Google on Tuesday formally announced the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, putting to bed a summer that found itself full of rumors, leaks, and even official advertising.
Having already acknowledged the device would arrive this fall, Google first began disclosing details for the flagship handset line back in the summer. Starting with its new Tensor CPU, Google would go on to spend the next few months hinting at the phone’s features and capabilities.
At the same time, the rumor mill furiously churned out one leak after another, all but officially spilling the beans. All that’s behind us now as the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro arrive.
Pixel 6
Priced as low as $599, the Pixel 6 runs Android 12 and features a generously sized 6.4-inch display with 90Hz refresh rate. The fingerprint reader is located under the display.
A 50-megapixel rear camera is paired with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera on the rear while an 8-megapixel shooter is located around front.
When it comes to battery, the Pixel 6 has a 4,614mAh power source with improved wireless charging capabilities. A new Pixel Stand is being made available from Google which delivers 23 watts of wireless power-up.
As far as performance goes, the Pixel 6 comes with 8GB RAM with 128GB and 256GB storage capacities.
Pixel 6 Pro
The larger sibling, the Pixel 6 Pro, as low as $899, packs a 6.71-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate. This means not only do games and videos get a little bit more real estate, but they’ll look smoother, too.
The battery is also boosted a bit, coming in at 5,000mAh capacity with the equally fast charging options. According to Google you can get up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes.
Not only does the Pixel 6 Pro get more memory at 12GB, but its storage capacities increase, too. Options here include 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
Yet another key difference between the two models comes in the camera experience. Present in this one is a 48-megapixel telephoto lens that joins the 50-megapixel and 12-megapixel duo.
Design
The look of the Pixel phones comes as no surprise as Google hasn’t been shy about promoting them. While they share some design language of their predecessors, they look distinctly different at the same time.
The Pixel 6 handsets come with IP68 protection against dust and water and the screen is tucked below Corning Gorilla Glass Victus which means it’s twice as strong against scratches than previous Pixel phones.
Additional Features
As anyone who has used a Pixel phone can attest, the camera experience is not just about the megapixels. Indeed, Google’s flagship phones come with incredible software features and AI smarts to help deliver some of the best results around.
Present in the Pixel 6 line are features like Portrait Mode, Night Sight, Face Unblur, Motion Mode, and Magic Eraser. This should result in wonderful portrait shots and still images with the ability to fix almost-perfect pics and remove photobombers from the background. The Pixel 6 Pro’s telephoto lens allows for up to 20x zoom, including 4x optical.
Tensor Chip
It will be interesting to see how well the Tensor chip performs in real world usage and whether consumers even notice the difference from a Qualcomm or MediaTek processor. Even if it falls short on head-to-head benchmark tests it ought to fare well in the area of user needs. That is to say a good gaming experience and daily performance with an exceptional camera.
Availability
The Google Pixel 6 is available in three colors (Sorta Seafoam, Stormy Black and Kinda Coral) with the Pixel 6 Pro offered in three of its own (Stormy Black, Cloudy White, and Sorta Sunny).
Pricing breaks down as follows:
Pixel 6
- 6GB/128GB – $599
- 6GB/256GB – $699
Pixel 6
- 8GB/128GB – $899
- 8GB/256GB – $999
- 8GB/512GB – $1099
Pre-orders for the phones starts immediately with shipping expected on October 28.
