The last Pixel device that came to India was the Pixel 4a in 2020. It’s been almost two years since and Pixel fans have had to depend on people living or travelling outside the country to be able to get their hands on newer Pixel devices, particularly the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro. We also didn’t get the Pixel 5a.
However, there’s some good news we’ve received post the Google I/O keynote. The Pixel 6a is coming to India, and it is official. As 9to5Google rightly pointed out, one of the “biggest challenges Google’s Pixel lineup faces is its limited distribution, but it seems Google is finally ramping things up a little bit”.
Speculations were rife when Google officially unveiled the Pixel 6a at the keynote on May 11, about whether it would be launched in India or not, and it has been confirmed with a very sassy “Guess who’s back” tweet.
The Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro were available in 12 countries - United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, and Taiwan. The Pixel 6a will also be coming to the same regions and also to Puerto Rico (which missed the Pixel 5a which launched only in the US and Japan) and India.
Google has told Android Central that the Pixel 6a is going to be launched in India “later in 2022”. The Pixel 4a made a delayed debut in India in 2020, so this is honestly not surprising.
But, now that we know that the Pixel 6a IS coming, here’s a look at the specs:
The Google Pixel has a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 2400x1080 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. The design of the smartphone follows the same language as the Pixel 6 series, for India this a significant change from the Pixel 4a’s design, and features the aluminum frame. There is Gorilla Glass 3 (instead of Gorilla Glass Victus) for protection and the back of the Pixel 6a is made of plastic. It has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance instead of the IP68 that’s on the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro.
The Pixel 6a is powered by the same Google Tensor SoC that powers the two other Pixel 6 devices and there is a Titan M2 security chip in there as well. This is paired with 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
On the camera front, there is a 12.2MP f1.7 dual-pixel main camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation), along with a 12MP f2.2 ultrawide camera (same as the other Pixel 6 devices). There is an 8MP f2.0 selfie camera on the front like on the Pixel 6.
Pixel 6a features 5G connectivity, always-on display, in-display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, dual microphones, and HDR support. It will run Android 12 out-of-the-box and get five years of security updates.
Powering it all is a 2210mAh battery with 18W USB-PD fast charging support. Google claims that this can last users about 24 hours on regular use and 72 hours on Extreme Battry Saver mode. There is no wireless charging support.
The Pixel 6a is going to be available in three colours - Chalk, Charcoal and Sage and is internationally going on sale online on July 21, and in stores on July 28. For India, the dates will be announced later.
Google has priced the Pixel 6a at $449 (Rs 34,836 approx), India prices will also be announced later. Given the Pixel a series is always the “affordable” option of the lot, it is possible that Google might price it around Rs 35,000 give or take a few.
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