Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Everything you need to know about Google’s latest flagship smartphones
The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are finally official after months of leaks and speculations. The two flagship phones from Google come with the new Tensor chip custom-built for the Pixel 6 series along with refreshed camera hardware. It seems like Google has finally managed to produce a true flagship phone with competitive specs and features across all departments. It’s easily one of the most anticipated phones of the year that’s got a lot of people excited.
If you’re planning to buy the Pixel 6 or the Pixel 6 Pro, here’s everything you need to know about the two devices right from specifications and new camera features to the best places to buy them.
Navigate this page:
- Price and Availability
- Colors
- Specifications
- Design
- Display
- SoC, RAM, and Storage
- Cameras and Camera Features
- Battery and Charging
- Software
- Security and Extras
- Official Cases and Accessories
- Our Recommendations and Suggested Reading
- Frequently Asked Questions: FAQ
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Price and Availability
The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have been officially announced on 19 October 2021 and were available to pre-order starting on the same day. You can take a look at the best Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro deals before placing your order to take advantage of some offers and save a few extra bucks. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have been made available in the following countries — the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. The pricing for both phones is as follows.
| Sl. No. | Device | US | UK | EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Pixel 6 (128GB) | $599 | £599 | €649 |
| 2 | Google Pixel 6 (256GB) | $699 | – | – |
| 3 | Google Pixel 6 Pro (128GB) | $899 | £849 | €849 |
| 4 | Google Pixel 6 Pro (256GB) | $999 | £949 | €949 |
| 5 | Google Pixel 6 Pro (512GB) | $1,099 | – | – |
- The Pixel 6 comes with Google's new Tensor chip, a modern design, and flagship cameras.
- The Pixel 6 Pro is the larger sibling that comes with Google's new Tensor chip, a modern design, and an extra telephoto camera.
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Colors
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are available in various color options that look quite unique. Up until now, Pixel phones had a simple design that didn’t really stand out from the crowd. That’s changed for the good with the Pixel 6 series. Both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are available in three different color options.
Pixel 6 Colors
- This looks like a green colorway with a dual-tone finish on the back.
Pixel 6 Pro Colors
Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Specifications
| Specification | Pixel 6 | Pixel 6 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions and Weight |
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| Display |
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| SoC |
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| RAM and Storage |
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| Battery & Charging |
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| Rear Cameras |
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| Front Camera | 8MP f/2.0 | 11.1MP f/2.2 |
| Ports | USB Type-C port |
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| Connectivity |
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| Software |
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| Other features |
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Design
The design of the Pixel 6 series is one of its most interesting aspects. The two phones employ a two-tone design with a black camera bump covering the entire width of the back. The two colors on the back of the phone are divided by this bump. The space above the camera strip can be used to identify the two phones. The phone with more blank space above the camera bar is the Pixel 6 Pro. Google has generally opted for a safe design choice for Pixels over the years but we’re glad that the company decided to go with something more modern and striking this time with the Pixel 6 series.
The standard Pixel 6 has a matte aluminum finish while the Pixel 6 Pro has a light polished aluminum frame. Both phones have an industrial design with squared-off corners. The metallic frame is flanked with glass on either side. The display is covered with Gorilla Glass Victus on both phones while the back has the same Victus glass only on the Pro. The standard Pixel 6 has Gorilla Glass 6 on the back.
The front of both phones is in line with pretty much most Android phones. Both phones have a centered hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera to keep the bezels to a minimum. Speaking of bezels, the Pixel 6 has slightly thicker bezels running all around the display. The edges are also flat on the Pixel 6. On the Pixel 6 Pro, Google has opted for a curved display that just blends into the frame on the sides, resulting in smaller bezels. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro also feature in-display fingerprint scanners instead of the rear-mounted one that was found on the Pixel 5.
Overall, the bold and unique design of the Pixel 6 series will certainly help it distinguish itself from other Android phones on the market. With many smartphone makers playing relatively safe with the designs of their phones, it’s nice to see Google leading from the front.
Display
The Google Pixel 6 features a 6.4-inch 90Hz flat display. This is an OLED panel so the color reproduction and viewing angles are going to be great. The Pixel 5 had a hole-punch cutout on the top right corner of the display which has now been moved to the center on the Pixel 6. The display specs are quite normal and are similar to what you would find on some other phones in this price range. There are some other manufacturers who bundle in a 120Hz refresh rate around this price bracket so we wish Google didn’t limit it to 90Hz on the non-Pro model. The bezels are also slightly on the thicker side giving the phone a slightly dated look when seen from the front.
The Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, packs a 6.67-inch QHD+ 120Hz curved AMOLED screen covered. The display used is an LTPO panel so the screen refresh rate can vary from 10Hz all the way up to 120Hz depending on what you’re going on the display. This is one of the best display panels that you can find on a smartphone and is similar to the one used on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Being a curved panel, the bezels on the sides are quite minimal. The big display makes the phone quite large but consumers who watch a lot of content on their phones will surely appreciate the extra real estate. The resolution has also been bumped up to QHD+ now from FHD+ on the Pixel 5, giving you a true flagship experience.
SoC, RAM, and Storage
One of the biggest changes with the Pixel 6 series this year is the use of Google’s own Tensor SoC. During the launch presentation, Google time and again mentioned that smartphone chipsets weren’t capable enough to handle Google’s complex AI and ML algorithms. This is why they decided to design their own chip for the Pixel 6 series. Tensor allows Google to run several Machine Learning algorithms on-device without compromising on the performance of the device.
The core configuration of the Tensor chip found on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro is as follows –
- 2x ARM Cortex-X1 clocked at 2.8GHz
- 2x ARM Cortex-A76 clocked at 2.25GHz
- 4x ARM Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.80GHz
Google says Tensor is 80% faster than the CPU on the Pixel 5, which used a Snapdragon 765 5G chipset. The integrated Mali G78-MP20 GPU has 20 cores and is supposedly 370% faster than the Pixel 5’s graphics. While we’ll have to test the real-world performance of the chip, Google seems to be heading in the right direction. We’ve seen the advantages of having a homegrown chip on the iPhone given how Apple optimizes the software to run with its own hardware. We hope to see a similar sort of optimization with the Pixel 6 series. Of course, the Tensor chip also brings 5G capabilities with it.
The standard Pixel 6 has 8GB RAM across all storage variants while the Pixel 6 Pro has 12GB of RAM. You can pick up the Pixel 6 in either 128GB or 256GB storage configurations while the higher-end Pixel 6 Pro is available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. The storage used on all variants is UFS 3.1.
Cameras and Camera Features
Cameras have long been a key component of the Pixel lineup. It’s the camera prowess of Pixel phones that drives a lot of buying decisions. That aspect has only gotten stronger with the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Until now, Google used to rely heavily on its software and computational photography algorithms to produce great results. Since the first-gen Pixel, all the phones in the series were stuck with a 12MP sensor which was falling behind compared to all the large sensors with big numbers that other brands had been using for a while.
Thankfully, that has changed with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The Pixel 6 comes with a dual rear camera setup — a 50MP primary Samsung GN1 camera and a 12MP Sony IMX 386 ultra-wide lens. The Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, has a triple rear camera setup that includes an additional 48MP Sony IMX 586 telephoto lens along with the two cameras from the Pixel 6. When clubbed with Google’s software magic, the new camera hardware should produce some great quality images, but we’ll have to wait to get our hands on the phones before commenting on that. For selfies, the Pixel 6 has an 8MP shooter while the Pro variant gets an 11.1MP sensor.
Apart from the usual improvements to the camera, Google announced several software features that have been added to the Pixel 6 thanks to the Tensor chip. These features help you take better shots or improve the overall image output from the phones. Here are some of the camera features that Google announced and are coming to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro –
- Real Tone for natural representation of skin tones.
- Motion Mode to capture better action shots.
- Face Unblur to avoid photos being blurry.
- Magic Eraser to remove unwanted elements from pictures.
- Quick tap for Snapchat to launch Snapchat directly from the lock screen.
Battery and Charging
The standard Pixel 6 has a 4,600mAh battery which is quite large especially given that the phone isn’t as huge. Also, given that Google is using its own silicon, the battery optimization should ideally be better as opposed to using an SoC from a different company. Combined with the software optimizations, the Pixel 6 is expected to have great battery life.
The same applies to the Pixel 6 Pro. The larger Pro model has a 5,000mAh but also has a considerably larger screen. The LTPO panel, however, can lower its refresh rate to just 10Hz to conserve battery whenever required which should hopefully help the phone last longer. Apart from bigger batteries, Google has also improved the charging tech found on the Pixel 6 series.
All Pixel phones released prior to the Pixel 6 series only supported fast charging at up to 18W which feels dated in 2021. Thankfully, Google has fixed that by giving the Pixel 6 series support for 30W fast wired charging. There’s also support for fast wireless charging at 21W. Google will also sell you its new Pixel Stand later this year which supports fast wireless charging. As for the wired alternative, Google isn’t shipping chargers inside the box of the Pixel 6 series so you’ll have to purchase it separately.
Software
On the software front, Android 12 is what you get out of the box with both the Pixel 6 and the 6 Pro. The new Android version comes with the Material You design language and the wallpaper-based UX theming. It also packs a privacy dashboard to show which apps are using your phone’s camera, microphone, or location. Additionally, you get a bunch of new, redesigned widgets, and a number of other useful features that work in tandem with the new Tensor chip.
The Tensor chip enables Google to provide some exciting new features including Live Translate that can translate messages, or even spoken sentences in real-time. Google also said that they’ve made major improvements to voice typing and call screen with the help of Tensor. It’s now faster, smarter, and understands your commands better.
Google also announced that it will provide software support to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro for up to five years. However, this only includes security patches while Android version updates seem to be limited to just three years. While it’s great news that the phones will remain secure for up to 5 years, it’s also slightly disappointing since we were expecting Google to match Apple’s 5-year update window for the iPhone with the Pixel 6 series.
Security and Extras
Google claims that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are some of the most secure smartphones out there thanks to the Titan M2 security chip that works alongside the Tensor SoC to keep all your data safe. A lot of the processing and Machine Learning happens on-device with the Pixel 6 series so you don’t have to be worried about your data being sent to remote servers. As for biometrics, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have in-display fingerprint scanners but there’s no face unlock.
Both phones have stereo speakers and are IP68 water and dust-resistant. As expected, there’s no headphone jack on either device.
Official Cases and Accessories
Google generally makes some nice cases available with every phone release and that’s the case this time too. However, the iconic fabric case for the Pixel seems to have gone now and there’s just a single official case with a translucent design. Here are the official accessories for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, along with the power adaptor that you may want to pick up since it’s not included in the box.
- A nice translucent case for the Pixel 6 that comes in different colors.
- A nice translucent case for the Pixel 6 Pro that comes in different colors.
Our Recommendations and Suggested Readings
While this page should give you an extensive idea about the Pixel 6 series and all its new features, there will be certain specific topics you may be interested in, like how the phone compares to another phone in this price range, or how the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro fares compared to its predecessor, etc.
We would suggest you take a look at some of the other articles around the device that would help you to make an informed decision.
- Google Pixel 6 Pro Review
- Best Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Deals
- Best Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro Cases
- Google Pixel Pass details
- Google Pixel 6 Pro Camera Review
- Google Pixel 6 Pro Display Review
- Google Pixel 6 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro Camera Shootout and Comparison
- Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Vivo X70 Pro+ Camera Shootout and Comparison
We’ll add more articles to this section once we have the devices in hand, and compare them to other popular devices.
Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you plan on buying the Pixel 6 or the Pixel 6 Pro, you might have several questions that you want to be answered or some doubts about certain aspects of the device that you want to be clarified. Listed below are several frequently asked questions about the Pixel 6/6 Pro right from what’s inside the box to the best case recommendations and additional accessories. If you don’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to leave it in the comments section below and if it’s relevant, we’ll answer it and add it to this section.
When did the Pixel 6 series release?
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were first announced on 19 October at Google’s fall event and were available to pre-order soon after. The phone will be available to purchase in stores starting from 28 October.
What is in the Pixel 6/Pixel 6 Pro box?
The box of the Pixel 6/6 Pro includes the phone itself, followed by instruction manuals, a SIM ejector tool, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a USB-C to USB-A adaptor. If you’re in some countries in the EU like France, you’re going to get an additional accessory with the phone which is a pair of wired earphones.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro come with a charger in the box?
Unfortunately, Google is not bundling in a charger with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. You can take a look at our list of the best USB-C chargers and pick one up to charge your device.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro come with earphones in the box?
As mentioned earlier, you will only get earphones in the box if you purchase the Pixel 6/6 Pro in some countries in the EU. If you purchase the phone in the US or elsewhere, you will not get earphones in the box.
Do I need a case for the Pixel 6/6 Pro?
Both the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 pro have Gorilla Glass protection on the front and back. However, it’s always advisable to use a case with your phone in order to protect it from scratches and cracks. If you drop your phone, the glass can shatter easily and might result in an expensive repair. You can prevent that by using a case. Here’s our list of some of the best Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro cases to protect your phone.
Do I need a screen protector for the Pixel 6/6 Pro?
A case and screen protector go hand in hand. While the case adds a good amount of protection to the phone, it’s a good idea to pair it up with a screen protector to prevent scratches on the display and to prevent it from shattering if you drop it on a hard surface.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have a 120Hz display?
The standard Pixel 6 has a 90Hz display but you can change the refresh rate and bring it down to 60Hz if you want to conserve battery.
The larger Pixel 6 Pro has a 120Hz LTPO display with a variable refresh rate. This means that the display on the Pixel 6 Pro can refresh anywhere between 10Hz to 120Hz. If the content on the display demands a higher refresh rate, the phone will switch to 120Hz but when a high refresh rate is not required, it will fall down to 10Hz to conserve battery.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have a fingerprint scanner?
Yes, there is an in-display fingerprint scanner embedded underneath the display on both phones.
How many cameras does the Pixel6/6 Pro have?
Pixel 6: There are two cameras on the rear — a 50MP primary sensor accompanied by a 12MP ultra-wide camera. There’s an 8MP shooter on the front for selfies.
Pixel 6 Pro: There are three cameras on the rear of the bigger Pixel — the same primary 50MP shooter, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and an additional 48MP telephoto camera with 4X optical zoom.
Can the Pixel 6/6 Pro shoot 4K? At what FPS? Can it also shoot 8K videos?
Yes, you can shoot 4K videos with both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro at up to 60fps. However, you cannot shoot videos in 8K.
Is the Pixel 6 Pro Waterproof?
No, the phones are not waterproof. However, they have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance which means you can use it in the rain or in the pool without any issues. The warranty will not cover water damage though so keep that in mind.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have Wireless Charging?
Yes, Qi wireless charging is supported on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro with up to 21W of power intake.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have fast charging?
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have fast charging capabilities with a max wattage of up to 30W.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have WiF-Fi 6 support?
Yes, there is Wi-Fi 6 support on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
Does the Pixel 6/6Pro have Bluetooth 5.2?
Yes, the Bluetooth version on the Pixel 6/6 Pro is 5.2.
What are the supported 5G bands on the Pixel 6/6 Pro?
Here are the 5G bands on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro depending on your region:
Pixel 6:
USA – 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave (mmWave only on AT&T and Verizon models)
Rest of the World – 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6
Pixel 6 Pro:
USA and Japan – 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 257, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave
Rest of the World – 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6
For a more detailed insight on the 5G support on Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro and to know whether your carrier/region has support for 5G, check out our article on the 5G support on Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have support for dual-SIM? Does it have an eSIM?
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro get a single physical nano-SIM slot. If you wish to use dual-SIM, you can use the eSIM functionality on the device for the secondary SIM.
How many software updates will the Pixel 6/6 Pro get?
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro ship with Android 12 out of the box and Google claims that they will provide up to three Android version updates for the phone. Additionally, the Pixel 6 series is set to get 5 years of security patches.
How much warranty does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have?
Google offers a standard 1-year limited warranty on the Pixel 6/6 Pro.
What’s the version of the USB-C port on the Pixel 6/6 Pro? Is it USB 3?
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s USB-C port is indeed USB 3.1 which is good to see. A lot of phones still come with USB 2.0 so it’s nice to see that Google has provided a USB 3.2 port.
Is USB OTG supported on the Pixel 6/6 Pro?
Yes, the USB-C port on the Pixel 6/6 pro has support for USB OTG.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have a headphone jack?
Unfortunately, there’s no headphone jack on the Pixel 6/6 Pro. If you want to listen to music, you’ll have to use a 3.5mm dongle or a pair of wireless earbuds.
What is the peak brightness of the display on the Pixel 6/6 Pro?
The peak brightness of the displays on both phones is 800 nits.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have Always-on display functionality?
Yes, both phones have the Always-on display feature.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have an SD card slot?
No, there is no SD card slot on the phone so you cannot expand the internal storage.
Does the Pixel 6/6 Pro have stereo speakers?
Yes, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have stereo speakers for a better multimedia experience.
Can you unlock the bootloader on the Pixel 6/6 Pro? Is it easy to root?
Generally, phones from Google have bootloaders that are easy to unlock, which means it also becomes quite simple to root the device. However, we’re not sure how the new Tensor chip will affect this. We will update this section as and when we have more information in this regard.
Have the kernel sources for the Pixel 6/6 Pro been released?
No, the kernel sources for the Pixel 6 haven’t been released yet. It should happen soon though.
Will there be Custom ROMs for the Pixel 6/6 Pro?
Since the phone isn’t even available to purchase yet, developers haven’t got their hands on the device. However, as time goes by, we should see custom ROMs for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. We’re not sure if and how the new Tensor chip will affect this. We will update this section as and when we have more information in this regard.
What are the differences between the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro?
The standard Pixel 6 has a smaller, 90Hz display with a 1080p resolution. The Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, has a larger, 120Hz LTPO display with a QHD+ resolution and curved edges. The Pixel 6 has 8GB of RAM with the storage maxing out at 256GB. The Pixel 6 Pro has 12GB of RAM along with a 512GB storage option. The battery on the Pixel 6 is a 4,600mAh unit while the Pixel 6 Pro gets a slightly larger 5,000mAh cell. Finally, the Pixel 6 Pro has one extra camera — a telephoto lens over the standard Pixel 6.
That’s pretty much everything there is about the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. These are two exciting devices from Google and for all the right reasons. Google seems to be heading in the right direction with the Pixel 6 series and we’re intrigued to know what’s in store for the future of both the Pixel lineup and the Tensor SoC.
What do you think about the Pixel 6 series? Are you getting the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro for yourself? Let us know in the comments below!
The post Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Everything you need to know about Google’s latest flagship smartphones appeared first on xda-developers.
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