Google Pixel 6a

I think it’s time we stopped seeing the Pixel A series as a “budget” line. With its refined design, powerful processor and satisfying cameras, there are more similarities than differences between the 6a and its flagship siblings. It is easily one of the best phones for the money. Yes, it would be nice to get a faster, brighter screen and wireless charging, but those aren’t a given on a midranger.

The Pixel 6A is a flagship phone with some of the nicer features stripped back — that’s one approach to building a midrange phone. The other approach is to invest a little more in those nice-to-have features, like a fast refreshing screen, but to include a cheaper processor and sacrifice a bit on performance. That’s the route that Samsung took with the Galaxy A53.

Google’s inclusion of the flagship Tensor processor made the Pixel 6a feel premium from a speed and performance standpoint, but other aspects of the phone degraded the experience. For example, the poor battery life on 5G and lack of wireless charging constantly remind you that you are using the company’s budget handset.

We think you get great value for your money with the Pixel 6a, which starts at just $449. That price makes the Pixel 6a half as expensive as some flagship smartphones these days, yet you get more than half the value in return for sure. If you're in the market for a mid-range phone and think a premium feel, fantastic battery life, and a camera system that contends with more expensive phones sounds like a winning combo, then we highly recommend the new Google Pixel 6a.

The sub-$500 Google Pixel 6a leads the midrange phone pack with solid performance, incredible battery life, and a standout design.

Get the Pixel 6a if you want to spend less than $500 on a phone but still want top-notch photos. The Galaxy A53 offers better battery life for the same price, and the iPhone SE is still the low-cost performance champ, but the Pixel 6a is the total package.

The Pixel 6A is one of the best phones you can buy right now, whatever your budget. The default model supports sub-6 5G, but you can pay $499 at Verizon for millimeter wave support if you want it. It's worth noting that Google will still sell last year's Pixel 5A, and it remains a good buy if you cherish two-day battery life and a headphone jack.

The Pixel 6a is a small, powerful Android phone that’s more wallet-friendly next to Google’s other devices. It isn’t as revolutionary as other A-series handsets we’ve seen, but it’s still a great phone for those who prefer great software rather than big spec sheets.

If you need an Android phone, the only reason I can think of to not immediately buy the Pixel 6a is that the Pixel 7 might be even better this fall.