Besides the in-house Google SoC (with lots of help from Samsung), Google also had a hardware design that it could finally call its own, based on the distinctive and even somewhat useful camera bar.