Google's Pixel 6 phones.
The
Google Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro
had their first official reveal Monday, unveiling the phone's new design and a dive into the company's in-house Tensor chip that will power the 2021 line. Previously codenamed Whitechapel, CEO Sundar Pichai noted during an earlier
Alphabet earnings call
that the fall lineup of devices will show Google's "
deep technology investments
." Tensor's introduction also came with demonstrations of its photography and dictation prowess, which will take the spotlight with the new Pixel phones.
Google's first Pixel phone
made a splash when it was unveiled almost five years ago, but since then, the search giant's foray into mobile devices has been inconsistent. Last year's
Pixel 5
received high marks for its cameras, but
it lacked the premium features
you'd expect from a flagship smartphone, especially for the price. CNET's Lynn La called it "
hard to recommend
." Compare that to the
original Pixel phone
("pure Android at its absolute best" and "our favorite phone, bar none") and
Google's phone trajectory looks rough
.
Now that Google will be taking a larger creative leap with its Pixel line, the question remains whether the changes can help the company compete against the best phones from Apple and Samsung or
continue to disappoint its one-time fans
. Let's go over what we've learned about the upcoming devices, and the rumors for the details that are still unknown.
Read more:
Here are all the
iPhone 13 rumors
and
Galaxy S22 rumors
, too.
Now playing:
Watch this:
Google introduces Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
4:36
Name: Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro
Unlike
Apple
and
Samsung
, Google has been consistent with its phone nomenclature. The
original Pixel
was followed by the
Pixel 2
, then the
Pixel 3
and so on. Google has confirmed that the 2021 phones will indeed be the Pixel 6 and -- instead of an XL model -- the Pixel 6 Pro.
Google's new announcement spotlights that both phones will have many of the same features: the new Tensor system-on-chip designed by Google, a camera bar that runs along the back of the phone, camera sensors that take in 150% more light than the Pixel 5 and an ultrawide lens. Software improvements (more on that in a bit) will also come to both models, including Android 12's Material You design, along with speech recognition and photography improvements powered by the Tensor.
Rumors about the now-confirmed Pixel 6 Pro began when leaker
Jon Prosser debuted renders depicting the "Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro" in May
. Prosser's renders were purportedly based on actual images of the phones, released as renders to protect his source's identity.
The Pixel 6 phones come in black along with pastel shades of green and red.
Specs: Unveiling Tensor, camera bar
Google's official reveal of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro puts a particular spotlight on Google's new system-on-chip, named Tensor. Going in-house moves Google away from the Qualcomm chips that have powered its previous devices, and Google says the chip brings with it notable improvements to speech recognition and photography.
"Part of the goal is to show the very best that Google can offer," Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of Google's hardware division, said
in an interview with CNET's Rich Nieva
. "There is a big segment of the market that wants the latest, and we love building technology. So we're going to try to appeal to that part of the market, too."
In a photography demo described by
The Verge
, an otherwise-blurry photo of a moving toddler is fixed up by the Tensor chip by combining together details from multiple photos into a single image.
The Tensor chip is also described to have "data-center-level" speech recognition in a demo described by
Engadget
, in which the Pixel 6 can differentiate between dictating a message and commands such as "Send" or "Clear." All the while, the on-screen keyboard can be used to edit any typos or dictation errors as the microphone continues listening for the message.
A language demo described by
Gizmodo
shows the Pixel 6 line running a live translation of a French presentation into English, combining the existing Live Caption and Interpreter Mode.
Moving to the camera bar, the Pixel 6 Pro has three cameras, including a telephoto lens with a 4x optical zoom. The standard Pixel 6 won't have the telephoto lens. The exact megapixels were not disclosed by Google, but previous rumored specs put a 50-megapixel wide camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on both models. The telephoto lens on the Pro model is rumored to have a 48-megapixel lens. The rumored camera specs come from
a spec sheet published by Prosser
.
The Google Tensor chip's unveiling is a prominent part of the first official look at the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Design and colors: Google gives the Pixel 6 a makeover
Confirming
Prosser's renders
, the Pixel line has a new look for 2021. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will each be available in three colors, the former coming in pastel shades of green, red and black. The Pro takes on more metallic hues of black, gold and gray.
Engadget reports
that Google has not yet named these colors, but previous colors such as "Not Pink" and "Kinda Blue" may provide an idea as to what the marketing department ultimately chooses.
Moving to the front side of the phone, the Pixel 6 Pro will have a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3,200x1,440-pixel) display with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 6 will have a 6.4-inch FHD+ (2,400x1,080) display with a 90Hz refresh rate. A hole-punch style front-facing camera is centered up top, as opposed to the left side of the screen seen on the Pixel 5, and is rumored to have 12 megapixels on the Pixel 6 Pro and 8 megapixels on the standard Pixel 6.
Release date: Pixel 6 will probably be here in October
Based on speculation alone, we have a pretty good idea of when Google will release the Pixel 6. Google has unveiled a new Pixel phone in October every year since 2016, with the exception of last year's
Pixel 5
, which was
announced Sept. 30
. But 2020 was an exceptional year
for many reasons
, including
phone release schedules
.
Google's Pixel release dates usually follow a similarly predictable pattern, putting phones for sale within a week or two of being announced. Thus, we'd expect to see the Pixel 6 both unveiled and released within the month of October.
The
chip shortage
could throw a wrench in Google's plans, pushing the Pixel 6 release into November or later. But right now we'd put our money on October. Given the unpredictability of the
ongoing pandemic and the delta variant
, it remains unclear whether Google will announce its new smartphone at a live or virtual event.
A leaked render of Google's Pixel 6 smartphone.
Jon Prosser
Price: Pixel 6 could hit a premium price
Cost is another aspect of the Pixel 6 that we haven't heard many whispers about yet. Last year's
Pixel 5
made some compromises to get the launch price down to $699, making it more of a midrange phone than its predecessors, the
Pixel 3
and
Pixel 4
, which both launched at $799. It's likely that Google picks up where the Pixel 5 left off and keeps the price (and specs) in line with last year's offering.
The closest hint we have to a price range came from
The Verge's
interview with Osterloh, in which the Pixel 6 line is described as a "premium-priced product." For reference, the
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
goes for $1,200 (£1,149, AU$1,849).
More rumors: Selfie camera speculation and more
Earliest rumors about the Pixel 6's camera setup included speculation that
Google might upgrade to an under-display selfie camera
, but that won't be on the Pixel 6 as per the official reveal. However, since this rumor is based on a patent filed by Google that appeared not to have a visible front camera, maybe another phone will include it.
Speaking of the selfie camera,
9to5Google reported
some interesting implications in March, based on code examined in an upgrade to Google's camera app. Takeaways include a corroboration of the centered hole-punch theory (with a redesigned status bar that shifts the clock to the left), and support for 4K video.
A July report indicated that Google camera app code suggested a possible
5x zoom option in the Pixel 6
, which means its camera setup could include a periscope-style telephoto lens. If true, the Pixel 6's optical zoom capability would be on par with
Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra
.
We've also heard whispers about improved stabilization, with a
gimbal-like steady-cam mode
that would result in "big improvements in video." We saw what a
smartphone gimbal camera could do with last year's Vivo X50 Pro
, which CNET's Sareena Dayaram called "buttery smooth."
Finally, Google announced improvements to its software for "
a more accurate and inclusive camera
" that works better for a variety of skin tones. This upgrade includes adjustments to the phone's auto-white-balance algorithm.
CNET Mobile
Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET's mobile experts.
Below are all of the rumored Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro specs we've heard so far alongside confirmed details like the screen size and processor. In the meantime, here's how to decide between a
Pixel 5, Pixel 4 and Pixel 4XL
, the
Pixel 5 versus the Pixel 4A 5G
, and the
Pixel 5 versus the iPhone 11, Galaxy S20 FE and OnePlus 8
. Plus,
six reasons to buy a Pixel
and what we think of the
Pixel Buds A-Series
.
Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 XL rumored specs
Pixel 6
Pixel 6 Pro
Screen size
6.4-inch
6.7-inch
Display
FHD+ with 90Hz refresh rate
QHD+ with 120Hz refresh rate
Rear camera setup
50MP (wide) + 12MP (ultrawide)**
50MP (wide) + 48MP (tele) + 12MP (ultrawide)**
Front camera
8MP**
12MP**
Battery
4,614 mAh**
5,000 mAh**
Processor
Tensor
Tensor
RAM
8GB**
12GB**
Storage
128GB / 256GB**
128GB / 256GB / 512GB**
OS
Android 12
Android 12
**Specs still rumored.
