Google's $899 high-end mobile phone is still lower in price than its competitors, and at the same time has such a high value.
Editor's note, November 12: Google Pixel 6 Pro's reliable all-round performance and excellent camera make it a great value high-end Android phone with great value for money, which is why we awarded it the CNET Editors' Choice Award. The original comments are as follows.
The Pixel 6 Pro is the best phone ever made by Google, and includes all the features you want from a 2021 flagship device. PIxel 6 Pro demonstrated powerful performance, some excellent software additional functions, unique design and excellent camera system.
It did this while still at a price lower than the competition. The 6.7-inch basic 128GB model is priced at US$899 (£849, AU$1,299), which is a lot less than the US$999 of the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro, and even US$1,099 less than the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 13 Pro Max that Apple wants .
Although last year's Pixel 5 is best seen as a mid-range phone with some high-end touch, the Pixel 6 Pro has always been high-quality. From glass and metal designs, to high-resolution displays and excellent triple cameras, there are many things to like. Then there is the Tensor processor-Google's customized chip for mobile phones-to provide sufficient power, better security features, 5G connectivity and a smooth Android 12 interface for all your daily needs. The battery life is good-of course above average-but not very good because the iPhone 13 Pro is more powerful.
Its best Android competitor is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. It does add some simple camera functions (10x zoom on the one hand), but the price is higher, and Pixel 6 Pro provides a more user-friendly experience. iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max provide excellent all-round use, but the price is higher, if you are already entrenched in the Android ecosystem, it may not be worth switching and buying all these apps again.
Those looking for the best all-round Android experience should definitely pay attention to Pixel 6 Pro.
The Pixel 6 priced at US$599 (£599, AU$999) includes the same Tensor processor and lovely Android 12 software at a price of US$300 lower than the Pro, but it has made some compromises in order to reach a cheaper price.
It has a smaller, lower-resolution 6.4-inch display and lacks the Pro's bending skills. It has a smaller battery, it has 8GB of RAM instead of 12GB, and it does not have the 4x telephoto zoom lens on the Pro.
The display of Pixel 6 Pro is 6.7 inches, and the display of Pixel 6 is 6.4 inches.
But it is still an excellent phone worthy of consideration. It offers many of the same advantages as the Pixel 6 Pro at a lower price, especially if you don’t care about the high-end performance offered by the flagship product. As my colleague Patrick Holland put it in a review of the phone, “In terms of price, I can’t think of a better phone to recommend now.”
I don’t like the look of the Pixel 5 last year. The matte rubber back cover makes this phone more budget-friendly than the $699 price tag. Pixel 6 Pro is different. The rear is full of glass-actually tempered Gorilla Glass Victus-with curved edges and connected to a 100% recycled aluminum frame.
The same is true for the glass on the front edge and the display below. Not only does it look more premium, but when you hold it in your hand, it feels like a true flagship device. However, it is large and fits in a 6.7-inch display, which will make it more bulky than the 6-inch Pixel 5 or the 6.4-inch Pixel 6. This glass also makes it slippery, so consider one of Google's protective sleeves if you are nervous about giving it up.
Pixel 6 Pro, with iPhone 13 Pro (left) and Pixel 5 on both sides.
Its waterproof rating is IP68, which means it can withstand 1 meter (about 3 feet) of water for up to 30 minutes. No, it doesn't mean you can let it swim, but it does mean that it should be able to get rid of awkward friends spilling strange beer on it.
An interesting design choice is the large camera pole that spans the back. It protrudes about 3 mm from the phone, so when you put it on the table, it won’t lie flat, but it won’t sway from corner to corner like a phone, like a camera on one side. A raised cell phone (such as S21 Ultra). I like the appearance of the phone, it is really outstanding. But there is a hint: if you can find it in stock, please buy Sorta Sunny Orange Peach. In contrast, the black and gray option Stormy Black looks rather dull.
The camera strip protrudes approximately 3 mm from the phone. Therefore, it will not lay flat on the table.
The rear fingerprint scanner seen on the Pixel 5 has been removed and replaced with an in-screen scanner. I found that it works accurately and quickly in most cases, although Patrick found that the Pixel 6 scanner is easier Was hit and missed in his comments. There is no face unlock function, which is a pity, but due to COVID-19, many indoor areas still need to wear a mask, so it can be said that having a fingerprint scanner is more useful anyway.
Discover the latest news and best reviews of smartphones and carriers from CNET’s mobile experts.
The large strip on the back hides three cameras: a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera; a 48-megapixel telephoto with 4x optical zoom; and a main camera with a larger 1/1.3-inch sensor, which Google calls capture The light is 2.5 times more than Pixel 5. The cameras on Pixel phones have always been excellent, and the new generation is no exception.
The image from the main camera lens is amazing. They are full of vitality, rich in detail, amazing exposure balance, bright sky under control, and shadow areas are easy to see.
The golden color of the leaves is beautifully captured here, with a rich blue sky behind.
This is the same image taken on the iPhone 13 Pro. There is almost no choice between them, but if I am too picky, I would say that the white balance on the Pixel 6 Pro results in a warmer and more orange tone on the trunk, which I think looks better. In my photography competition, you can see the real comparison between the Pixel 6 Pro camera and the iPhone 13 Pro.
This scene facing the beautiful Edinburgh Castle is a challenging shot, with dark shadows and an extremely bright sky outside the trees. However, the Pixel 6 Pro handles it well and maintains a lovely exposure overall.
The situation here is roughly the same, with bright blue skies, excellent exposure, and a lot of detail.
Switching to an ultra-wide-angle lens, the scene maintains rich colors and exposure. Zooming in, it is obvious that it has less overall details, but it is still a lovely lens.
Another ultra-wide-angle lens from Pixel 6 Pro. But look at the iPhone 13 Pro:
iPhone provides a wider field of view, allowing you to capture more images in the scene. They are both excellent wide-angle lenses and do well in these beautiful colors, but I want to see the Pixel provide a slightly wider scene.
The 4x zoom lens is also excellent, due to its high-resolution sensor that provides a lot of detail. I think 4x is also a good zoom level for mobile phones; it allows you to find compositions that cannot be achieved with smaller zoom levels, but it is not as strict as the 10x zoom you find on the Galaxy S21. This is a zoom level, I think I will use it a lot when traveling, and have taken several 4x photos with my phone. I am very satisfied with these photos as artistic images.
This enlarged image is so clear that I can actually read the headlines in the newspaper. This is a very impressive lens that will not force you to make any compromises in quality to achieve these zoom levels. In contrast, the optical zoom of the iPhone 13 Pro is up to 3 times, so the Pixel 6 Pro can achieve close-up images. Frankly speaking, I will observe any day from a wider perspective.
It is also convenient to focus your vision on such a smaller scene and capture intimate small still life scenes instead of magnificent, unobstructed vistas. The fine texture on the leaves here is very sharp.
Google has also added some additional features, including a tool that automatically removes people from the background of the image, which sometimes works well, and sometimes leaves a large spot where a person once stood. Then there is the long exposure mode, which allows you to create ethereal blurred water scenes and night scenes. It has a very good shooting effect in the dark.
I was very impressed with the photographic capabilities of the Pixel 6 Pro. There is no doubt that it is one of the best cameras on mobile phones. Due to the 4K resolution, the video quality is also excellent, with excellent dynamic range, excellent image stability and rich details.
The core of this phone is Google's first self-produced processor, called Tensor. For Google, producing its own chips is a major move, and it shows a firm commitment to continue participating in hardware games-after all, you will not develop your own processor as a one-time experiment.
However, once you get the Pixel in your hand, it becomes irrelevant because it functions like any other mobile phone. Navigating in the Android 12 interface is very inconvenient, games like Asphalt 9: Legends and Call of Duty work flawlessly, and the photo editing and video streaming are as good as you can get from any other high-end phones now.
In benchmark tests such as the Geekbench 5 processor test and 3DMark’s Wild Life Extreme graphics test, the Pixel 6 Pro’s score is not as good as that of the iPhone 13 Pro, but it is as high as the Galaxy S21 Ultra (and it is also in the graphics test on the powerful OnePlus 9 Pro middle). Benchmarks are by no means a direct indicator of performance in real life, but at least it is a good thing to see Google’s new chip running on the same court as its competitors.
No, the Tensor chip does not set a new standard for lightning-like performance. But it doesn’t need; today’s cell phones have more power than any of us need every day. Google's advancement in chip production is more than just creating a "benchmarker." As the company develops more ways to use its own hardware, many real benefits will emerge over time.
The Tensor processor is designed for machine learning, artificial intelligence, and speech recognition applications. The keyboard has built-in voice recognition (for dictating messages or emails) as well as real-time translation tools and improved visual language translation when using Google Lens through the camera.
Both Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro run the latest Android 12 software.
The interface of Android 12 is very simple and easy to use. So far, this is my favorite version of Android. It provides a simple experience that even Android newbies will not take a long time to master. One of the (currently) larger features unique to Pixel 6 and 6 Pro is the ability to create custom themes for your phone based on any background image you have.
When you choose a new wallpaper (one of the many built-in wallpapers, or any image you saved to your phone), the phone will automatically pick the main color and use it and its complementary colors to change the appearance of the interface part, including some defaults on the home screen Google application icons, such as Play Store, Gmail, and Photos. This is a good idea, although it may not be the main reason you decide to give up cash.
Security has been particularly promoted in both software and hardware. The Tensor processor has a dedicated Titan coprocessor, which obviously can provide better device security, while Android 12 can control your security and privacy settings more finely. This includes a dashboard showing which applications have recently used which information, and a convenient button in the drop-down notification tray to turn off system-wide access to the camera and microphone.
Those quick access privacy buttons might come in handy.
Google also promised that Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will receive five-year security updates, which means that these phones will be safer to use. From a hardware point of view, many old phones are still fully usable, but if they do not have the latest security patches installed, they are vulnerable to various hacker attacks. From a cost and environmental point of view, it is just a good thing to be able to use our mobile phones safely for a longer period of time.
Thanks to its 3,120x1,440 pixel resolution, the 6.7-inch display of the Pixel 6 Pro is very clear. It is also very bright, and the bright colors complement the colorful games such as Candy Crush Soda Saga or videos such as Netflix's world-leading show Squid Game. It has an adaptive refresh rate that can reach 120Hz when you are playing fast-paced games, but it will also slow down to 10Hz when the phone is basically idle. Performance when needed; save power when not in use.
Pixel 6 Pro and its biggest competitor iPhone 13 Pro.
This phone is powered by a 5,003 mAh battery and should be suitable for mixed use all day. After playing a YouTube video at maximum brightness for an hour, it has dropped from full screen to 98%. In contrast, OnePlus 9 Pro dropped to 90%, while iPhone 13 Pro dropped to 99%. After another hour, the 6 Pro dropped to 89%, while the iPhone 13 Pro dropped to 93%. You certainly shouldn't use it to spend the day, but like all phones, you can help it by lowering the screen brightness, avoiding demanding tasks such as games or video streaming until you get close to the plug and turn off the GPS.
It has Qi wireless charging function and supports fast charging with a 30-watt charger (not provided), which can fully charge the phone by 50% in 30 minutes. This is great, but it doesn't match OnePlus' 65-watt fast charging, which can fully charge the device at the same time. Nevertheless, it is still fast enough to quickly charge your phone before you go out, and the super power saving mode will suspend all apps except the basic apps to preserve the remaining battery.