Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 6

Compared 2 smartphones : Google Pixel 8a Manufactured in May, 2024, with display 6.1 with chipsetGoogle Tensor G3, vs Google Pixel 6, Manufactured in October, 2021 with chipsetGoogle Tensor. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 8a
  • Higher pixel density: 430ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Lighter design: 188g vs 207g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5.2
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 3.1
  • Supports DisplayPort
Reasons to choose Google Pixel 6
  • Larger display: 6.4in
  • Higher battery capacity: 4614mAh vs 4492mAh

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Google Pixel 8a and Google Pixel 6
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 in 6.4 in
Resolution 1080x2400 pixels 1080x2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
Pixel density 430 ppi 411 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 2000 nits 500 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10 Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio 81.3 % 83.3 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Google Pixel 8a
1498 nits
Google Pixel 6
843 nits
sRGB gamut99.1 %99.8 %
PWM (Flicker)120 Hz397 Hz
Response time2 ms5 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite∞ Infinite

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 152.1 mm (5.99 in) 158.6 mm (6.24 in)
Width 72.7 mm (2.86 in) 74.8 mm (2.94 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.9 mm (0.35 in)
Weight 188 g (6.63 oz) 207 g (7.3 oz)
Water resistance IP67 IP68
Back panel Plastic Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Black
- Blue
- Yellow
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Google Pixel 8a
81.3 %
Google Pixel 6
83.3 %

Performance

Testing Google Pixel 8a and Google Pixel 6 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Google Tensor G3 Google Tensor
Max Frequency 3000 MHz 2800 MHz
CPU Cores 9 (1 + 4 + 4) 8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.7 (Cortex-A510)
- 4/2.37 (Cortex-A715)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X3)
- 4/1.8 (Cortex A55)
- 2/2.25 (Cortex A76)
- 2/2.8 (Cortex-X1)
Process Samsung Samsung
Transistor Size 4 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Yes Tensor Processing Unit
Graphics Mali-G715 MP7 Mali-G78 MP20
GPU Cores 896 1280
GPU Frequency 890 MHz 848 MHz
FLOPS 1594.8 GFLOPS 2170.9 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Google Pixel 8a
1683
Google Pixel 6
1363
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Google Pixel 8a
4330
Google Pixel 6
3100
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)16831363
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)43303100
Geekbench Compute (GPU)6350n/a
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Google Pixel 8a
1179223
Google Pixel 6
895119
CPU363260243524
GPU396428308790
Memory189558139643
UX229977203162
NanoReview Score1179223895119
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Google Pixel 8a
n/a
Google Pixel 6
6379
Max Surface Temp.n/a42.1 °C
Stabilityn/a56 %
Graphics Testn/a38 fps
Graphics Scoren/a6379
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Google Pixel 8a
n/a
Google Pixel 6
10663
Writing scoren/a14383
Web scoren/a7690
Video editingn/a6612
Data manipulationn/a10293
NanoReview Scoren/a10663

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory Frequency 3200 MHz 3200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS Android 14 (Upgradeable to Android 15) Android 12 (Upgradeable to Android 15)
OS Size 18.4 GB 17.6 GB
UI Skin Stock Android Stock Android

Battery

Volume 4492 mAh 4614 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 30 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (21 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes (Wireless)
Fast Charging Yes (33% in 30 min) Yes (41% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 2:09 h 1:53 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Google Pixel 8a
19:43
Google Pixel 6
18:55
Web Browsing08:15 h07:07 h
Video Playback13:00 h13:13 h
Games04:54 h05:02 h
Standby Mode86 h85 h

Main camera

Matrix 64 MP 50 MP
Photo resolution 9000x7000 pixels 8192x6144 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 114 °
Lenses count Standard: 64 MP
Ultra-wide: 13 MP
Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Main lens
Matrix64 MP50 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.9
Focal length26 mm25 mm
SensorSony IMX787Samsung GN1
Sensor size1/1.731/1.31
Pixel size0.8 μm1.2 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Laser autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix13 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal lengthn/a17 mm
SensorSony IMX712Sony IMX386 Exmor RS
Sensor size1/3.061/2.9
Pixel size1.12 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 8a
141
Google Pixel 6
136
Video quality
Google Pixel 8a
128
Google Pixel 6
133
Overall camera score
Google Pixel 8a
136
Google Pixel 6
126
Bokeh6065
Preview7165
Zoom12679

Front camera

Matrix 13 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3840x2160 pixels
Aperture n/a f/2.0
Focal length n/a 24 mm
Sensor n/a CMOS
Pixel size n/a 1.12 μm
Autofocus n/a No
Stabilization n/a Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Google Pixel 8a
n/a
Google Pixel 6
130
Video quality
Google Pixel 8a
n/a
Google Pixel 6
127

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version 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
DisplayPort Yes n/a
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/HSDPA 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19UMTS/HSPA+ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B38/B41/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66/B71)
LTE category2020
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos No No
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Google Pixel 8a
89.3 dB
Google Pixel 6
86.3 dB

Other

Class Mid-range Flagship
Announced May, 2024 yr October, 2021 yr
Release Date May, 2024 yr October, 2021 yr
Launch Price ($) 499 600
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included No No
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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