FREEBIE ALERT: As of Aug. 1, you’ll get a free $50 Amazon.com gift card when you buy the new Google Pixel 6a(opens in a new tab) ($449) from Amazon.
In the market for a new Android phone? According to Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than last month’s $449 Google Pixel 6a(opens in a new tab).
“Google has once again made a premium experience affordable,” Perry wrote in a glowing review. “It may not be novel (and is in fact expected each year now), but that doesn’t make it any less praiseworthy.”
Extra praiseworthy is the fact that Amazon will give you a $50 gift card(opens in a new tab) when you order the Pixel 6a there (as of Aug. 1). That’s a similar deal to the one Google itself is offering online, where every Pixel 6a purchase nabs you a $50 Google Store credit(opens in a new tab), but most people will probably get more out of free spending money for Amazon.
So what’s all the hype about? The Pixel 6a is basically last year’s stellar Pixel 6 with a slightly smaller 6.1-inch display, a 60Hz refresh rate (versus 90Hz on its predecessor), 128GB of storage (versus up to 256GB), and a 12.2MP rear camera (versus 50MP) with Night Sight and Portrait Mode. Those downgrades may seem like dealbreakers, but Perry said they’re merely “mild compromises” in the grand scheme of things — especially when you factor in the silky smooth performance of the phone’s Tensor chip, its all-day battery life, and its extremely reasonable price point.
“[Pound] for pound, the Pixel 6a is the Pixel to get right now, ” Perry said. “Until the Pixel 7 launches later this year, anyway.”
