Google Pixel 6a suddenly looks like a very appealing Android phone

The Google Pixel 6a is nearly here, and it looks like it's going to be one of the best Android phones for buyers on a budget: when it goes on sale on the 28th of July its price tag will be $449 / £399 / AU$749. That's the only figure you need to know because there's only one Pixel 6a configuration: 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

I like what Google's doing here, and I'm hoping it takes a similar strategy with next year's Pixel tablet: Google's commitment to tablets has been distinctly half-arsed for a very long time. If it brings the same energy to the Pixel tablet that it has with the Pixel phone and forthcoming Pixel Watch, that should dramatically improve things and offer a genuine alternative to Samsung's Galaxy Tabs, our pick of the best Android tablets.

Here's what we know so far.

Google Pixel 6a specifications

The Pixel 6a is inheriting the Tensor chipset from the Google Pixel 6 and the Google Pixel 6 Pro, so it's going to be considerably more nippy than the Pixel 5a. The screen is a 60Hz, 6.1-inch OLED delivering a resolution of 1,080 x 2,400, and the battery is 4,410mAh with support for charging up to 30W.

As far as cameras go, the front facing one is an 8MP and there are twin cameras on the back, one 12.2MP main camera and a second 12MP ultrawide camera.

The image above shows the available colours: chalk white, sage green and charcoal grey.

This model is aimed at budget buyers; if you want a higher spec, triple-camera, next-gen Tensor-powered Pixel the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel Pro you'll have to wait a little bit longer as those models are planned for a fall/autumn release (or spring if you're in Australia). We're thinking October is the most likely Pixel 7 launch date because that's when the 6 and 6 Pro launched. Prices haven't been announced just yet but we're predicting around £599/$599 for the Pixel 7 and £899/$899 for the Pixel 7 Pro.

While the Pixel 6a will come with Android 12, it'll be upgraded to Android 13 around the same time that the Pixel 7 ships. As we've seen with previous Pixels, the Android flavour will be "pure", without the bells and whistles (or unnecessary meddling, depending on your point of view) that some manufacturers like to add.