Hands On with the Google Pixel 6 Pro
Retail Price: $899.00
DISCLAIMER: GOOGLE SENT US A UNIT OF THE PIXEL 6 PRO BUT ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE OUR OWN
It’s finally here! This is a big year for the search giant as Google has completely redesigned their flagship phones, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, both inside and out. If you’re coming from a previous generation Pixel, everything on the 6-Series will seem like a foreign brand has invaded the Android platform and planted the signature G logo onto it. With a first generation, brand new processor and a complete camera overhaul, let’s see Google's take on the future of mobile smartphones.
Changing things up
Google sure pulled out all the stops this year to showcase the brand new Pixel 6 Pro. While the minimalistic unboxing experience has Pixel heritage written all over it, one glaring omission starting with this phone is the absence of the charging brick. Everyone is falling in line behind Apple and this is unfortunately the first Pixel phone to not come with a fast charging brick in the retail package. We do still have a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to female A adapter included with the phone. The first thing I noticed when pulling the Pixel 6 Pro out of the box was just how flashy the newly redesigned camera layout is. It’s a stamp right in the direct view of the user and it will no doubt be the distinguishing appearance factor going forward for the Pixel line. I was also surprised to see that the display now wraps around to the edges. This is something we’re accustomed to seeing on Samsung and OnePlus phones, but we haven’t seen Google do this until this year.
New camera layout
Starting With the guts
The only thing that has any resemblance to previous Pixel phones is the front side of the smartphone. A large 6.71 inch QHD display occupies the same space every phone has its display located in. Can’t really change much there. It’s a 19.5:9 aspect ratio with a pixel density of 512 ppi. That’s a very sharp Amoled display that refreshes at up to 120 Hz. Google didn’t spare any expenses on giving us a premium viewing experience. I’m personally not a huge fan of hole punch front facing cameras, but it’s got to be somewhere and Google decided to place it right in the center. The under display fingerprint scanner is a new addition to the Pixel-line as it has relocated from its long tenured rear position. Plenty of other phones have now moved their biometric login to the display area so this should not be too big of a shock for anyone.
The Pixel 6 has an MSRP of $599 while the larger Pixel 6 Pro begins at $899. Those are comparative prices to competitors in the high end smartphone space in 2021. The question has now become whether these Pixel 6’s can hold up with the best of the best in the world being powered by their new Tensor processor. Google kept no secrets this year, letting consumers know early that they planned to ditch Qualcomm and the Snapdragon processors that have dominated the Android space for a decade. We won’t know exactly what lengths the Tensor chips powering the Pixel 6 can be utilized until we get a good amount of daily usage out of it, but we’ll talk about the new chipset in-depth during our full review. With 12 GB of ram and 128 GB of storage backing up the new processor, the Pixel 6 Pro does seem to check off a premium spec sheet.
That continues over with the brand new camera hardware the Pixel 6’s are packing now. The Pixel 6 Pro has a three rear camera setup with a whopping 50 MP main sensor, a 12 MP ultrawide camera and an additional 48 MP telephoto lens. Google claims the new generation phone lets 150% more light in than the Pixel 5. They’ve also improved and incorporated additional AI features such as the Magic Eraser feature which quickly edits a photo to remove an object in the background. Of course we won’t know how useful this actually is until we put it to the test against various real life situations. Still, this is a promising year for Pixel phones seeing as they’ve always delivered near-the-top camera results. With a full rehaul, they’ve finally left the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” train.
On the battery front, we have a 5,003 mAh battery holding up all of this new tech. It’s a large number, but this is also a large phone with a brand new processor and camera setup that can now shoot 4k @60fps, so real life performance will eventually dictate how long the phone can actually survive with normal use. Fortunately, there’s fast wireless charging at 23W. There’s also the ability to reverse wireless charge to other devices if the huge battery does overperform and give us plenty of extra juice to spare. Debuting on the Pixel 6 is the newest version of Android: Android 12. There’s a lot to be excited about on the software side of things as Material design has evolved and morphed into a rather mature state now.
It’s a jubilating time in the tech space right now as OEMs are starting to figure out this software and hardware optimization game. After a couple years of recycling their terrific camera hardware, it finally feels like Google is ready for the next jump in performance. With a head turning new body design and a new identity under the shell, the Pixels seem to have leveled up and this may very well be the start of that competitive battle with Apple and Samsung for the premium market space we’ve all been waiting for.
Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!