Alphabet-owned Google will soon launch its new budget smartphone, Pixel 6a, as it seeks to increase its market share in a space currently ruled by rivals Apple and Samsung.
The new phone will be powered by Tensor, Google’s own system-on-chip silicon that was used in last year’s Pixel 6 line-up. Tensor makes apps “launch fast, pages and images load quickly and everything run smoothly”, the company said.
First announced at the I/O developer conference in May, Pixel 6a will come with a design almost similar to the existing Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. It will have an under-display fingerprint sensor and Titan M2 security system that makes the device one of the most secure Android smartphones.
Going by the features and price, the 6a can be considered an economical alternative to the 6 and 6 Pro models.
Here, The National explores what the new phone is expected to offer consumers.
Camera compromise
In an attempt to reduce the price of 6a to attract budget customers, Google has compromised on the size of the main camera.
The new phone will come with a dual rear camera system, with 12.2-megapixel wide-angle and 12MP ultrawide cameras, whereas the main camera was 50MP in both 6 (two rear cameras) and 6 Pro (three rear cameras).
The 6a model will offer an 8MP front camera, compared with 6 Pro’s 11.1MP front camera.
Memory and storage
This is going to disappoint many existing Pixel fans. The new phone will come with only 6GB memory and 128GB storage. Although more variants with increased memory and enlarged storage capacity are expected, Google has not yet confirmed such rumours.
In comparison, Pixel 6 offers 8GB memory and storage between 128GB and 256GB. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6 Pro comes with 12GB memory, with storage going up to 512GB.
Enough juice to last a day
The new phone will come with 4,410 milliampere-hour battery size, compared with 4,614 mAh in Pixel 6 and 5,003mAh in Pixel 6 Pro.
The California-based technology company claimed the 6a battery will be enough to run more than 24 hours on a single charge and up to 72 hours with the extreme battery saver feature.
However, the fast wireless charging feature, which is available in the 6 and 6 Pro models, will be missing in the new phone.
Price and availability
Pixel 6a model will cost $449, considerably more economical compared with the launch prices of the 6 ($599) and 6 Pro ($899) models. Pixel 6a will be available for pre-order on July 21 and will be on shelves on July 28.
It will be available in select markets, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the UK and the US.
The new Pixel phone is expected to provide tough competition for smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone SE and Samsung’s Galaxy A53.
When will Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro hit the shelves?
Google’s coming 7 and 7 Pro models, which were teased during I/O developer conference, are expected to be launched in September or October. They are projected to be shipped with the coming the Android 13 operating system and a second-generation Tensor processor.
Sporting a revamped design with an aluminium camera bar, the new phones are expected to be priced in the range of $599 to $899.
Has Pixel been profitable for Google?
Launched in October, the Pixel 6 experienced a good response and added to record sales for the line-up in the fourth quarter of last year.
“In Q4 [2021], we set an all-time quarterly sales record for Pixel. This came in spite of an extremely challenging supply chain environment," Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet, said earlier this year.
The company does not disclose the exact sales figures of its phones.
"The response to Pixel 6 from our customers and carrier partners was incredibly positive,” he said.
Google sold nearly 1.2 million phones in the first quarter of this year, grabbing 3 per cent of the North American market, according to researcher Canalys.
“Google is on the offensive to take market share, building on its wide carrier presence and unprecedented investment in the Pixel brand,” said Canalys research analyst Runar Bjorhovde.
“It focused on the Pixel 6 in Q1, but will look to expand further in the rest of the year, with a recently launched portfolio including the upcoming Pixel 7 flagship, affordable Pixel 6a, Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds.”
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
BRAZIL%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Alisson%2C%20Ederson%2C%20Weverton%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Dani%20Alves%2C%20Marquinhos%2C%20Thiago%20Silva%2C%20Eder%20Militao%20%2C%20Danilo%2C%20Alex%20Sandro%2C%20Alex%20Telles%2C%20Bremer.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Casemiro%2C%20Fred%2C%20Fabinho%2C%20Bruno%20Guimaraes%2C%20Lucas%20Paqueta%2C%20Everton%20Ribeiro.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Neymar%2C%20Vinicius%20Junior%2C%20Richarlison%2C%20Raphinha%2C%20Antony%2C%20Gabriel%20Jesus%2C%20Gabriel%20Martinelli%2C%20Pedro%2C%20Rodrygo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
