I have always loved experiments! This time, it was just me testing how much my three year old Refurbished Google Pixel 6a can take! I did something that shocked me as well. I decided to install more than 50 apps on my refurbished Google Pixel 6a. First off, I wanted to test the device’s performance. It was especially so since I got the refurbished variant to save money. I was curious if it could handle the load without crumbling.
Everybody says the Google Tensor chip is good, but not that great, for raw power and gaming, so I thought I’d see it for myself. I’ve been using my Google Pixel 6a for the last three years, and I’m going to share my real experience in this article!
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Top Myths People Have About Google Pixel 6a!
Before I talk about my experiment, I want to clear some common myths about the Google Pixel 6a. I have heard these things many times. To be honest, these myths make people scared to buy this phone, especially a refurbished one like mine.
Myth 1: It Is Not Powerful Enough For Heavy Use
Some people say the Tensor chip is weak compared to Snapdragon or Exynos processors. They think the phone cannot handle multitasking or heavy work. W
Myth 2: It Cannot Handle Many Apps Because Of Low RAM
The Pixel 6a has only 6GB of RAM. Because of this, many people believe it will struggle when many apps are open and will reload or crash often.
Myth 3: The Phone Will Hang If You Install Too Many Apps
There are people who believe that willing the phone with apps makes it slow, causes lag, and sometimes even freezes the phone. For a long time, I had the same myth about my phone as well.
Myth 4: The Storage Is Too Less
The phone has 128GB of storage. Some people say this is not enough for apps, photos, videos, and updates, so you will always have to delete things.
Myth 5: The Battery Does Not Last Long
The Pixel 6a has a 4410mAh battery. Many people call it average and believe that installing many apps will drain the battery very fast.
I bought my refurbished Pixel 6a three years ago. It is not a perfect phone, but these myths have always annoyed me. So, I decided to test them myself and find out the truth.
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Setting Up the Experiment: My App Overload Challenge
To make this experiment fair and real, I started fresh. I factory reset my Pixel 6a after backing up all my data first. At that time, my phone was running the latest Android update. One thing I really like is that the Refurbished Google Pixel 6a is still getting Android updates even after three years. It is running Android 16 Beta with new AI features like better Circle to Search and improved photo editing. This is a big plus for a mid-range phone.
For the test, I decided to install more than 50 apps from different categories like shopping, food delivery, social media, payments, and games. This was to see how the phone works for a heavy user. I didn’t just install the apps and leave them, I used them daily for one full month. I scrolled through social media, placed orders, listened to music, watched videos, and played games.
While using the phone, I checked everything carefully. I watched the battery life, storage space, RAM usage, and also looked for any lag, heating, or hanging problems. The result was surprising.
Here is the full list of apps I installed on my Pixel 6a.
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List Of 50+ Apps I Installed
| Category | Apps |
|---|---|
| Shopping Apps | Blinkit, Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon, Jio Mart, Meesho |
| Food Delivery Apps | Zomato, Fresh to Home, Swiggy |
| Email Apps | Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, Zoho |
| Social Media Apps | X, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads, Pinterest, Reddit, Telegram, Arratai |
| Payment Apps | Splitwise, SuperMoney, GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, Paytm Money |
| Miscellaneous Apps | Vetic, Supertails, Sheets, MyGate, LinkedIn, ChatGPT, Gemini, IRCTC, Amazon Kindle, Brave Browser, Airtel Thanks, MyJio |
| Travel Apps | Bharat Taxi, Rapido, Ola, Uber |
| Banking Apps | HDFC Bank, SBI Anywhere, ICICI iMobile, Axis Mobile |
| Entertainment Apps | Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Prime Music, Spotify, Apple Music, JioSaavn, Crunchyroll |
| Gaming Apps | PUBG Mobile, Candy Crush Saga, Subway Surfers, Candy Crush Soda Saga |
That makes 59 apps in total! Installing all of them was easy using the Google Play Store. The 128GB storage handled everything without any problem. After installing the apps, they used around 40 to 50GB of space. There was still a lot of space left for photos, videos, and other files. I did not get any storage warnings while installing the apps.
Performance Breakdown: How Did It Hold Up?
Now comes the most important part of the experiment. With so many apps installed, did the Pixel 6a survive the app overload? Let’s check out all segments:
Speed and Multitasking
I honestly expected the phone to lag, but the Refurbished Google Pixel 6a surprised me. Switching between apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, and PUBG was smooth most of the time. Even when more than 20 apps were running in the background, the phone did not hang or freeze. Sometimes apps were reloaded because of the 6GB RAM, but it was not a big problem. The Tensor chip handled daily tasks very well.
For gaming, I played PUBG and Subway Surfers. The games ran well on medium settings, and the phone did not overheat even after 40 minutes of play. It is not a gaming phone, but for casual gaming, it works fine. So, this myth is busted! The phone did not slow down because of too many apps.
Battery Life
Battery life was my biggest concern. With many apps sending notifications and running in the background, I kept an eye on the battery usage. On a full charge, I got around 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time with mixed use like social media, music streaming, and gaming. This was almost the same as my normal usage. Standby battery drain was very low because Android manages background apps well. The battery is not the best in the market, but it performed better than I expected.
Storage and Memory Management
At first, 128GB storage felt small, but after installing all the apps, I still had about 70GB free space. Google Photos helped a lot because my photos were backed up to the cloud. I am using Paid Google Cloud for my photos and videos because some files are really old. When it comes to RAM, the phone smartly closed unused apps to save memory. Because of this, the phone stayed smooth, and the RAM-related myths were not true.
Camera Performance with Many Apps Installed
Even with so many apps on the phone, the camera performance stayed excellent. The 12MP main camera clicked clear and colourful photos, just like Pixel phones are known for. I took photos during the experiment, and even in low light, the camera worked well. There was no delay or slow processing, even with many apps running in the background. One thing I observed that, when I was using the camera for video recording for more than 35 minutes, the phone did heat up a little bit.
Overall, the Pixel 6a handled the app overload much better than expected.
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Where I Got My Refurbished Google Pixel 6a? It’s Cashify!
Before I forget, this Pixel 6a that went through my 50+ apps test is a refurbished Google phone. I bought it from Cashify three years ago. Even back then, it felt like a great deal. After seeing how well it handled my heavy app experiment, I still think it is one of the smartest purchases I’ve made.
Cashify is now a trusted partner for refurbished Google Pixel phones in India. They even started an official authorised program. This means the phones are checked properly and tested with 32-point quality checks. Some models also come with up to one year warranty.
You can buy a refurbished Pixel 6a from Cashify at a much lower price than a new phone. The phones are available in different conditions like fair, good, or superb. They also offer easy EMI options and free delivery.
My phone is proof that a refurbished phones can last for a long time and still perform well. Three years later, it is still handling my crazy tests without any problems. No regrets at all!
The Shocking Truth: It’s Tougher Than You Think
After using my second hand Google phone for one full month with so many apps installed, I found out something surprising. My refurbished Google Pixel 6a handled everything really well. There were no crashes, no serious heating, and the performance stayed smooth and reliable.
The Tensor chip may not be the strongest processor out there, but for daily use, Google has optimised it very nicely. Even after three years, the phone is still getting regular updates and new features. I am still getting things like better AI photo editing in Google Photos. Recently I got Google Themes feature as well.
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So, if you are thinking about buying a refurbished Pixel 6a, don’t be scared by the myths. It is a strong and reliable phone for everyday use and performs better than many people expect. Would I suggest installing more than 50 apps? Probably not, because it can get messy. But knowing that the phone can handle it feels pretty awesome.
Have you ever tested your phone like this? Share your thoughts in the comments!
If you’ve just bought a new phone and don’t know what to do with your old phone, then here’s your answer. Sell old mobile to Cashify and get the best price for it. If you are planning to buy a new phone, check out Cashify’s refurbished mobile phones. You can get your favourite phone at almost half price with six-month warranty, 15 days refund and free delivery.
