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New Pixel 6a get a good repair score yet Google's quality control strikes again

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Jul 26, 2022, 2:16 AM

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Google's feisty $450 midranger - the new Pixel 6a - has undergone the teardown treatment before it has even been released to the public as the launch is scheduled for later this week. The indefatigable PBK disassembler used the weekend to tear into a Pixel 6a and gave it very good repairability score of 7/10, better than the 5.5/10 score that the Google Pixel 6 Pro got on account of its harder to pry off components like the battery unit.

AT&T Pixel 6a from Walmart

The Pixel 6a is also available at Walmart. This version is AT&T locked. Starting at $10.25/month for 36 installments.

$10 ²⁵ /mo

Buy at Walmart

Get the Google Pixel 6a with a discount at Amazon

The Pixel 6a is available for purchase on Amazon with a nice discount that makes it a sub-$300 phone.

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The noise-canceling Google Pixel Buds Pro up for sale to go with your Pixel phone

You can now buy the Google Pixel Buds Pro to go with your favorite Pixel 6a, Pixel 6, or Pixel 6 Pro color. The first major effort to create Pro earbuds resulted in Pixel Buds with Active Noise Cancellation and a whopping 11 hours of battery life on a charge.

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The battery came out very easily as, thankfully, its center wasn't glued as well like it is on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Moreover, Google's using clips to attach the display instead of copious amount of adhesive only and the panel can also be removed with relative ease.

The phones enjoys a "3D thermoformed composite" plastic back that can be unglued, too, and means that the Pixel 6a is a phone you won't have to baby all the time like most glass-y handsets of today.

The only ho-hum aspect in terms of repairability is the USB-C charging port that is soldered to the mainboard together with Google's Tensor chipset and all other silicon paraphernalia, so if you break the port you may be in for a larger repair than needed.

Google, however, recently entered a partnership with iFixit for providing genuine spare parts and repair schematics that should make fixing a Pixel 6a cheaper and easier, in a move to preempt any mandates stemming by the recent Right to Repair Act passing.

Unfortunately, the teardown began with finding some debris in the brand new Google Pixel 6a box and some scratches on said plastic rear and camera lens bezel. Hopefully, such mishaps won't be happening on a regular basis to early adopters, as it would once again indicate quality control omissions on part of the assembly partners that Google works with over its Pixel phones.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.