Google announced the Pixel 5a 5G in August 2021, followed by the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro on 19 October.

The Google Pixel 5a 5G is only available in select regions, but we've compared it against the details of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro to see what the differences are and help offer a broader picture of how the 2021 Pixels stack up against each other.

Design

  • Pixel 5a 5G: 154.9 x 73.7 x 7.6mm, 185g
  • Pixel 6: 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm, 207g
  • Pixel 6 Pro: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm, 210g

The Google Pixel 5a 5G features a similar design to the Pixel 5 and its predecessor - the Pixel 4a 5G. It has a punch hole camera in the top left corner of its flat display, while a square camera housing is positioned in the top left corner of the rear.

There is a physical fingerprint sensor in the middle on the back of the phone, it comes in one colour option - Mostly Black - and it features a coloured power button. The Pixel 5a 5G offers IP67 water and dust resistance and it has a metal unibody.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro meanwhile, offer a complete redesign compared to Pixel devices that have gone before them, with a camera housing that spans the width of the back of the device. There's an alloy core emerging at the edges of the phone and around the camera bar, while the back and front are Gorilla Glass.

The front displays have a centralised punch hole camera at the top, the Pixel 6 being flat and the 6 Pro curved towards the edges. They are both IP68 water and dust resistant and sport an under-display fingerprint sensor. Both come in a range of colours.

The Pixel 5a 5G is the smallest of the three devices being compared here in terms of measurements and it is also the lightest.

Display

  • Pixel 5a 5G: 6.34-inch, Full HD+, 60Hz
  • Pixel 6: 6.4-inch, Full HD+, 90Hz
  • Pixel 6 Pro: 6.7-inch, Quad HD+, 10Hz-120Hz

The Google Pixel 5a 5G has a 6.34-inch display with a 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution. It offers a 60Hz refresh rate, which is lower than the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 6 devices too. It's a flat display.

The Pixel 6 comes with a 6.4-inch OLED display with a Full HD+ resolution at 2400 x 1080 pixels, though it has a 90Hz refresh rate. It too is a flat display.

The Pixel 6 Pro meanwhile, comes with a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display, with a Quad HD+ resolution at 3120 x 1440 pixels. It has a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz and the display is slightly curved towards the edges.

Hardware and specs

  • Pixel 5a 5G: Qualcomm SD765G 5G, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, 4620mAh
  • Pixel 6: Google Tensor, 8GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 4614mAh
  • Pixel 6 Pro: Google Tensor, 12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 5003mAh

The Google Pixel 5a 5G runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset, supported by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There's a 4620mAh battery capacity and an 18W charger in the box. 

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro both run Google's own Tensor chip, which is said to offer an 80 per cent faster performance compared to the Pixel 5, which runs the same chip as the Pixel 5a 5G. The Pixel 6 has 8GB of RAM, while the Pixel 6 Pro has 12GB of RAM.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro come in 128GB and 256GB storage option. Both support wireless charging, and 30W wired charging, though neither comes with a charger in the box. 

The Pixel 6 is has a 4614mAh battery, while the Pixel 6 Pro has a 5003mAh battery.

Camera 

  • Pixel 5a 5G: Dual camera (12.2MP + 16MP), 8MP front
  • Pixel 6: Dual camera (50MP + 12MP), 8MP front
  • Pixel 6 Pro: Triple camera (50MP + 48MP + 12MP), 11.1MP front

The Google Pixel 5a 5G features a dual rear camera that is the same as the Pixel 5, meaning decent results. It consists of a 12.2-megapixel main sensor with 1.4µm pixels and f/1.7 aperture, and a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens with 1.0µm pixels and f/2.2 aperture.

The front camera on the Pixel 5a 5G is an 8-megapixel snapper with 1.12µm pixels and f/2.0 aperture.

The Pixel 6 comes with a dual rear camera, while the Pixel 6 Pro comes with a triple rear camera. Both models have a 50-megapixel main sensor with f/1.85 aperture and 1.2µm pixels, and 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 1.25µm pixels.

The Pixel 6 Pro adds a 48-megapixel telephoto sensor as the third lens, offering 4x optical zoom and 20x digital zoom. The Pixel 6 has an 8-megapixel front camera, while the Pixel 6 Pro has an 11.1-megapixel front camera with a 94-degree field of view and support for 4K video recording.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro offer the same features as the Pixel 5a 5G, including Night Sight for example, and the app and UI looks much that same - but the new models add some extras, including Motion model, Magic Eraser and Face Deblur - as well as sitting on a completely new configuration of hardware.

Price

  • Pixel 5a 5G: $449, US and Japan only
  • Pixel 6: $599, Global availability expected
  • Pixel 6 Pro: $899, Global availaility expected

The Google Pixel 5a 5G is available now for $449, but you'll only be able to buy it in the US and Japan.

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were announced on 19 October and will be available from 28 October. The Pixel 6 has a starting price of $599, while the Pixel 6 Pro starts at $898.

The Pixel 6 Pro is quite a bit more expensive than the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 5a 5G, though the Pixel 6 models offer wider availability.

Google Pixel 5A 5G 128GB 6GB RAM Factory Unlocked (GSM Only | No CDMA - not Compatible with Verizon/Sprint) International Version - Black

Amazon

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 5a 5G offers a design similar to the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G, while the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro offer entirely new designs and are larger than the Pixel 5a 5G.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro devices also have faster refresh rate displays - especially in the case of the Pixel 6 Pro, offer a more advanced processor, more RAM and more storage options. They are also more colourful and they have more advanced camera features too.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are also more premium than the Pixel 5a 5G. The Pixel 5a 5G is cheaper though, and it offers some great specifications. It's just not that easy to get hold of as availability is limited to the US and Japan, meaning for some, it won't be an option.