Google’s Pixel update just made the Pixel 6a an even less-appealing buy

More Magic Eraser features

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When theGoogle Pixel 6debuted it brought a new feature in the form of Magic Eraser, which lets you use AI to remove unwanted background subjects in pictures, and thePixel 6atook it a step further with Camouflage mode. Turns out, this expanded mode is now coming to the earlier Pixel 6 devices.

When theGooglePixel 6a goes on sale on July 28, the Pixel 6 andPixel 6 Prowill be getting an update that brings Camouflage mode with it - confirmed toThe Vergeby a Google spokesperson.

Camouflage mode in Magic Eraser doesn’t remove an unwanted object but instead tweaks the colors so it isn’t as obvious, usually by dropping the saturation. This method isn’t as prone to failure as the AI-powered standard Magic Eraser mode, which can often leave noticeable smudges when the AI doesn’t quite work out what was meant to be in the background.

This new mode coming to Pixel 6 devices should give owners of those older phones an extra camera tool to play around with, and is another in a long line of updates that Google has given to its flagship phones.

Analysis: making the Pixel 6 an even more tempting buy

In ourGoogle Pixel 6a review, we pointed out that a year of Pixel 6 price cuts made the older phone roughly similar in terms of price to the newer one - despite the Pixel 6a ostensibly being a budget version.

And with Pixel 6a features finding their way over to the Pixel 6, there’s one more reason to opt for the superior older phone over its budget alternative.

That’s as long as the Google Pixel 6a’s price remains stable after it launches - when ‘cheap’ phones like this are overpriced on launch, we often see the companies cut the prices quickly after only a month or so on sale. So maybe towards the end of the year we’ll see the Pixel 6a get a more tempting price point.

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Until then, though, the Google Pixel 6 is by far thebest phoneout of the two.

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

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