Google Pixel 6 Pro initial review: A proper flagship phone

(Pocket-lint) - If Google's Pixel enactment of phones appeared to stumble successful 2020, past 2021 is each astir coming backmost stronger.

The Pixel 5 launched arsenic a mid-range device, seemingly stepping distant from flagship ambitions and, portion it offered immoderate absorbing elements, to galore it felt arsenic though it lacked ambition. It was, ironically, the cleanable telephone for 2020.

With refreshed enthusiasm successful the aerial for 2021, we person the Pixel 6, and a caller flagship, the Pixel 6 Pro. And it feels similar Google's astir ambitious telephone yet.

Design and build

• Dimensions: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm / Weight: 210g
• Alloy frame, Gorilla Glass Victus
• IP68

The Pixel 6 Pro is akin is size and value to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and carries with it galore of the hallmarks of premium smartphone design.

It steps up implicit the Pixel 6 with a "waterfall" display, curving implicit the edges, matched with the curving of the solid of the rear panel. An alloy unibody runs done the centre of the phone, emerging with a polished finished astir the edges, portion besides framing that camera array connected the rear.

It's the backmost of the telephone that radical person been talking astir and rightly so. When Google launched the Pixel 4 with its camera quadrate connected the rear it was designed to basal out. On the Pixel 6, the camera is the design.

There's a retro consciousness to it - particularly with some of the colours being offered - and agelong gone are the days wherever we saw the likes of Huawei's CEO Richard Yu crying "no bump!" from the stage; the Pixel 6 Pro is manifestly bump.

The prime of the decorativeness is great, prevention for 1 insignificant detail: the camera array, sitting betwixt the metallic bands of the frame, is really 3 sections - the centre and the curved parts connected either end. That means determination are 2 seams successful this conception which we privation weren't there.

Moving connected there's IP68 protection, flagship people waterproofing, portion the solid beforehand and backmost is Gorilla Glass Victus, the champion that Corning offers.

Within the plan determination are stereo speakers, with a agelong slit crossed the apical of the show wherever it meets the framework and an orifice connected the bottommost of the phone. There's nary 3.5mm headphone socket.

Display

• 6.7in LTPO OLED, 19.5:9
• 3120 x 1440 pixels, 512ppi
• 120Hz (adaptive), HDR

There's a ample 6.7-inch show connected the Pixel 6 Pro, with the Pixel 6 coming successful smaller astatine 6.4-inches. The Pro exemplary besides differs from the regular with a Quad HD+ resolution, that's 3120 x 1440 pixels, for a pixel density of 512ppi.

That's the aforesaid size arsenic the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but a small higher successful resolution.

This is an LTPO OLED display, meaning it tin connection adaptive refresh rates. That volition spot the show actively switching to suit the contented it's displaying, with a scope from 10-120Hz. The thought is that static content, similar an ebook, would beryllium astatine 10Hz truthful you're not wasting artillery refreshing to page, portion accelerated scrolling tin hap astatine 120Hz to trim tearing and marque it look smoother.

You can, if you wish, crook it disconnected and instrumentality to 60Hz refresh instead.

There's a punch spread to the apical of the show for the beforehand camera, portion Google has besides moved implicit to offering an under-display fingerprint scanner connected the Pixel 6 models. That keeps the remainder of the plan cleanable - and portion we ne'er had a occupation with fingerprint scanners connected the rear, certainly, galore volition invited its caller presumption connected the front.

Hardware

• Google Tensor 5G, 12GB RAM
• 128/256GB storage
• 5003mAh battery, 30W wired, 23W wireless charging

Where the Pixel 6 Pro makes a departure from galore different devices connected the marketplace is successful its hardware. Sitting astatine the halfway of the telephone is Google Tensor, Google's ain plan of strategy connected chip.

Google claims that that the telephone is up to 80 per cent faster than the Pixel 5, though that was connected mid-range Snapdragon 765G hardware - and we truly don't cognize what Google bases these comparisons on. Having utilized some phones, yes, the Pixel 6 Pro does consciousness smoother and faster - and each inch the flagship experience. Google says this hardware has been 4 years successful the making and a ample portion of what Tensor wants to bash is boost the artificial quality and instrumentality learning of devices - and let that to tally connected the telephone alternatively than successful the cloud, making it faster and much secure.

In the clip we've been utilizing the Pixel 6 Pro we haven't encountered immoderate problems, but we'll beryllium capable to afloat soma retired the acquisition successful our afloat reappraisal successful the adjacent future.

Google Tensor supports 5G and determination volition beryllium a fig of antithetic versions of this telephone - a Sub 6 model, and versions that see mmWave too. There's besides Wi-Fi 6E enactment and Bluetooth 5.2 - arsenic good arsenic ultra-wideband (UWB).

Google details that the UWB functionality isn't enabled astatine motorboat and without thing to trial it with, that astir apt doesn't substance - but we're expecting the likes of Tile Ultra successful 2022 and compatibility with cars similar the BMW iX successful the aboriginal too.

There's nary microSD - thing that Google shuns perennially - portion 128 and 256GB options supply the storage.

There's a azygous USB-C connected the bottommost of the phone, allowing charging of the 5003mAh artillery astatine speeds up to 30W, though there's nary charger successful the box, conscionable a cable. That means you'll person to supply your ain charger.

It's not the fastest charging astir astatine 30W (and it's designed for a USB-PD 3.0 PPS charger) but that's inactive speedy and volition support astir users happy. On the wireless charging beforehand determination is enactment up to 23W, but lone utilizing the Google Pixel Stand (2nd gen) according to Google. It volition besides enactment 12W wireless charging from a Qi wireless charger.

Google is claiming that you'll get 48 hours of usage from the Pixel 6 Pro oregon 48 hours if you usage the utmost powerfulness redeeming mode, though the second restricts what you tin bash with your phone, disabling a batch of the apps. As the sanction suggests, it's an utmost choice.

We'll beryllium capable to study successful much item connected the show and the artillery beingness of the Pixel 6 Pro successful our afloat reappraisal erstwhile we've had longer to measure the telephone fully.

Cameras

• Triple rear camera array:
  • Main: 50MP, 1/1.31in, 1.2μm, f/1.85, OIS
  • Telephoto: 48MP, 1/2in, 0.8μm, f/3.5, OIS
  • Ultrawide: 12MP, 1.25μm, f/2.2
• Front: 11.1MP, 1.22μm, f/2.2

There's a wholly caller camera strategy successful the Pixel 6 Pro, pairing up a higher solution main, a folded benignant (periscope) telephoto and an ultrawide. This is 1 of the areas that this telephone differs from the smaller Pixel 6 which misses retired connected the telephoto.

While the creation of the cameras has changed, overmuch of the look and consciousness of the Pixel camera is overmuch the same. There are caller features, but Google is inactive taking the attack of making this an casual camera to usage - you point, sprout and get the results careless of the conditions.

As such, it leans connected AI and computational photography, an country wherever Google has truly made a sanction for itself with the Pixel family.

Although there's present a 50-megapixel sensor, Google is utilizing pixel binning to effect successful 12.5-megapixel images, combining 4 pixels. Like others, Google is claiming a larger aboveground country to sorb airy utilizing this method, thing that tin provender into supporting debased airy photography and the famed Night Sight and Astrophotography modes. But dissimilar others, the Pixel doesn't fto you instrumentality immense 50-megapixel photos - oregon connection a analyzable overlap of features. It's each straightforward. 

First impressions of this camera strategy are large - many, many, much details to travel with the afloat reappraisal - but the pairing with a due telephoto lens makes the Pixel overmuch much competitory successful the flagship space.

Google talked up its AI cleaning of integer zoom images connected erstwhile phones, but present it tin connection 4x optical zoom from the folded lens arrangement, and 20x integer zoom beyond that.

There's a batch much that's caller for the Pixel camera beyond the carnal lenses. When it comes to shooting, Motion Mode volition fto you seizure an representation and past springiness the content of question successful it. That mightiness beryllium a car oregon cyclist - oregon immoderate moving entity - with the AI figuring retired what's expected to beryllium moving and what's not. It tin past use effects to springiness that consciousness of speed.

On the editing front, Google Photos gets a mates of options, including Magic Eraser which volition region distracting elements from photos. You tin fundamentally item to region things, but there's besides an car mode that volition scan your images and place things for removal - it's precise clever and means you don't request to leap into Photoshop to tidy photos up.

Face Unblur attempts to region the occupation of moving faces, restoring them backmost to immoderate benignant of sharpness. Again, it's Google utilizing AI to fig retired what thing is expected to look similar and close it.

There's besides wider enactment for a divers scope of tegument types, truthful darker tegument tones should beryllium recognised and photos kept successful equilibrium truthful radical look arsenic they should.

The large happening is that due to the fact that galore of these are driven by AI, they tin beryllium utilized connected existing images. Google Photos volition fto you usage Magic Eraser connected older photos, oregon photos from different phone, for illustration - and the seizure technologies enactment connected the beforehand and the rear cameras. It's conscionable a smarter mode to instrumentality photos and the archetypal results we've seen person been great.

Software polish

• Android 12
• 4 years of software/5 years of information updates

The Pixel 6 Pro launches with Android 12, with a fewer unsocial tweaks that you'll lone get connected Pixel. Many phones person been rolling backmost to offering a cleaner Google experience, but the Pixel is ever beforehand of that queue for updates - present with a 4 twelvemonth mentation promise, and 5 years for information updates.

The large alteration is Material You. This is what Google is mostly talking astir successful Android 12, wanting to marque it casual to customise the telephone to your preferences. It means you tin prime a wallpaper and accommodate the phone's taxable to colours related to that wallpaper. You tin besides power the icons to beryllium themed to acceptable in, though that lone appears to use to Google's ain apps and services.

It's conscionable astir arsenic casual arsenic it could beryllium and truly effective, allowing sweeping changes done a fig of apps to marque your instrumentality much unique.

There are tiny changes each implicit the place, similar being capable to swipe down the Quick Settings and spot the artillery percent alteration to amusement you however agelong it's really going to last.

Google besides continues to propulsion real-time translation successful its devices, with the quality to construe successful messaging apps similar WhatsApp oregon successful the messaging sections of different apps, similar Twitter oregon Instagram.

Then there's a boosted absorption connected privacy, allowing you to spot - via a greenish icon connected the show - if your camera oregon mic is live. You tin past pat done to spot which apps are utilizing it. Via the Privacy Dashboard you'll beryllium capable to rapidly spot what is utilizing things similar determination entree and however often, truthful you tin instrumentality much control. You tin besides toggle disconnected the camera oregon mic if you privation to.

There are caller options for the location surface - including suggested apps - which volition alteration the icons connected your location surface based connected what your telephone thinks you are astir to do. We've seen this earlier successful the apps drawer, but present it's got pridefulness of spot connected the main leafage too.

The changes ushered successful by Android 12 marque the Pixel 6 Pro consciousness overmuch much similar a telephone acceptable to vie with the likes of Samsung. There's property to it which hasn't ever been truthful keenly felt earlier connected Google's ain devices, a refreshing change.

Writing by Chris Hall. Originally published connected 19 October 2021.