AT&T, Verizon Will Sell Different Pixel 6a Models
They did it again—AT&T and Verizon will be selling two different models of Google's new Pixel 6a phone. The difference is millimeter-wave 5G - a change which makes Verizon's unit $50 more expensive than AT&T's.
Verizon says its Pixel 6a, coming on July 21, will support all three layers of its 5G network and will cost $499. AT&T, on the other hand, says its Pixel 6a will support "mid-band 5G+" and cost $449. (T-Mobile hasn't announced a Pixel 6a yet.) The direct-sale model will also cost $449, according to Google's announcement, so that Google model probably also won't have millimeter-wave.
The AT&T and unlocked models may also include new mid-band 5G capabilities based on airwaves AT&T is activating later this year, but AT&T did not confirm that to us.
Millimeter-wave is the fastest and shortest-range form of 5G, but since it was introduced a few years ago, it's consistently made phones more expensive. To use millimeter-wave, phones need several special antenna modules, and a combination of the cost of the modules, IP licensing and design seems to always add up to higher-cost phones.
Qualcomm SVP of engineering Durga Malladi told us in late 2021 that wider global adoption of mmWave would eliminate the price difference through economies of scale. At least for now, that doesn't seem have happened.
All three major US carriers are now using all three major layers of 5G - low-band, mid-band and mmWave. But they're using them differently.
AT&T and T-Mobile have both said that they're focusing on using mmWave in crowded venues like stadiums and airports, where the technology's short distance but very high capacity comes into play. If you have 10,000 people within 1,000 feet all trying to stream video, that's a use for mmWave.
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