These phones couldn’t have arrived at a better time…..
We’ve mentioned it here a few times this year now, but the flagship smartphone space kind of sucks now. Smartphones are still more exciting and competitive in the budget and foldable space, but the flagship phone, aka the device a company basically chooses to represent them for a whole year and probably set the pace for competitors that year, has basically become a little predictable and boring. That’s because the flagship space is dominated by Samsung and Apple, and because of that dominancy their devices impress less and less now. And with companies like sony becoming more niche and OnePlus becoming essentially a Samsung clone, there seems to be no one who can truly stand up to Samsung and Apple. Thankfully however, a challenger has arisen, and it’s called the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
Now let’s confront some bias right from the jump, if you follow this site you likely know that almost everyone here is a pretty big Pixel line fan. We’ve always loved it’s camera and how it basically changed smartphone cameras forever, it’s simplistic utilitarian approach to things and top notch software offerings. But even we admitted that camera aside, those other aspects should be standard for every good phone, not just a flagship. Google’s vision for smartphones shined brightest in the budget Pixel A line and even now the Pixel 5A is a sign of that. However it seems that they’ve finally picked up that flagships should be a little unreasonable too, built with features meant for pizazz and a little wow factor, and the Pixel 6 line is a clear sign of that. We already talked about a high quality build, the best screens on a Pixel yet , an even larger increase in smart, Google-esque helpful features (that work offline!) and cameras that reach heights even the iPhone 13 Pros can’t and a processor that while new, actually does hang with the best of them despite being new untested hardware.
Add in that it’s at least $200 cheaper than the competition in both the regular 6 and the 6 Pro and the devices don’t just match the best flagships out there, they beat them in performance in price in ways that almost no other phone out there achieves. In fact chances are the Engadget review above tells the story we’re saying here. Google is matching Samsung and Apple in every spec that counts and finally making the Pixel line true flagships that appeal to layman people and die-hards as well.
A huge emphasis on Google’s Tensor processor has been mentioned in other reviews as well. Usually we wouldn’t talk much about a processor beyond how fast it is. And as we said, Tensor is fast enough. But where it may lag in speed , it makes up in what seems to be a million little machine learning capabilities that make the Pixel 6 closer to owning a little bit of Iron Man’s Jarvis in your pocket. From a crazy good voice dictation system , to recognizing music, to a whole suite of voice commands, all working offline , the Pixel 6 phones are the closest Google has come to making phones and the Google Assistant actually helpful, and that makes them at least more convenient, especially if it can still hold calls for you, but also make call options (“for sales press one”) be turned into text options you can just click on rather than wait for the automated bot to say the phrase. Simply put, Google wants a phone that makes your life easier, and the Tensor processor makes that all the more possible.
Then the camera. Now before we get into it, let’s make it clear it’s one of the biggest differences between the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The Pixel 6 has an 8MP front camera, and lacks a telephoto camera on the back. On the other end, along with a 120hz display instead of 90hz , and 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB , the Pixel 6 Pro has an 11MP wide angle front camera and a third telephoto sensor on the back capable of 5X optical zoom, while sharing the 50MP main sensor that again, takes shots even the iPhone can’t match. Let’s be clear here, out of the gate, even the MKBHD review below has said the Pixel’s camera has a certain amount overprocessing it does and despite having an amazing sensor, it tries a little too hard on the software processing side, causing a slightly overprocessed look. However, other times , that sensor truly does shine through (especially if you take RAW photos) and you get pictures that no phone on this planet can produce. Not the iPhone 13, not the S21 Ultra, nothing else. Video has improved a lot too, even if it hasn’t quite reached the iPhone’s level. Add in the many software features that the Pixel’s camera packs, such as the magic eraser and motion mode, and you already have a camera that definitely punches the iPhone 13 Pro to a draw, though consistency may be in the iPhone’s favor. Still, it’s a great point to be with in smartphone photography, where the competition is that matched. Especially since again, even the Pixel 6 Pro is $200 cheaper than the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra, let alone the Sony Xperia 1 III. For that value, especially with Google likely being able to this camera, it’s arguable that this isn’t the best deal in mobile photography.
And that’s really what the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro do best. Take everything you love about the most popular flagship, put their spin on it(sometimes doing it better), then being cheaper. The regular Pixel 6 is $200 cheaper than the iPhone 13, $100 cheaper than the S21. The Pro continues the same tradition. At this point, if you can buy this phone, only the branding might be stop you from buying it. Google has definitely shown their smartphone chops here, and they’ve made 2 devices worthy of the hype they gave them almost three months ago. Here’s to hoping they continue this trend, because finally Samsung and Apple have something to worry about.
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