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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you are looking for a budget-friendly option with solid performance, the Google Pixel 6a is a good choice, especially since it offers competitive camera features and solid battery life at a lower cost. However, if you prioritize premier camera performance, longer battery life, and a higher-quality display, the Apple iPhone 15 may be worth the extra expense. The Pixel 6a has a plastic back, which may not feel as premium as the iPhone 15's glass, but its screen size matches the iPhone while costing significantly less. Both phones have a 6.1-inch screen size and were released fairly recently. Keep in mind that the iPhone 15 runs iOS and the Pixel 6a runs Android, which could influence your decision based on the ecosystem you prefer. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Apple iPhone 15
- Very good for taking photos
- Excellent for recording videos
- Very good battery life
- Very good display quality
- Best in class performance
Advantages of the Google Pixel 6a
- The Google Pixel 6a has no clear advantages over the Apple iPhone 15.
Key differences
Overall Camera Quality
8.6
7.6
The Apple iPhone 15 has very good overall camera quality, while the Google Pixel 6a has good overall camera quality.
The Apple iPhone 15's camera setup ranks excellent in selfies due to its high selfie quality score, reflecting its superior hardware and software for front-facing photos. In contrast, the Google Pixel 6a offers very good camera performance with good selfie capabilities, dynamic range, and low light performance, but it falls short of the iPhone in terms of camera versatility and overall photo and video capture experience.
Photo Quality
8.5
7.4
The Apple iPhone 15 takes very good photos, while the Google Pixel 6a takes good photos.
The Apple iPhone 15 captures superior selfies, which is a very important aspect, and provides better photos resolution and dynamic range, contributing to its overall best rating in photos software experience. In contrast, the Google Pixel 6a takes very good selfies but falls slightly behind in dynamic range and photos resolution, although its photos software experience is rated equally best.
Video Quality
9.1
7.2
The Apple iPhone 15 takes excellent videos, while the Google Pixel 6a takes good videos.
The Apple iPhone 15 produces the best videos thanks to its top-tier video stabilization, dynamic range, low light performance, and excellent microphone quality, providing a highly polished video software experience. In contrast, the Google Pixel 6a offers very good stabilization and low light performance, along with good microphone quality, but falls short of the iPhone 15 in creating the highest quality videos.
Cost
$729
$400
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Apple iPhone 15 has a price of $729 and the Google Pixel 6a costs $400.
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Key similarities
Battery
8.0 Hours
7.6 Hours
The Apple iPhone 15 has 8 hours of battery life. The Google Pixel 6a has 7.6 hours of battery life.
Screen Size
The Apple iPhone 15 has a screen size of 6.1 inches and the Google Pixel 6a is 6.1 inches.
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How the Apple iPhone 15 and the Google Pixel 6a compare to other phones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Apple iPhone 15 | Google Pixel 6a |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$729 | $400 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Apple | ||
Operating System | |||
Operating System | iOS | Android | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | September 22, 2023 | July 21, 2022 | |
SCREEN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Screen Size | |||
Screen Size | 6.1" | 6.1" | |
Resolution | |||
Resolution | 2556 x 1179 | 2400 x 1080 | |
Variable refresh rate | |||
Variable refresh rate | No | No | |
Pixels Per Inch | |||
Pixels Per Inch | 461 | 429 | |
Display Type | |||
Display Type | OLED | OLED | |
INTERNAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Processor | |||
Processor | A16 | Tensor | |
Internal Storage | |||
Internal Storage | 128 GB | 128 GB | |
RAM | |||
RAM | 6 GB | 6 GB | |
CAMERA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Overall Camera Quality Score | |||
Overall Camera Quality Score | 8.7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Photos Score | |||
Photos Score | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | |
Videos Score | |||
Videos Score | 9.2/10 | 7.3/10 | |
Rear Cameras | |||
Rear Cameras | Main, Ultrawide | Main, Ultrawide | |
Main Camera | |||
Main Camera | 48 megapixels + OIS | 12.2 megapixels + OIS | |
BATTERY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery Life | |||
Battery Life | 8 Hours | 7.6 Hours | |
Battery Capacity | |||
Battery Capacity | 3349 mAh | 4410 mAh | |
Wireless Charging | |||
Wireless Charging | Yes | No | |
Wireless charging Speed | |||
Wireless charging Speed | 15 W | 0 W | |
Reverse wireless charging | |||
Reverse wireless charging | No | No | |
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Size | |||
Size | 5.81" x 2.82" | 5.99" x 2.83" | |
Weight | |||
Weight | 6.03 oz | 6.28 oz | |
Back Material | |||
Back Material | Glass | Plastic | |
Stereo Speakers | |||
Stereo Speakers | No | No | |
CONNECTIVITY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dual SIM | |||
Dual SIM | Yes | Yes | |
Bluetooth Version | |||
Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.2 | |
A2DP | |||
A2DP | Yes | Yes | |
WiFi Version | |||
WiFi Version | 6 | 6e | |
NFC | |||
NFC | Yes | Yes | |
US 5G Bands | |||
US 5G Bands | (SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 77, 78, 79, 258, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6)1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 53, 66, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 | (SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 (SA/NSA/Sub6) 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 | |
OTHER FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Biometric unlock | |||
Biometric unlock | Face unlock | Fingerprint sensor: Under Display | |
Unlockable Bootloader | |||
Unlockable Bootloader | No | Yes (Except Verizon Models) | |
Color | |||
Color | Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green, Black | Chalk, Sage, Charcoal | |
Stock Android | |||
Stock Android | N/A | Yes | |
SD Card | |||
SD Card | No | No | |
Shopping
Apple iPhone 15
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Dig into reviews and images
TechRadar
Lance Ulanoff | September 2023
"Apple finally waves goodbye to the notch in favor of the Dynamic Island on all phones in its new lineup, and on the iPhone 15 that versatile screen technology is paired with new materials, lovely contoured edges, a powerful A16 Bionic CPU, and, yes, the new USB-C port. Even the photography has been leveled up, with a 48MP camera and new portrait processing capabilities."
Google Pixel 6a
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Dig into reviews and images
Ars Technica
Ron Amadeo | July 2022
"it's very hard to find fault with the Pixel 6a. It has a processor that, in the US at least, blows away other Android phones in this price range. The design is great, the camera is fine, and the price is right. What's not to like?"
Get a great deal on the Apple iPhone 15 or the Google Pixel 6a
About Apple
The tech giant called Apple is synonymous with the most popular smartphone in the world: the iPhone. Known for their build quality and aesthetics, as well as for their excellent integration between hardware and software, iPhones have defined the smartphone industry ever since their conception and they continue to do so by setting new industry standards. Apple's own operating system, called iOS, is known for its simplicity and ease of use, and the company tends to complement it well by creating devices with some of the most powerful processing hardware available in the mobile world. The iPhone is also known for its robust ecosystem of accessories, as it facilitates a very seamless experience when interacting with other Apple products, more so than most of its competitors.
About Google
Google can be considered a relatively new player in the smartphone industry, joining as late as 2016 with their phone, the Google Pixel. Since then, the Pixel lineup has undergone many changes, but it has always been characterized by a focus on photography and clean software, by providing a pure Android experience. By virtue of Google being the creator of the Android operating system, Pixels are known for receiving timely software updates and for being supported with updates for a long time. Additionally, over the past few generations of devices, Google started designing their own processors. This allowed for the implementation of unique software features that are not present in any other phone, such as automatic call screening and unique voice transcribing capabilities.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
68
Phones evaluated
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Phones stats compiled
8
Proprietary Phones ratings developed
152,100
Recommendations made
86,190
Consumer hours saved
About the phone team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Seth Peoples
Phones Expert
Seth is a US-based product expert focusing on smartphones and he is a moderator of one of the largest smartphone subreddits. His tailored recommendations have helped him earn over 87k comment karma, putting him in the top 1% of Redditors.
Efthimis Kotanidis
Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.
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