If you’re in the market for a new phone, you may be wondering if you should upgrade to the Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro. Both phones are great options, but which one is right for you? In this blog post, we’ll compare the two phones and help you decide which one is best for you. So, read on to learn more!
The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are more than just typical phones, they’ve developed new cameras that take amazing photos even in low light situations.
But a lot of it is new for Google and not that different from what many other smartphone manufacturers are offering right now.
ThePixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a new beginning for Google’s smartphone ambitions, a new beginning for a company that has persevered through five generations of Pixel phones without making a significant influence on the smartphone industry.
Pixel Phones – the perfect blend of design and functionality
It’s time to give Google a new perspective on smartphones. The Pixel 6 and Pro are bringing some exciting change for the company, as they take over from their predecessors in order to make an impact with this generation of smart picks
The user interface is still very much similar which means you’ll have no problem adapting if your previous experience was either through iPhone or Android-based devices.
Both phones have a similar front design to many other huge Android phones on the market; they look like a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or Note 20. While the back has a distinct bar towards the top that houses the cameras, the overall appearance reminds me of a TCL phone.
Pixel Phone Harware Design
Many of these design concerns, however, are purely academic because a case on any phone will hide any rough edges or drab colors. Because both phones are capital-L Large and have smooth glass backs, this is also a great idea. I’ve had them tumble off my desk, wireless chargers, sofa armrests, tables, my lap, and one of our testing devices broke the Gorilla Glass Victus glass plate protecting the screen colors: black, red, and green; the Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, is only available in black, white, or gold.
The original 6’s metal sides are thick and matte black, whereas the 6 Pro’s sides are thinner and polished to a sheen. The 6 is undeniably more engaging, but in terms of style and fit and finish, the 6 Pro falls short of comparable phones in its price bracket.
The most apparent design element is the camera bar that runs across the back of each phone. It’s huge, stands out a lot, and doesn’t blend in well with the rest of the phone. On the plus side, unlike other phones’ camera bumps, it doesn’t make the phone shake when placed on a table or desk.s
The main criticism of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro designs is that they are too big for some people’s tastes. They’re difficult to use with one hand, don’t fit well in many jeans pockets, and are easily misplaced. Previously, Google offered both small and large versions of its phones, but the difference in size between the two isn’t considerable or noteworthy. These are iPhone Pro Max-sized phones, which is great if you want a big phone but not so great if you don’t like huge slabs.
The Google Pixel phones are a departure from the norm
While they may not be as flashy as some of the other Android phones on the market, they make up for it in quality and performance. With a sleek glass and metal design, these phones are sure to turn heads. And with features like unlimited storage and a fast-charging battery, you won’t want to put them down.
Both phones have huge, expansive screens, which is a benefit. The Pixel 6 features a 6.4-inch OLED display with a 1080p full-HD resolution, while the Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 1440p full-HD resolution. The screen on the Pixel 6 is flat, but the Pixel 6 Pro has curved sides that taper toward the frame. I like the flat screen of the 6, but in my testing, the curves of the 6 Pro didn’t cause any errant touch issues, which may make a curved screen difficult to use.
Both are bright, crisp, and colorful, though the 6 Pro is noticeably brighter in direct sunlight. Both phones are free of the faults that plagued prior Pixel phones, such as strange color reproduction or flickering in low light.
If you look closely, you’ll notice faults like a tiny color shift at oblique angles and a discernible shadow under the curved sides of the 6 Pro when using a light backdrop, something we don’t see on Apple or Samsung’s current flagship phones. The screens are one area where the phones’ cheaper price tag shines through. They’re pleasant, but not up to the level of its main competition.
They also have fast refresh rates (90Hz on the Pixel 6 and up to 120Hz on the Pixel 6 Pro), which make scrolling and interactions extremely fluid. It’s encouraging to see Google follow pace with fast refresh displays, which have become commonplace on high-end phones. Unless I inspected the phone side by side, I couldn’t tell the difference between the 90Hz and 120Hz frequencies—both are smooth in use.
Fingerprint Scanner
The fingerprint scanner located behind the screen is not ideal. It’s in a good spot — about a fourth of the way up from the bottom — but it’s significantly slower than other fingerprint scanners, even those on the back of recent Pixel phones.
The screen lights when you scan a finger because it is optical, which can be highly distracting in dim environments. My finger was occasionally misread by the scanner, needing multiple attempts to unlock the phone.
The lack of face unlocking on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro exacerbates the problem; the fingerprint reader is the only biometric authentication option, which isn’t ideal.
Processor and Storage
One of the most important parts of the Pixel 6 duo is the CPU, which is Google’s latest Tensor chip. It’s Google’s first homegrown CPU, following Apple’s lead and eclipsing off-the-shelf CPUs like Qualcomm and MediaTek.
In addition to running the phone, the Tensor engine makes AI-powered changes to boost photos, speech recognition, and gaming.
According to Google, the new CPU exceeds the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in terms of performance, and this is true in my experience. Apps open swiftly, navigating between them is seamless, and there are no stutters or hang-ups in the UI.
The only app that froze both phones was Twitter, which seemed strange. The Tensor chip will not outperform Apple’s latest CPUs, but it is far superior to the processor found in last year’s Pixel 5 and on a level with other premium Android phones.
The Tensor processor in the Pixel allows for innovative software trickery in the camera and photo apps. With one swipe, the new Magic Eraser tool allows you to remove unwanted people or objects from a photo, or you can highlight anything to delete. It’s stunning, but it’s also hit-or-miss; expert Photoshop editors won’t be able to replace it anytime soon. You can accomplish similar things with third-party apps instead of buying a Pixel.
The Pixel 6 comes with 8GB of RAM, while the Pixel 6 Pro comes with 12GB. In actuality, the 6’s lesser RAM did not cause issues; streaming apps did not forcefully close in the background as they did on previous Pixel phones.
Battery Life
Between the two phones, there was no noticeable difference in battery life. Both can easily last a full day of use with plenty of energy left in the tank — even with regular camera use and the always-on display option, I went to bed most evenings with 35-40% battery left.
This can easily be extended to two days for light users. The huge batteries are one of the key reasons for this endurance; large phones have large hail and extended battery life.
Although neither version comes with a charger, they both support wireless charging and quick cable charging.
Neither phone charges quickly, even if you use a powerful charger. To extend the life of the battery cells, Google intentionally slows charging after it reaches 80%. Because these batteries are so large, it may take a long time to fully charge them. Fortunately, you won’t need to charge while sleeping because of the longest battery life.
Haptic feedback is another area where the Pixels thrive. For me, stale, buzzy haptics can ruin a phone experience, but the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have subtle, clicky responses that deliver just the right amount of input.
Stereo Speakers
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro come with true dual stereo speakers that are loud enough and clear enough for both streaming music and video and taking speakerphone or video calls. Goodbye, Google’s last-year Pixel 5’s vibrating screen pseudo-speaker.
Camera
For the first time since 2017, Google has increased the camera hardware in the Pixel series, and it’s gone big — literally. The new main camera sensor is significantly larger than the one used in earlier Pixel versions.
The Pixel 6 Pro boasts ultrawide, wide, and telephoto cameras for the first time. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro camera systems are also completely new, with new sensors, lenses, and capabilities.
The main wide camera and ultrawide camera on both phones are identical. Behind an optically stabilized f/1.85 lens, the primary camera sports a 50-megapixel sensor that is hard-coded to output 12.5-megapixel photographs.
That means you won’t be able to capture the full 50-megapixel resolution, and the resulting photos won’t be as clear or detailed as equivalent 12-megapixel cameras, such as the Pixel 5.
The Pixel 6 has an 8-megapixel camera with an 84-degree field of view, while the Pixel 6 Pro has an 11-megapixel camera with a 94-degree field of view. Not only can you fit more people within the frame of the 6 Pro, but the image quality has also improved significantly.
Nonetheless, the photos are on par with Apple’s best in both normal and low light conditions. I won’t say there’s a clear winner here; some photos from the Pixel 6 appear to be better, while some from the iPhone 13 Pro appear to be better, and which you prefer actually comes down to personal opinion, as we’ve been saying about smartphone cameras for years.
Strong contrast, slight overexposure, outstanding clarity, and a cooler white balance are all present in the Pixel 6 photographs. The camera app’s on-screen sliders make it simple to modify white balance. Sharpness, on the other hand, necessitates a little more post-processing effort.
Google’s fake portrait mode is practically intact as well, aggressively blurring the background to the point that the individual appears to be a cardboard cutout put in a schematic.
Weakest Link
The Pixel 6’s ultra-wide camera is its weakest link; photos are grainy, not as wide as the others, and there are color and processing differences between it and the primary camera. It also lacks the ultrawide camera on the iPhone 13 Pro’s macro focusing capabilities.
Strong Points
The telephoto camera on the Pixel 6 Pro, on the other hand, is fantastic. The 4x zoom is noticeably longer than the iPhone 13 Pro’s 3x telephoto, but it’s considerably more practical than Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 10x zoom.
That’s the first telephoto lens on a phone that I’ve actually enjoyed using, and it might be enough to justify picking the 6 Pro over the regular 6.
Furthermore, the telephoto lens produces clean, detailed images with great subject separation, reducing the need for software-based portrait settings. Photographing with your phone and transforming what you can do with it is a lot of fun.
The new motion capture options, which allow you to duplicate a motion panorama or slow shutter speed with a single touch of the shutter button, grabbed my curiosity the most. You can use a tripod to freeze a moving object, such as a vehicle, in front of a blurred backdrop or to film traffic light streaks.
These photos would take years of practice and a lot of equipment to accomplish with a traditional camera, but the Pixel 6 makes it as simple as taking a selfie.
Video Capturing Capabilities
Although Google maintains that the Pixel 6’s video capture skills have been improved, it still falls short of the iPhone, which remains the industry standard. Without overheating the phone, you can shoot 4K 60fps for as long as you wish.
However, picture stabilization still has significant artifacts and wonkiness, and video image processing is fundamentally different from how the Pixel handles still photographs. Colors with a lot of saturation, like reds and oranges, are intensified to the max in the video, almost akin to how Samsung handled colors years ago.
Software
Several Pixel-specific software features, particularly those boosted by Google’s new Tensor processor, are unsurprising.
The Pixel 6 has better voice dictation transcription thanks to the fact that it can now do everything locally, and it can translate foreign languages in communications and media faster than before.
However, the phone app, in my opinion, has the most fascinating software features. In addition to the spam routing technology that Google has been using for years, the Pixel 6 can assist you with automated phone tree systems and tell you how long you might have to wait when you contact the company. He might even be waiting for you and will call you when the phone rings.
The automated phone tree will listen in on the call, transcribe the options, and then present you with large tappable buttons to make your choice. It’s a lot more convenient than trying to hear every word the system says and then having to restart it because you missed something important.
However, it’s clear from testing that this still needs work: it can’t discriminate between languages other than English (for example, when told to “press two for Spanish”).
It regularly loses sentences and context, preventing the right buttons from being displayed on the screen. Still, it’s an intriguing concept, and I hope Google keeps tweaking and improving it.
Other updates include the ability to display boarding passes and other important information right on the lock screen, as well as support for certain spoken inquiries to the Assistant without having to say “Hey Google” first. When an alarm goes off, all you have to do is say “snooze” and the phone will obey.
“Did Google do it?” is one of the most pressing questions surrounding the Pixel 6 announcement. Is it truly capable of delivering a respectable flagship-level smartphone that is free of major flaws and stumbling blocks?
Yes, the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are excellent smartphones. They may not be the best in every category, but they do a fantastic job overall, with bright screens, amazing cameras, and consistently long battery life. The size is the only real disadvantage; if you don’t like huge phones, these aren’t for you.
SUMMARY:
Google Pixel 6
Pros:
- Fast speed
- Smooth screen
- Long battery life
- Excellent camera
- Excellent value
The drawbacks are as follows:
- Only available in large sizes
- Slow fingerprint scanner
- Extremely slippery
Google Pixel 6 Pro
Pros:
- Quick performance
- Smooth screen
- Long battery life
- Excellent camera
- Reasonable price
The drawbacks:
- Large and unwieldy design
- Slow fingerprint scanner
- Very slippery
- Significantly more costly than the Pixel 6
- Fit and finish aren’t as good as on other phones in this price bracket
So, if you’re still undecided on what the best phone is for you, check out our other comparison post and see how the Google Pixel Pro stacks up against its competitors. And don’t forget to share this article with your friends who are also in the market for a new phone experience – they may like what they see!