Google’s next phone looks set to miss out on one of the Pixel 6’s most important features.
One key feature of the Pixel 6 Pro (pictured) won’t be found on the Pixel 6a.
Google’s Pixel 6 range marks a big shift towards premium flagship smartphones. Some of the Pixel 6’s features are expected to make it into the company’s next-gen mid-range handset, the Pixel 6a. Unfortunately, there’s one important feature that doesn’t appear to have made the cut.
According to a new report by 9To5Google, the yet-to-be-released Pixel 6a will revert to a 12.2 Megapixel main camera based on the same aging Sony IMX363 image sensor found in the Pixel 3. This backward step is sure to come as a shock to any potential Pixel 6a customers hoping to achieve similar photo quality to the Pixel 6 at a cut-down price.
The information comes from the latest version of the Google Camera app, which contains code referencing the IMX363 as well as the following Pixel 6a camera specifications:
- 12.2 MP main camera with Sony IMX363
- 12 MP ultrawide camera with Sony IMX386
- 8 Megapixel selfie camera with Sony IMX355
Previous Pixel smartphones have relied heavily on computational photography, rather than cutting-edge camera hardware, to produce excellent results. However, this all changed with the launch of the Pixel 6 which replaced the Pixel 5’s aging 12.2-Megapixel main camera with an all-new 50-megapixel model, delivering significantly improved quality.
It’s not all bad news for the Pixel 6a, however, as the same report claims that the smartphone will inherit the Google Tensor GS101 processor from the Pixel 6, which powers most of the flagship’s powerful machine-learning-based features.
If previous ‘a’-model pixels are anything to go buy, the Pixel 6a will deliver strong performance with improved value for money, if not the greatest camera Google has to offer.
Follow @paul_monckton on Instagram
