We asked, you told us: You'd buy the Pixel 6 over Pixel 6a

Google unveiled the Pixel 6a last week at its I/O developer conference, delivering a mid-range phone that’s powered by the same Tensor processor seen in the Pixel 6 series. Between this level of horsepower, the solid battery size, Google’s software and the IP67 rating, there’s a lot to like here.

Nevertheless, our own Rob Triggs wrote an opinion post suggesting that the Pixel 6a was still a little too expensive at $449. It comes in at $150 cheaper than the standard Pixel 6, so we asked you whether you’d buy the Pixel 6a or splash out a little extra on the vanilla Pixel 6. Here’s how you voted.

Will you buy the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6a?

Results

We posted the poll inside our opinion piece on May 14, and it attracted just over 1,000 votes as of writing. The winning pick? Well, 58.68% of respondents said they’d buy the Pixel 6 over the Pixel 6a.

Reader comments supporting this stance point to the Pixel 6 having a high refresh rate screen, more RAM (8GB versus 6GB), and Gorilla Glass Victus. One comment also notes the high Pixel 6a price in several markets outside the US. Toss in a 50MP main camera, wireless charging, and 18W charging and we can see why the Pixel 6 might be preferred.

On the other hand, 41.32% of polled readers said they’d buy the Pixel 6a over the Pixel 6. At least one comment notes that the $150 cheaper price tag outweighs missing Pixel 6 features like a 90Hz display. After all, you’re still getting five years of security updates here, three OS updates, a polished camera experience, and Pixel-exclusive software features.

Comments

• PhoenixWitti: Never mind competing against its own model range. When you pit it against other OEM’s offerings in the same price bracket, the 6a is a tough sell.
• deltatux: I think this phone is aimed at those who rather save the US $150 (the gap is wider in other markets) than to spend it for features they may or may not even care for. Not everyone cares about high refresh rate screens or a super stellar camera, they just want a good performance phone with a decent camera at a great price and the 6a fits the bill. Not everyone is going to see spending the extra US $150 makes sense. If I didn’t care for a better camera, I would have waited for the 6a instead of getting the regular 6 tbh.
• 1981: Years change, prices go up. Nothing can’t remain cheap forever. It’s still a good price. We really need to be worried about rising Food and Fuel costs moving forward. If this phone was a 2017 flagship it would’ve been $799 back then.
• simp: USD449 is still not that bad when you look at the SGD and AUD prices. Even when they are inclusive of local taxes, the mark up over currency conversion makes the 6a a non-starter. The situation is made worse when the 4a was so much cheaper even after currency conversion 2 years ago (comparing 4a with 6a prices here since 5a was only available in US and JP).
• Kira: Nope,but the Pixel 6 is little too cheaper,so it only looks like the Pixel 6a is little bit expensive.
• Robert Pearson: The pixel 4a at $349 was the perfect price. Kinda sad to see such an increase, but do understand based on the features.
• Brian Simmons: Ultimately I think we will see the street price of the P6a fall to $399 within 3 months of release like most previous “overpriced” Pixel phones have done. Historically Google has priced the Pixel a little on the high side and then been forced to drop it’s price after the initial surge has passed. Normally the “A” series phones have been the ones priced correctly from the start and the regular phones priced too high, but Google has swap that this year. The P6/P6 Pro have been immune to this “normal” price break because they were priced correctly from the start, but I think we will see it on the a P6a.
• 🇦🇺Marshall: Hmm, 60Hz display, GG3, 18w charging… you can certainly see where corners have been cut to squeeze the Tensor in there. The launch pricing for this phone puts it perilously close to the Galaxy A73 5G… which certainly takes a performance hit with its SD778G, but is a much more balanced device across the spec sheet.