Home > Smartphone comparison > Pixel 8a vs Pixel 6 – which one to choose?

Google Pixel 8a vs Pixel 6

66 out of 100
Google Pixel 8a
VS
60 out of 100
Google Pixel 6
Google Pixel 8a
Google Pixel 6

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Google Pixel 8a (with Google Tensor G3) that was released on May 7, 2024, against the Google Pixel 6, which is powered by Google Tensor and came out 2 years and 7 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Memory
  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery life
  6. Camera
  7. Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 8a
  • Delivers 79% higher peak brightness (1506 against 841 nits)
  • 45% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1433K versus 990K)
  • Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
  • Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
  • The phone is 2 years and 7 months newer
  • CPU with a higher amount of cores (+1)
  • Weighs 19 grams less
  • The front-facing camera can record video at 4K
Reasons to consider the Google Pixel 6
  • Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
  • Has a 0.3 inch larger screen size
  • Supports higher wattage charging (30W versus 18W)
  • Reverse charging feature

Review

Evaluation of Google Pixel 8a and Pixel 6 crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
DeviceFacts Score
Final comparison evaluation
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate DeviceFacts Score
📱 Primary usage:

Value for money (Beta)

Should I update?
No 34% Yes
Mostly no. The difference is too small to matter in everyday use.
The overall difference between Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 8a is not big enough to justify updating.
Main improvements: display, gaming, and performance.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Phone:
Pixel 8a
vs
Pixel 6

Display

Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 inches 6.4 inches
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels 1080 x 2400 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 20:9
PPI 430 ppi 411 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (60-120 Hz) No
Max rated brightness 2000 nits 500 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR 1400 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes, HDR10 Yes, HDR10+
Screen protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Gorilla Glass Victus
Screen-to-body ratio 81.3% 83.3%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display tests
RGB color space 99.1% 99.8%
PWM 120 Hz 397 Hz
Response time 2 ms 5 ms
Contrast ∞ Infinity ∞ Infinity
Screen space comparison
Pixel 6
6.4″ (20:9 ratio) = 15.3 in2
Pixel 8a
6.1″ (20:9 ratio) = 13.9 in2
~10% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
Pixel 8a +79%
1506 nits
Pixel 6
841 nits
Sources: NotebookCheck [3], [4]

Design and build

Height 152.1 mm (5.99 inches) 158.6 mm (6.24 inches)
Width 72.7 mm (2.86 inches) 74.8 mm (2.94 inches)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) 8.9 mm (0.35 inches)
Weight 188 g (6.63 oz) 207 g (7.3 oz)
Waterproof IP67 IP68
Rear material Plastic Glass
Frame material Metal Metal
Colors White, Black, Blue, Green Black, Blue, Yellow
Fingerprint scanner Yes, in-display Yes, in-display
Repairability Good (3.52/5) -
Drop resistance Excellent (A) · 270 drops -
Screen-to-body ratio
Pixel 8a
81.3%
Pixel 6 +2%
83.3%

Performance

Chipset specifications of Google Pixel 8a and Google Pixel 6
SoC
Chipset Google Tensor G3 Google Tensor
Max clock 3000 MHz 2800 MHz
CPU cores 9 (1 + 4 + 4) 8 (2 + 2 + 4)
Architecture - 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A510
- 4 cores at 2.37 GHz: Cortex-A715
- 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X3		 - 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex A55
- 2 cores at 2.25 GHz: Cortex A76
- 2 cores at 2.8 GHz: Cortex-X1
L3 cache - 4 MB
Manufacturing Samsung Samsung
Lithography process 4 nanometers 5 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU) Yes Tensor Processing Unit
GPU
Graphics Immortalis-G715s MC10 Mali-G78 MP20
GPU shading units 896 640
GPU clock 890 MHz 850 MHz
FLOPS ~1594.8 GFLOPS ~1085.4 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Benchmark comparison of Google Pixel 8a and Google Pixel 6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Pixel 8a +4%
1491
Pixel 6
1438
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Pixel 8a +6%
3584
Pixel 6
3372
Compute Score (GPU)
Pixel 8a +16%
8490
Pixel 6
7318
Compute Score (GPU) 8490 7318
Single-core score 1491 1438
Multi-core score 3584 3372
Sources: Geekbench [3], [4]
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
Pixel 8a +45%
1433693
Pixel 6
990213
CPU 546093 381525
GPU 391230 162416
Memory 195569 178605
UX 300801 267677
Total score 1433693 990213
Samples [6 tests] [11 tests]
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
Pixel 8a +41%
990
Pixel 6
704
Stability 67% 63%
Graphics test 7 FPS 5 FPS
Graphics score 990 704
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
Pixel 8a
n/a
Pixel 6
1907
Stability - 60%
Graphics test - 11 FPS
Graphics score - 1907
Sources: 3DMark [5], [6]
PCMark 3.0
Pixel 8a
n/a
Pixel 6
10273
Web score - 7877
Video editing - 6652
Photo editing - 18508
Data manipulation - 10427
Writing score - 13858
Submit your benchmark results

Recent User Tests

The latest benchmark tests that have been submitted by users
Google Pixel 8a
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2025-12-28 (adismsha)AnTuTu 111471866
📘 2025-12-22 -> jpara_diseGeekbench 6 GPU8490
📘 2025-12-22 -> jpara_diseGeekbench 6 CPU1491 / 3584
📘 2025-12-22 -> jpara_diseAnTuTu 111397797
📘 2025-12-17 (jpara_dise)AnTuTu 111397797
Add View all (9)
Google Pixel 6
DateBenchmarkResult
📘 2026-09-13 (Vladi♂️Slave♂️)AnTuTu 121281085
📘 2026-08-17 -> Paranoid _AntostAnTuTu 11930801
📘 2026-04-05 (Ethan Winters)AnTuTu 11927237
📘 2026-02-25 (Adora)AnTuTu 11933576
📘 2026-01-29 (Stormchasing)AnTuTu 11990213
Add View all (18)

Memory

RAM
RAM size 8 GB 8 GB
Memory type LPDDR5 LPDDR5
Memory clock 3200 MHz 3200 MHz
Channels 4 4
Storage
Storage size 128 GB 128 GB
Storage type UFS 3.1 UFS 3.1
Memory card No No

Software

Operating system Android 14 (Can be upgraded to Android 17) Android 12 (Can be upgraded to Android 17)
ROM Stock Android Stock Android
OS size 18.4 GB 17.6 GB
OS updates 7 years -
Security updates 7 years -

Battery

Capacity 4492 mAh 4614 mAh
Max charge power 18 W 30 W
Battery type Li-Po Li-Ion
Replaceable 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 charging time 2:09 hr 1:53 hr
Battery cycles 1000 cycles -
Battery life tests
Web browsing 08:15 hr 07:07 hr
Watching video 13:00 hr 13:13 hr
Gaming 04:54 hr 05:02 hr
Standby 86 hr 85 hr
General battery life
Pixel 8a +4%
19:43 hr
Pixel 6
18:55 hr
Add your battery life

Main camera

Matrix 64 megapixels 50 megapixels
Image resolution 9000 x 7000 8192 x 6144
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Dual LED Dual LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K video recording No No
4K video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
1080p video recording Up to 60FPS Up to 60FPS
Slow motion 240 FPS (1080p) 240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens 120° 114°
Lenses 1) Standard: 64 MP
2) Ultrawide: 13 MP
1) Standard: 50 MP
2) Ultrawide: 12 MP
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution 64 MP 50 MP
Aperture f/1.9 f/1.9
Focal length 26 mm 25 mm
Sensor Sony IMX787 Samsung GN1
Sensor size 1/1.73" (≈ 0.58 inch) 1/1.31" (≈ 0.76 inch)
Pixel size 0.8 micron 1.2 micron
Autofocus Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) Laser autofocus
Stabilization Optical Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution 13 MP 12 MP
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length - 17 mm
Sensor Sony IMX712 Sony IMX386 Exmor RS
Sensor size 1/3.06" (≈ 0.33 inch) 1/2.9" (≈ 0.34 inch)
Pixel size 1.12 micron 1.12 micron
Stabilization Digital Digital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Pixel 8a +4%
141
Pixel 6
136
Video quality
Pixel 8a
128
Pixel 6 +4%
133
Generic main camera score
Pixel 8a +8%
136
Pixel 6
126
Bokeh 60 65
Preview 71 65
Zoom 126 79
Samples Photo samples of Google Pixel 8a from DxOMark Photo samples of Google Pixel 6 from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels 13 megapixels 8 megapixels
Image resolution 4032 x 3024 3840 x 2160
Aperture - f/2.0
Focal length - 24 mm
Sensor - CMOS
Pixel size - 1.12 micron
Autofocus - No
Stabilization - Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D) No No
DxOMark front camera
Pixel 8a
n/a
Pixel 6
129
Photo - 130
Video - 127

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standard 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 -
GPS GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared port No No
Network
Number of SIM* 1 1
Type of SIM card Nano Nano
eSIM support* Yes Yes
Hybrid slot No No
LTE Cat* 20 20
5G support Yes Yes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
Headphone audio jack No No
FM radio No No
Dolby Atmos No No
Speakers test
Max loudness
Pixel 8a +3%
89.3 dB
Pixel 6
86.3 dB

Other

Category Mid-range Flagship
Announced May 2024 October 2021
Release date May 2024 October 2021
Launch price (MSRP) $499 $600
Successor - Google Pixel 10a - Google Pixel 10
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint		 - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint
Bundled charger Not included Not included
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the data, we think that the Google Pixel 8a is definitely a better buy.

Cast your vote

So, which phone would you choose?
27 (55.1%)
22 (44.9%)
Total votes: 49

Related comparisons

1. Google Pixel 8a vs Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
2. Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 7
3. Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 8
4. Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 9a
5. Google Pixel 8a vs Google Pixel 7 Pro
6. Google Pixel 6 vs Google Pixel 6 Pro (1)
7. Google Pixel 6 vs Google Pixel 7
8. Google Pixel 6 vs Google Pixel 6a (2)
9. Google Pixel 6 vs Apple iPhone 11 (2)
Compare other phones (860+)

User opinions

You can share your opinion or ask a question in the comments below
🌐 Register your profile and become part of DeviceFacts community!
EnglishРусский