My previous SmartPhones have been Samsung Galaxy phones but the low end models. These served me well for several years, but I have two issues - Samsung preloads their apps and does not allow you to delete them, even though many (if not most) I never used because I used other (better) apps that did the same thing. Because you cannot delete them, the small base memory (32Mb) on the models I had filled up rapidly. It got to the point that I was having to clear cache pretty much daily to get anything done.In addition to looking at Samsung with more memory, I looked at Motorola and Google Pixel phones. Because I use a lot of Google products, I ultimately picked the Pixel. I use my phone mostly as a mobile computer and hardly use the voice at all (I do text). So the WiFi ... MoreMy previous SmartPhones have been Samsung Galaxy phones but the low end models. These served me well for several years, but I have two issues - Samsung preloads their apps and does not allow you to delete them, even though many (if not most) I never used because I used other (better) apps that did the same thing. Because you cannot delete them, the small base memory (32Mb) on the models I had filled up rapidly. It got to the point that I was having to clear cache pretty much daily to get anything done.In addition to looking at Samsung with more memory, I looked at Motorola and Google Pixel phones. Because I use a lot of Google products, I ultimately picked the Pixel. I use my phone mostly as a mobile computer and hardly use the voice at all (I do text). So the WiFi connection speed was probably more important to me at this point than the 5G support. The base memory of 138Mb will serve me probably for years. Because I had my old phone backed up on Google and the convenient app and data transfer provided with this phone, getting everything to the new phone was practically automatic. I did have to manually transcribe some lists from a Samsung app to Google Keep, but that was the only thing I had to manually do.The phone has a great screen with excellent clarity and though slightly smaller than the Pixel 7, it's fine for my needs.The camera is a step up from the older Samsung which is great, though I probably use it less than the typical user. The photo apps have some amazing features like tuning up older photos even though not taken on this phone and erasing photobombs.I already had an account with a provider so I got the unlocked version, slipped the SIM card and and off it went.I've been using the phone during a trip over the holidays and now for over three weeks and I haven't found anything that I don't like about the phone. This Pixel doesn't use induction charging (which my car supports) so I did have to buy a new charging cable for the USB port in the car because this has a USB-C connector rather than the microUSB of the Samsung. It comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and USB converter that lets you do the data and app transfer when you first set up the phone, but my car didn't have USB-C.I rarely had any problem with the battery life in the old Samsungs I had and so far haven't had any issues with battery life on the Pixel, although I haven't really stressed it to see if it matches the specification for the phone.

I purchased the pixel 6a after having the pixel 3a for a number of years. My biggest reason for upgrading was that the battery on my 3a was shot and Google recently stopped pushing updates to the phone. When I saw a deal to get the 6a and the Pixel Series A buds on sale I figured it was too good a deal to pass up. Unfortunately, I can say that the phone is a step back in many ways.I'll start with what I like. The best part is the new wireless earbuds - they work seamlessly with the new phone and I've used them regularly. I have other bluetooth headphones, and I've used various apple bluetooth headphones with my wife's IPhone, and these are by far the best I have used - no disconnect issues, good battery, and relatively comfortable. I also find the build quality of ... MoreI purchased the pixel 6a after having the pixel 3a for a number of years. My biggest reason for upgrading was that the battery on my 3a was shot and Google recently stopped pushing updates to the phone. When I saw a deal to get the 6a and the Pixel Series A buds on sale I figured it was too good a deal to pass up. Unfortunately, I can say that the phone is a step back in many ways.I'll start with what I like. The best part is the new wireless earbuds - they work seamlessly with the new phone and I've used them regularly. I have other bluetooth headphones, and I've used various apple bluetooth headphones with my wife's IPhone, and these are by far the best I have used - no disconnect issues, good battery, and relatively comfortable. I also find the build quality of the phone to be nice, and the screen is a good size.That's basically where the good ends. The biggest issue I have found is that somehow, shockingly, this phone works terribly with google apps and Android. By far the worst offender is google maps. I have repeatedly had to force close the app because it freezes or refuses to update directions. I can even replicate the issue by inputting an address, entering a start location, and then starting to drive before I start the directions. Doing this freezes the app every single time, and I have to force close. It's insane that a phone made by the same company works so poorly with Google Maps. Also, android occasionally crashes, requiring me to force close the phone UI. Again, Android is owned by Google, so its absurd that this continues to happen.Considering the updates from the Pixel 3a, I have found a number of features that feel like steps backward. To start, the on screen fingerprint scanner is a step down from the old scanner that rested on the back of the 3a. With the 6a I find myself repeatedly having to retry opening my phone because the sensor reads my fingerprint incorrectly. This happens when both my phone and my finger are dry - it is not an issue of rain or some other obstruction between my finger and the glass. On the 3a the sensor worked flawlessly except for when water got in the way (ex. sweating after a workout, or after washing my hands). The screen also does this weird thing where it wakes up any time you touch the screen. You might think this is a nice, intuitive feature, until you are walking with your phone in hand, listening to music or an audiobook, and realize you have paused the music or skipped/restarted a song because your finger touched the screen, turned it on, and then accidentally nudged a button. This happens fairly regularly when I run, and while some might argue that I simply "not hold my phone" I'd argue that there are more instances where I want to hold my phone without turning the screen on then there are instances where I want to turn my screen on by tapping the screen rather than pushing the power button located a few inches to the side.Finally, the headphone jack. How I miss my headphone jack. Using a dongle in its place is simply more cumbersome. Yes, the new pixel buds are nice and yes there are good bluetooth headphones out there, but sometimes I want to use an older pair of headphones or not worry about headphone batteries dying. In those cases requiring a dongle is just obtrusive. And for the life of me I can't see the benefit this has for the phone. It doesn't feel any more waterproof, the camera is not noticeably better, the battery is not substantially better, and there are not other features that seem to account for the supposed space savings that justified the removal of this jack. At the end of the day it feels like a cash grab, which is just so unfortunate.Some of the above items (particularly software issues) could ultimately be fixed with updates, and perhaps other items I listed may not be issues to others. However, taken in total I just think the above paints the picture of a phone that doesn't really justify its price tag. My Pixel 3a was probably the first or second best phone I ever owned, and this one feels like its in a much lower tier. So if you get a good deal on it and are in dire need of a new phone maybe consider buying it with the hopes that Google offers improvements to its current limitations. However, if you have the luxury to consider other options I would just look elsewhere

Taking Google’s Pixel 6a for a test drive after extensively using the Pixel 6 as my daily-driver for the past 9 months was a comfortable, smooth ride – unsurprisingly.Right out of the box, the smaller form-factor and lighter weight immediately relieved my palm of the arduous heft that is now common to today’s flagship phablets from the big three handheld device manufacturers. Compared to the Pixel 6, the 6a feels much more natural to handle and easier to navigate, as opposed to the ‘top-heavy’ feeling from the larger and longer screens associated with the top-tier premium smartphones.The lack of bulk comes at a small price in the reduced megapixel camera, lesser RAM, and smaller storage; but make no mistake, this phone does almost everything its older, more ... MoreTaking Google’s Pixel 6a for a test drive after extensively using the Pixel 6 as my daily-driver for the past 9 months was a comfortable, smooth ride – unsurprisingly.Right out of the box, the smaller form-factor and lighter weight immediately relieved my palm of the arduous heft that is now common to today’s flagship phablets from the big three handheld device manufacturers. Compared to the Pixel 6, the 6a feels much more natural to handle and easier to navigate, as opposed to the ‘top-heavy’ feeling from the larger and longer screens associated with the top-tier premium smartphones.The lack of bulk comes at a small price in the reduced megapixel camera, lesser RAM, and smaller storage; but make no mistake, this phone does almost everything its older, more powerful, bigger brothers can do.Snappy and as responsive as you’d expect Google’s newest flagship line to perform. Out of the package, the new G2 Tensor chip paired with the Android 12 operating system, stands to outperform almost every competitor’s phone in the equivalent price-range. As of this review, after the initial setup, a notification popped up to upgrade to the latest operating system: Android 13.The only feature that I actually do miss in this iteration, is the ability to charge the device wirelessly. Not a big issue for some, though many of my chargers, including my nightly charging stand, are wireless. This is due to the lack of a glass back, of which, both of the other Pixel’s in the 6a’s generation contain. This, however, leads to the lighter weight and increased portability of this incredibly capable smartphone.The battery life seems to be an improvement over the more memory intensive models out there, and I routinely get a full day of regular usage, winding down to around 55% just before bedtime, despite having a smaller milliamp/hour capacity.All in all, a great choice, and the perfect price-point for the opportunity to step into this generation’s line-up of exceptional Pixel smartphones.