The Google Pixel 6a aims to keep one feature of the Pixel 6 of great value, but loses another

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Which would you rather keep: the camera or the chip?

With the Pixel 6 out and about, speculation turns to the next thing that’s not out yet. For many, this means Pixel 6a. We’ve already established that it will likely look like its big brother, but how good will it be and how much will it cost Google (and the all-important consumer)? Today, more light shines on a couple of important spec lines.

According to a 9to5Google teardown of the Google Camera app, the company has already established what the Pixel 6a’s cameras will be:

One 12.2MP Sony IMX363 facing rear One 12MP ultrawide IMX386 facing rear One 8MP IMX355 facing front

The IMX386 and 355 were carried over from the Pixel 6, but its 50MP Samsung GN1 sensor was not – it was swapped for the IMX363 that has been in Google phones since at least the Pixel 3 series.

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Also from the app, Google, which typically uses fish-based nicknames for Pixel devices in development, has reportedly chosen a bird call with the 6a: “bluejay.” 9to5 also indicates from “elsewhere” that the Pixel 6’s Tensor GS101 SoC will be included on the 6a.

Sure, it would have been nice to combine the immense power of the Tensor chip with quality data from the larger GN1 sensor, but the Pixel A series has always tried to find a compromise for value. Streamlining the research, development, and exclusivity of that chipset could take priority over a super-resolution camera that Google can’t get a discount on.

Part of that trade-off will be time: even with a couple of smarts, there is currently no reason to believe the 6a will come sooner than the previous ones. The 5th and 4th were announced in August of this year and last year respectively (the 4th odd 5G followed the 4th on September 30th) and the 3rd entered the scene in May 2019.

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About the author Jules Wang (1210 published articles)

Jules joined the Android Police team in 2019. Before that, he was in Pocketnow. He loves public transportation, podcasts and people in general. He also likes to see the big picture of technology from how people are attracted to it to how it is used in every other industry.

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