Is Pixel 6a a good phone?

[sillyette]

My mom doesn't like using an iPhone but puts up with it because it is an all-carrier phone with an eSIM. She never stopped complaining about it, so now that Tracfone is selling the Pixel 6a, I am thinking of getting it for her using rewards points.

I don't know anything about Pixel phones. Is it a good phone? My mom likes Android phones and I'm thinking there's nothing more Android than a Pixel, but how good is the 6a? (I'll be using rewards points that I had kept aside for buying air time so I want to be sure it's a phone worth getting.)

Thank you very much!

(BTW, thank you tomseys, for posting in the Deals thread that the Pixel is available! I would never have known about it otherwise.)

[hpham]

I had a factory-unlocked Pixel 6a from Aug last year to a few weeks ago. I had no problems with it. Some people like it because it has a good camera. I sold it because I bought a Metro (locked) Samsung A54 for $90 and I like the more vibrant screen colors of the Samsung than the "flat" colors of the 6a.

[rcentros]

I don't know anything about Pixel phones. Is it a good phone?

I have a Pixel 3a. It's well-built and has a really good camera. Works fine. I don't see why a 6a wouldn't be high quality. (I mostly use my flip phone, so I'm not an expert on Android.)

[whacker]

It's a pretty highly regarded, well-reviewed phone, especially in the context of the market it was aimed at (just a little less phone than the "full" Model 6, which had some troubles when first launched). But some reviewers like it better than the just launched 7a.

[hpham]

But some reviewers like it (the 6a) better than the just launched 7a.

The 7a has better specs but Google put an MSRP of $499 on the 7a which didn't entice many 6a owners to upgrade to it. All the 7a deal threads on Slickdeals got a lot of thumb-downs and fizzled out quickly.

[sillyette]

I had a factory-unlocked Pixel 6a from Aug last year to a few weeks ago. I had no problems with it. Some people like it because it has a good camera. I sold it because I bought a Metro (locked) Samsung A54 for $90 and I like the more vibrant screen colors of the Samsung than the "flat" colors of the 6a.

My mom uses the Tracfone-unlocked XR. hpham, I know you don't like iPhones, but thought maybe you had used the XR a little sometime - how does the 6a compare to the iphone XR?

My mom likes the call quality on her XR and she also likes the camera. Everything else she complains about!

[sillyette]

So this other thread made me wonder -

Are Pixel phones the same way as iPhones with respect to being same-model-across-carriers?
Meaning, like an iphone purchased from Tracfone is the same as an iphone purchased from Apple (after unlocking) - is it the same way with Pixel phones?

[hpham]

My mom uses the Tracfone-unlocked XR. hpham, I know you don't like iPhones, but thought maybe you had used the XR a little sometime - how does the 6a compare to the iphone XR?

I had a few refurb XRs but I didn't really "use" them, just activated them, made a few calls/texts then put away for 60 days to get unlocked. So can't compare them to the 6a.

So this other thread made me wonder -

Are Pixel phones the same way as iPhones with respect to being same-model-across-carriers?
Meaning, like an iphone purchased from Tracfone is the same as an iphone purchased from Apple (after unlocking) - is it the same way with Pixel phones?

Info for the TF Pixel 6a lacks details of what bands it has or which model it is. There are several different models of Pixel 6a (click on Expand/Collapse on the NETWORK line). For US/Canada, there are two models: GX7AS and GB62Z. Both models have the same bands for 4G. For 5G, model GB62Z (which I assume is made for Verizon) has some different 5G bands. Anyway, it's logical to assume that if the 6a that TF sells is made for Verizon, then it should have the 5G bands that Verizon uses AND all the 4G bands that all US carriers use. So a TF 6a should work with all US carriers on 4G. I don't know if AT&T still exclude some TF "DL" models from their whitelist. AT&T whitelist has not been updated since Nov 2022. Seems like AT&T has abandoned maintaining their whitelist and now the only way to know for sure is to run a phone's IMEI against AT&T IMEI Checker. T-mobile seems to accept any phone that has the required bands.

[rpz1]

............there are two models: GX7AS and GB62Z. Both models have the same bands for 4G. For 5G, model GB62Z (which I assume is made for Verizon) has some different 5G bands.

Best I can find is the GB62Z (Verizon model) has only the addition of the 5G mmwave bands (260,261) which really aren't needed.

[MRothaus]

...I don't know anything about Pixel phones. Is it a good phone? My mom likes Android phones and I'm thinking there's nothing more Android than a Pixel, but how good is the 6a? (I'll be using rewards points that I had kept aside for buying air time so I want to be sure it's a phone worth getting.)...

Good timing on the question. I just bought a "renewed from Amazon" pixel 6a after being a long-time happy LG G8 phone owner. The pixel 6a works well for my use case. I wanted a cheaper android phone that updates the OS more often (it is running OS 13 now), and has 5G capability. And it had to be unlocked and work on my Tracfone carrier which I'm using a Verizon SIM.

So all the major needs are satisfied. I've found 2 minor disappointments: 1-it cannot charge wirelessly and 2-I can't get rid of the google search bar at the bottom of the screen unless I install a custom launcher.

Overall, I've had it for about a week and I am now fully comfortable with it and got it configured the way I like, so I'm happy.

[MRothaus]

Best I can find is the GB62Z (Verizon model) has only the addition of the 5G mmwave bands (260,261) which really aren't needed.

I went into Settings->About phone

In the "Model" it only shows "Pixel 6a". When I click on "Model", I get
Model: Pixel 6a
Serial number: blah
Hardware version: MP1.0

Is there some way I can find out the more specific model I have? It is most likely the GB62Z since it is working well with my Verizon SIM.

[PaulCrawhorne]

see legal / regulatory info

[Senkoboy]

I've had mine for about 3 months. Bought it from the Google Store. Most expensive phone I've ever bought, so I can't compare it to others in the $300 range. I've been happy with mine.

[hpham]

Is there some way I can find out the more specific model I have? It is most likely the GB62Z since it is working well with my Verizon SIM.

Run its IMEI through www.IMEICheck.com and see it shows more detailed info.

[tomseys]

I went into Settings->About phone

In the "Model" it only shows "Pixel 6a". When I click on "Model", I get
Model: Pixel 6a
Serial number: blah
Hardware version: MP1.0

Is there some way I can find out the more specific model I have? It is most likely the GB62Z since it is working well with my Verizon SIM.

Go to Settings/About Phone/Regulatory labels to see the model number.

On mine it is:





I bought this "unlocked" Pixel 6a GX7AS model directly from a physical Google Store. I think it is the most common model.

Works great with TF/Verizon and when speed tested gets around 400 MBPS down with mid band/C band 5G (n77) in my area.

The Verizon specific/locked GB62Z model includes mmWave 5G and is $50 more expensive (non sale price) than the other model/s. The price difference is for the mmwave 5G. I believe Verizon required this level of 5G support from Google pixel (and other brands) to be with the carrier.

Until the iPhone SE 3 came along.


Related interesting article about the iPhone SE 3, Pixel phones, and mmWave/5G:

https://www.theverge.com/22968066/ap...ave-verizon-uw


More about Verizon's Pixel 6a:

https://9to5google.com/2022/05/11/pi...verizon-price/