Pixel 6 Pro review: Google's true flagship phone | Laptop Mag
Our Verdict
The Pixel 6 Pro may exist one of the best smartphones of the yr, but whether Google can win over buyers remains unclear.
For
- Excellent software support
- Fantastic and versatile camera system
- Unique software features
- Affordably priced
- Bright 120Hz display
Confronting
- Potentially middling battery life
- Unproven processor
- No charger in the box
Laptop Mag Verdict
The Pixel 6 Pro may be one of the all-time smartphones of the year, simply whether Google can win over buyers remains unclear.
Pros
- +
First-class software support
- +
Fantastic and versatile camera organization
- +
Unique software features
- +
Affordably priced
- +
Brilliant 120Hz display
Cons
- -
Potentially middling battery life
- -
Unproven processor
- -
No charger in the box
Last yr, I wrote that the Pixel five made me wish Google made a flagship smartphone. If I knew I was getting my wish, I might have asked for some Bitcoin. Alas, here I am with a flagship Pixel, and I'll accept it.
Google'south phone efforts have had their bright spots over the years with consistently excellent camera operation and some clever software features, but the wheels came off last year. The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G were each compelling in their own right, but Google'southward pricing was disruptive and the hardware felt uninspiring.
At commencement, it seemed Google had lost the thread on its phone division. Only information technology apace became clear that the visitor had fabricated long-term hardware bets that didn't pay off in fourth dimension and its 2022 lineup was substantially a span to get into 2022.
Enter the Pixel 6 Pro with its new custom Tensor chip, a dramatically upgraded triple photographic camera array and a 120Hz LTPO display that is the largest that nosotros've e'er seen on a Pixel. This is the flagship Pixel I asked for, merely does it alive up to my expectations?
Pixel half dozen Pro price and availability
While the Pixel 6 is the strongest value suggestion, the Pixel 6 Pro is the return of a flagship Pixel as proven by its starting cost of $899 when configured with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Additional storage tiers are available at $999 and $one,099 for 256GB or 512GB, respectively.
Despite the high-end feature set and dramatic cost increase over the Pixel 6, at $899, the Pixel vi Pro maintains Google's value messaging as it undercuts $999 competitors like the iPhone 13 Pro or Galaxy S21 Plus.
In the U.Southward., buyers can also opt to go the Pixel half-dozen Pro with the new Pixel Pass subscription which bundles several popular Google services with what amounts to a new Pixel every 2 years. The services include YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, Google Play Pass, and a 200GB Google One storage plan. This is available either through Google Fi or the Google Store.
Pixel 6 Pro design
Just similar the Pixel 6, the Pixel half-dozen Pro is going to describe dear and hate, and non many emotions in betwixt. This is a welcome change for Pixel design, which has lacked any graphic symbol over the years. There have been Pixels (and earlier that Nexus) devices that were better looking than others, but nothing struck equally the defining Google phone await. Google has finally plant that with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
While not all Pixel fans are sold on the size of the Pixel 6, the Pixel 6 Pro is unapologetically large, and that's alright. At six.five x three.0 ten .035 inches and 7.4 ounces, the Pixel 6 Pro fits a half-dozen.seven-inch brandish and sizes upwards well with the giants from Apple tree and Samsung.
The iPhone 13 Pro Max (6.three ten 3.ane x 0.3, 8.5 ounces) is a chip shorter but wider than the Pixel 6 Pro and noticeably heavier. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, on the other hand, is identical in size to the Pixel 6 Pro, which is impressive given that it has a larger six.8-inch brandish. However, Samsung'due south telephone does outweigh the Pixel by over one-half an ounce at 8.07 ounces.
The rounded back edges and waterfall display edges of the Pixel vi Pro help make the large phone experience more manageable than the iPhone 13 Pro Max. That said, there is no getting around it: this is a big telephone. Longtime Pixel fans are going to have some growing pains as they try to suit, simply you'll feel right at dwelling house coming from i of the previous iPhone Max models or whatever of the larger Samsung Galaxy phones.
The expect of the phone is subjective, but that dominant camera array spanning the back and the 2-tone finish are the strongest design choices nosotros've seen from Google in years. Google's designers have created a distinct "Pixel look" and I hope they stick to it as the powerful marketing push nosotros are seeing from the company needs to be backed upwardly with a product that is instantly and easily recognizable.
Pixel 6 Pro fans who like more fun color options may be a bit envious of the standard Pixel half-dozen choices, but on the Pixel half dozen Pro, Sorta Sunny, Stormy Black and Cloudy White get the polished alloy frame that wraps the camera array and edges of the phone for a more premium await. If you desire more than color, Google also has a variety of case options that are slightly translucent and create some interesting hue combinations.
Pixel 6 Pro offers IP68 dust and water resistance certification, which should help it hold up to the rigors of daily life. Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protects the front end and dorsum of the Pixel vi Pro, which should keep the phone safety from the occasional scrape, bump or drop.
The Pixel 6 Pro keeps things minimal when it comes to ports or buttons. There is a single USB-C port at the bottom and the power and volume up and downward are on the correct side.
Pixel 6 Pro display
The Pixel 6 Pro brandish breaks new footing for Pixel. At six.seven inches, it is 0.4 inches larger than the previous high-h2o marker for Pixel flagships, the Pixel iv XL. This telephone stands centre-to-eye with rivals like the iPhone thirteen Pro Max, but does it hold up on more than than size alone?
The Pixel 6 Pro features a QHD+ (3120x1440 pixel) LTPO OLED with Google's Smooth Brandish offering up to a 120Hz refresh charge per unit. Similar the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra, it uses an LTPO OLED to adapt its refresh rate from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on the content on the screen. Like this year'southward iPhone, this is the kickoff Pixel to offer 120Hz and Google is jumping in with both feet by too offer a highly variable refresh charge per unit.
I turned to Life in Colour with David Attenborough and watched some of the "Chasing Color" episodes to test out the display. A poisonous substance dart frog resting on a leaf offered an splendid impression of what the brandish is capable of. The vibrant red of the frog popped confronting the greenish groundwork, while the fine details on the leaf beneath it showed the high-density resolution of the display.
Our lab testing was a mixed bag for the Pixel 6 Pro with the phone reproducing 73.8% of the DCI-P3 color gamut in its Natural color setting. The iPhone thirteen Pro Max (77%) and Galaxy S21 Ultra (81.4%) both eclipsed that mark, only as with other Android phones, you have the option to switch to a additional color mode for a more than saturated look.
The Delta-E color accuracy test results (lower is better) were weaker for the Pixel 6 Pro at 0.iii. That was considerably worse than the iPhone xiii Pro Max (0.21), but superior to the Galaxy S21 Ultra (0.35).
The Pixel 6 Pro crushed our brightness test with a peak of 842 nits. This outdid even the iPhone thirteen Pro Max (837 nits), which Apple proudly boasted was its brightest display ever and bests the Milky way S21 Ultra (821 nits) as well. All three are perfectly visible even in total sunlight, just it's impressive for Google nonetheless.
Pixel 6 Pro cameras
The Pixel 6 Pro is by far the most impressive array of cameras a Pixel or Nexus phone has ever offered. I don't mean that in the "this is the all-time phone nosotros've ever fabricated" sense that companies like to use. Rather this is the strongest e'er offering from Google when looking at what else is on the market place.
Information technology starts with the broad-angle primary 50MP Octa PD Quad Bayer with its f/1.85 aperture and a 1.2µm pixel width. The new sensor is 1/1.31", one of the largest in any smartphone on the market. The 12MP ultra-wide is a more incremental upgrade, just the larger i.25µm pixel width, f/two.two aperture, and wider 114-degree field of view however yield meliorate results than its predecessor.
Finally, the Pixel 6 Pro adds a third lens for the first fourth dimension on a Pixel phone. The new 4x optical telephoto lens of the Pixel half dozen Pro offers an impressive 48MP, nearly matching the master lens. However, it doesn't lucifer that sensor in other regards given the 0.8µm pixel width, f/iii.5 discontinuity, and one-half-inch image sensor size With Google'south Super Res zoom, information technology delivers usable results up to its full 20x digital zoom range.
That'southward just one example of where Google's computational photography has lost aught in its transition to these new sensors. There are areas where the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Milky way S21 Ultra relish an edge over the Pixel 6 Pro, only Google is back in the discussion for the best phone camera for stills.
Wide-angle camera
The updated chief sensor changes everything for the Pixel 6 Pro considering the software isn't trying to overcome hardware limitations anymore. The two biggest areas where you will come across improvements are depression-light, where the much larger sensor and pixel binning tech requite a heave to Google's already stellar Dark Sight, and the higher megapixel count, which lets you crop for details that would have been lost on the crumbling 12MP sensor in the Pixel 5.
I captured the photograph of a witch figurine below with minimal light coming from a neighboring room. Aye, the Pixel 5 could take captured this photograph, simply at a much slower speed that would've required my hands to stay notwithstanding for longer. On the Pixel 6 Pro, you can grab grouping photos with Dark Sight, which would have been essentially a futile endeavor in the past. Fifty-fifty if someone does move a fleck, Face Unblur, a new software feature in Google Photos, might assist you out.
Ultra-wide camera
The ultra-broad hardware is impressive but simply marginally ameliorate, which is disappointing when you expect at what Apple tree did with the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max ultra-broad this yr.
The biggest update Google fabricated for the ultra-wide lens this twelvemonth comes in the software with the new Magic Eraser tool in Google Photos. This is basically a ane-touch Photoshop to eliminate any unwanted people or objects from your photos. I am still blown away past how well this works correct out of the gate. While I accept done this for years with Photoshop, Magic Erase requires just a quick tap or swipe of your finger and poof, whatever you lot highlighted is gone.
Telephoto camera
The Pixel 6 Pro'south 48MP telephoto is certainly an impressive addition, only it will be interesting to see how many are swayed by this feature. I'yard a big fan of having a telephoto lens on my smartphones to capture photos and videos of wildlife and my kids when they are playing sports or simply running around at the park.
It's a powerful tool in your mobile photograph arsenal and, as you tin run into, the Pixel half-dozen Pro delivers excellent results through its full 4x optical to 20x digital zoom.
Front-facing camera
The forepart-facing camera on the Pixel half-dozen Pro has a slightly weaker f/2.2 aperture versus the Pixel 6, simply makes upwardly for it with larger 1.22um pixels, an 11.1MP resolution and a wider 94-degree field of view that lets you either add more of your background or to become an extra person or two into a group selfie.
Google's portrait mode is still among the all-time with nice bokeh and the power to apply different lighting to your scene. It falls just shy of the iPhone thirteen Pro Max, only comes close.
Video
Google continues to lag backside when it comes to video, and the gap is widening given the improvements Apple made this year. At that place's null wrong with the basic video capture from the Pixel; it's capable of 4K or 1080p at xxx or 60fps. The Pixel half dozen Pro has i edge on the Pixel 6 here and that is for front end-facing camera video, which is up to 4K rather than 1080p.
The video itself looks skilful, and benefits from the improvements to the camera sensors. However, those are all pretty much table stakes for a mod smartphone. Some of the new image stabilization options like Cinematic Pan and more unique options like the astrophotography timelapse are interesting, simply Google fails to make them as accessible every bit Apple. For capturing family videos, the Pixel half dozen Pro is up to the job, just for most creators, this remains a weak indicate for the Pixel lineup.
Pixel 6 Pro functioning and graphics
Despite the excitement over the new camera sensors, Google'due south custom Tensor chip that is powering the Pixel 6 Pro is by far the biggest change this year and the biggest long-term bet that Google has ever made on its hardware. As such it probably shouldn't be surprising that it may be some fourth dimension before nosotros feely grasp the capabilities of Tensor, but my offset week with it has been encouraging.
Google said the Pixel 6 and Pixel six Pro are the fastest Pixels always and given that concluding year's Pixel 5 was an upper mid-tier telephone and the last "flagship" Pixel was using a Snapdragon processor from 2022, it isn't a merits that really warrants celebration.
Nonetheless, afterward years of enquiry and development on Tensor, I won't mistake Google for a petty bit of meaningless event speak virtually it. The real story of Tensor is the focus on superior performance through advanced on-device AI for faster and meliorate speech recognition and improved paradigm processing.
Putting the Pixel six Pro through my typical challenges for phones includes loading up a couple of dozen Google Chrome tabs, running a Netflix video in the background, and and so swapping between several other apps including Twitter, YouTube Music, and Gmail. This was all well within the capabilities of the Pixel vi Pro and Tensor, I never ran into whatever hiccups in the video or delays in the 120Hz animations equally I swiped apps in and out of position.
That six.seven-inch QHD+ brandish with a 120Hz refresh charge per unit should make this an ideal gaming phone if Tensor can push all those pixels effectually and after a few rounds of Call of Duty Mobile, I feel pretty confident that it will get the job done. With the graphics and refresh rate in their "very high" settings, the game continued to run smoothly. I've discussed in a number of recent flagship phone reviews that the overhead with current processors exceeds the actual performance needs that we have right now and the Pixel six Pro may be solid proof of that.
Looking at our performance benchmark tests, the Geekbench 5 score won't impress any current flagship owners with the Pixel 6 Pro achieving a multi-cadre score of 2,760. That is virtually comically far backside the iPhone 13 Pro Max (4,549) and even the Galaxy S21 Ultra (3,440) with its most year-former Snapdragon 888 processor is considerably faster.
Graphics and real-world benchmarking are more favorable for the Pixel 6 Pro. In the Wild Life Unlimited graphics exam, the Pixel half dozen Pro managed twoscore frames per second, pretty handily beating the Galaxy S21 Ultra (34fps), but of course, it wasn't enough to beat the iPhone 13 Pro Max (68fps).
In our Adobe Premiere Rush test that has the phone convert a 4K video to 1080p, the Pixel 6 Pro once again delivered ane of the best results we've seen from an Android phone. It converted the video in 48 seconds, which is fifteen seconds faster than the Galaxy S21 Ultra and while the iPhone 13 Pro Max (25 seconds) claimed some other decisive victory, that doesn't have away from the Pixel 6 Pro's consequence.
With Google seeming to target dissimilar performance priorities than we unremarkably see among Android phones and able to tune the operating itself to fit that vision, it will be interesting to see the result of that over time, but for now the Pixel 6 Pro delivers fast enough performance for anything that nosotros could throw at it.
Pixel 6 Pro battery life and charging
With a 5003mAh battery, the Pixel 6 Pro has hands the largest battery that we've seen in a Pixel phone, not shocking for the largest Pixel phone ever, but still notable for a company that historically came upwardly short with its batteries.
Google claims this will be enough to deliver "Beyond 24-hour battery life" and up to 48-hours of battery life if you lot use Extreme Battery Saver. Our real-world and lab tests offer conflicting takes on this.
Our Laptop Mag Battery test has the phone continuously surf the web over cellular with the brandish set to 150 nits of brightness, the Pixel vi Pro averaged only vii hours and 43 minutes on this test. That is distantly behind the iPhone 13 Pro Max (12:sixteen) and the Galaxy S21 Ultra (11:25).
My normal review review twenty-four hours with the phone was not a problem though. This normally means running from around 7:30 a.g. to 10:xxx p.m. with two hours of Netflix and/or YouTube streaming on Wi-Fi, web browsing, using social media, gaming for about 30 minutes and capturing photos and videos. I even pushed it quite a flake harder than this on a couple of days and was notwithstanding left with at least 15% remaining by the fourth dimension I plugged the phone in for the night.
Google's adaptive battery management with Tensor is meant to try to optimize for your usage and I'm simply non certain whether information technology is handling our standard testing properly. I'll be doing more stress testing of the battery over the coming weeks and volition update this review with my findings.
Charging gets a much less murky improvement with back up for up to 30W fast charging. Google doesn't include the necessary charger in the box, just you lot just need whatsoever 30W USB-C charger with USB-PD three.0 support in order to bask those new speeds. Google indicates that this will get y'all to a 50% charge in almost xxx minutes and I was able to hit exactly that mark using my OnePlus Warp Charger 65W, which offers the necessary compatibility.
Pixel 6 Pro likewise supports Qi wireless charging, fast wireless charging, and battery share if you have a pair of wireless headphones or a Qi-compatible smartwatch that you need to top upwards on the go.
Pixel vi Pro software
The Pixel 6 Pro runs Google's slightly modified version of Android 12. Our review of the updated OS will give yous a detailed look at the updated user feel and user interface, but the Pixel vi gives you even more. It's something Google is finally playing up more with its Pixel marketing in referencing the regular "feature drops."
While some of these features are legitimately quite useful, information technology'southward the enhanced software back up that should rightfully go the almost attending. Google will now offer five years of security updates for the Pixel, nearly matching the vi years that Apple typically provides. While it still comes up shy when it comes to major Os updates, sticking to three years in that location, then many Android characteristic updates are not tied to the Os itself that the comparing doesn't really hold upwards to scrutiny.
The Pixel 6 Pro tin can have some of the hurting out of calling businesses with its Wait Times, Direct my Telephone call and Agree for Me features. These bear witness you optimal times to call a particular business concern, transcribe automated menu options for you, and notify yous when someone picks upwards your call subsequently putting you on agree. I've used Google's call screening on my Pixels since information technology start became bachelor and have come up to really miss these touches when I'm using other devices.
If y'all like going hands-free with your phone the improved Assistant voice typing should be a boon for you. Now yous can just say, "Hey Google, blazon" when y'all are in a messaging app, and it will let you dictate and send letters including precise cursor movement, spelling out unusual words or names, and emoji.
Live Translate is more impressive than ever with the ability to interpret messages (xi languages) or media (5 languages) on your phone in real-fourth dimension. The camera fashion using Google Lens will translate anything information technology sees in 55 languages offline and 104 languages when online. Using Interpreter Mode, Assistant will translate dorsum and forth for you in upwards to 48 languages online.
Google's robust at a glance feature is also more powerful than always and information technology will try to show y'all contextually relevant data on your home screen and lock screen. This includes atmospheric condition, local alerts, travel details that it pulls from your e-mail, appointments, and traffic to relevant destinations. These are all nether that same umbrella of Pixel trying to be smart plenty to bear witness yous what y'all need to know without your ever having to ask for it and Google well-nigh inarguably does it better than anyone else with Pixel.
Bottom line
At $899 the Pixel 6 Pro is affordable compared to its flagship competitors, but it isn't the immediately obvious value that the Pixel 6 represents.
The unproven Tensor chip may be tough for users that merely upgrade every few years to depend on its first-gen, particularly with a proven commodity similar the A15 Bionic in the iPhone xiii Pro Max. While I've been thrilled with the photos that I've gotten from the Pixel 6 Pro, there was certainly room to worry well-nigh whether Google could pull off its magic with a new set of sensors too.
While its raw numbers may not agree upwardly to its competitors, Google's entire pitch for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro essentially boils down to it being a telephone that adapts to you. I'll exist continuing to work with both phones as I dearest what I've seen so far and while information technology may not be envisioned when I asked for a flagship Pixel phone, it'south exactly what I wanted.
Source: https://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/pixel-6-pro
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