Google Pixel 6 Pro review: The best flagship phone value
Our Verdict
Google has in one case once more reclaimed its Android photography crown and goes head-to-head with Apple'south best. The Pixel 6 Pro is a powerful and capable phone and Tensor, while somewhat moderate in benchmarks, has some seriously excellent applications.
For
- Incredible cameras
- Tensor performs well
- Beautiful new design
- More affordable than other flagships
Confronting
- Shorter battery life than competitors
- Finicky in-brandish fingerprint reader
Tom's Guide Verdict
Google has once more reclaimed its Android photography crown and goes head-to-caput with Apple's best. The Pixel 6 Pro is a powerful and capable phone and Tensor, while somewhat moderate in benchmarks, has some seriously excellent applications.
Pros
- +
Incredible cameras
- +
Tensor performs well
- +
Beautiful new design
- +
More than affordable than other flagships
Cons
- -
Shorter battery life than competitors
- -
Finicky in-display fingerprint reader
Pixel vi Pro: Specs
Cost: Starting at $899
Android version: 12
Display: six.71-inch OLED (3120 x 1440)
Refresh rate: 10-120Hz
CPU: Tensor
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Rear cameras: 50MP (f/1.85) main, 12MP (f/2.two) ultrawide, 48MP (f/three.five) telephoto with 4x optical zoom
Front photographic camera: 11MP (f/2.ii)
Video: Upwards to 4K lx fps (HDRnet)
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Battery life (hrs:min): seven:49 (Adaptive) / 7:55 (60Hz)
Charging: 23W wired (charger non included), 23W wireless (Pixel Stand), 12W Qi
Size: 6.5 x 3.0 x 0.4 inches
Weight: 7.4 ounces
Colors: Stormy Black, Cloudy White, Sorta Sunny
The Pixel half dozen Pro is hither and it represents a serious step forwards for Google. With upgraded cameras, a large 120Hz dynamic display, and the all-new Tensor fleck, this is a phone that means business. Better yet, it starts at just $899, beneath other flagship phones that toll $1,000 or more.
Tensor is especially exciting, since it offers huge possibilities for computational photography, on-device speech recognition and translation, and other nifty features. But the Pixel half dozen Pro struggles with battery life in our testing, clocking in well below other flagship handsets, despite its large five,000 mAh power pack.
If you don't need a 120Hz display or telephoto zoom, be certain to check out our Google Pixel vi review. The smaller telephone is more affordable with a starting price of $599, simply it nevertheless has the aforementioned Tensor chip and upgraded main photographic camera sensor.
But if you prefer a larger display and want one of the best phones for the coin period, the Pixel 6 Pro is a winner. As you'll run across in this total Pixel 6 Pro review, this flagship deserves to be considered right alongside the best from Apple and Samsung.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Cost and release date
Google has kept the Pixel 6 Pro's toll below those of young man flagship handsets. Starting at $899 for the 128GB model, the Pixel 6 Pro packs in a lot of hardware value on top of Google's excellent software design and back up. In fact, we recall pricing is i of the key areas where the Google Pixels beat the iPhone and Galaxy in 2021.
Announced Oct 19, the Pixel 6 Pro are bachelor as of Oct 28. You tin can grab yours from the Google Store or Google Fi, plus AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Xfinity Mobile. Beware that some of the carrier prices come up out college than Google's MSRP, which appears to be related to 5G capabilities (some Pixel six SKUs don't accept mmWave 5G, for example).
With the Pixel half dozen Pro comes the optional Pixel Pass, which starts at $45 per calendar month. This all-in-one program gives you a Pixel upgrade every two years, device protection, a 200GB Google One cloud subscription, YouTube Premium (including YouTube Music Premium), and Google Play Pass. On paper, it'due south quite the deal.
Bank check out the best Google Pixel vi deals right now to get the best discounts. The phones are proving to be very difficult to get a hold due to high demand, just we accept a breakdown on where to buy the Pixel 6 Pro.
If you lot determine to pick up the Pixel half dozen Pro, exist sure to protect it with one of the best Google Pixel 6 Pro cases. Our Pixel 6 starter guide can help you setup the phone and explore its many features.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Design
The biggest matter about the Pixel half-dozen Pro at first glance is the fresh, new design. Gone is the spartan, role-over-form Pixel language that we've had since 2016. The Pixel half-dozen Pro is a cute device with a curved display, a glass back with 3 nice color options, and the photographic camera bar that spans the width of the phone.
I'm of two minds well-nigh the camera bar. On the one hand, I like seeing Google attempt something new and unique in a body of water of glass and metallic slabs. On the other, I think it makes the Pixel 6 Pro look rather strange, for a lack of a amend discussion. It feels bad-mannered to me, especially since the whole thing juts out from the phone.
Overall, I really like the Pixel 6 Pro's feel and build quality. Information technology'southward solid and has a nice heft without beingness likewise heavy. The phone is overall narrower than the iPhone 13 Pro Max I've been using. While the six.vii-inch display is still too big to use i-handed, I think the Pixel 6 Pro is more comfy to concord than Apple tree's latest big telephone. The curved dorsum helps, too, versus Apple tree'due south squared off edges.
Ane thing I dislike nearly the hardware is the fingerprint sensor, and my colleague Roland Moore-Coyler agrees with me. No longer located on the back of the phone (which is where I prefer it to be), the Pixel 6 Pro sports an in-display fingerprint reader. Like the Galaxy S21 or OnePlus nine Pro, it'due south fine, only I've noticed that information technology's slower than the contest and information technology'due south very picky about where yous place your finger. Whereas I think the OnePlus ix Pro or Galaxy S21 are more forgiving, the Pixel 6 Pro seems to have a smaller reader area. Google is reportedly working on a prepare for the Pixel 6 range'south fingerprint problems, so nosotros'll run across if that improves matters. Nosotros may also see Face Unlock, a rumored feature for the Pixel six series, arrive afterwards via an update, for an alternative to fingerprint scanning.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Display
The Pixel vi Pro'southward display holds well against others for color saturation and color accuracy, only information technology falls backside on brightness. Information technology features a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate, meaning it can get all the way downward to 10Hz to save on battery, but ramp upwards to 120Hz for content where it makes sense.
Here's how the Pixel half-dozen Pro compares to its Milky way S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max rivals.
| Pixel vi Pro | iPhone xiii Pro Max | Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
| sRGB (%) | 104 | 110 | 111 |
| DCI-P3 (%) | 74 | 77 | 82 |
| Delta-East | 0.3 | 0.21 | 0.35 |
| Height effulgence (nits) | 842 | 1038 | 821 |
| Max with adaptive brightness disabled (nits) | 495 | 837 | 380 |
Equally you lot can run across, the Pixel half-dozen Pro holds upwardly very well in comparison to the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Milky way S21 Ultra, even getting brighter than the latter. All three phones are pretty equal when information technology comes to colour saturation, even if the iPhone 13 Pro Max has quite a lead on the Delta-E color accuracy score (where 0 is perfect).
Where I call up the Pixel 6 Pro's display falters a bit is on brightness. While it can go decently bright outside, it's not nearly as visible every bit the iPhone 13 Pro Max's ludicrously bright screen. Inside, the iPhone once once again inches ahead with a higher meridian brightness with adaptive brightness disabled. The Pixel 6 Pro doesn't struggle outdoors every bit much as previous Pixels have, just it'due south still a ways off from the iPhone xiii Pro Max.
In practice, the display is excellent for playing games like Genshin Impact or the grim Dorsum iv Blood or The Ascent on Xbox Game Pass. Watching movies and videos is also a great experience, with plenty saturation to brand scenes like the harsh orange tones in Blade Runner 2049 absolutely pop. This is certainly the best brandish I've ever seen on a Pixel. Fifty-fifty though the Pixel v'due south or Pixel 5a'southward screens weren't bad, the Pixel 6 Pro is certainly leaps and bounds ameliorate. The Pixel half dozen also benefits from specially optimized games which make utilize of its Game Dashboard feature to let you lot prioritize bombardment efficiency or graphical output.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Cameras
Now nosotros've come to the thing that defines a Pixel: the cameras. Google pioneered what was possible with computational photography and although other telephone makers have since caught up, Pixels regularly feature on our list of the all-time photographic camera phones. This year, the Pixel vi Pro ups the ante.
Google upgraded the hardware to complement the improved software algorithms and Tensor strengths. The master sensor is now 50MP, letting in 150% more than light according to Google. The 12MP ultrawide camera has a 114-degree field of view and the 48MP telephoto sports a 4x optical zoom thanks to its folded eyes. Overall, the Pixel 6 Pro can become up to a 20x digital zoom, with the AI-powered Super Res Zoom to help clean upwardly the final images.
Amongst the new AI features powered by the Tensor chip, the highlight is Magic Eraser. This is an incredible feat of applied science, letting y'all finer remove unwanted items from the background of your photos. It's obviously not perfect, simply the Pixel 6 Pro will automatically advise things to remove. Google says it works all-time on beaches and at parks.
Without further ado, here's how the Pixel 6 Pro stacks up to the likes of the iPhone xiii Pro Max, the current rex of our best photographic camera phones list. (For more on how the two phones compare, read our full Google Pixel half dozen Pro vs. iPhone xiii Pro Max comparison.)
In this photograph of the pumpkins, the differences between the two photos is slight, merely you tin can run into that the iPhone 13 Pro Max's picture looks a tad more saturated. Y'all tin see this in the scarecrow'due south shirt and background in those dejection and reds, plus the blood-red building in the back. The Pixel six Pro'south image almost looks washed out in comparison, just this comes down to differences in post-processing. I personally prefer the iPhone'southward picture hither.
Heading indoors to this produce stand up, the Pixel's shot is brighter and compensates better for the harsh lighting in a higher place. The iPhone warmed things upwards a bit too much in response to the absurd lighting, and the paradigm is overall dimmer than the Pixel's. I think Google's telephone wins here.
In this ultrawide landscape shot, the Pixel has a clear advantage when it comes to brightness. The scene looks more well-lit thanks to the sun off to the left. That said, the iPhone captures more of the landscape due to its wider field of view. The greenish tones to the water look a bit amend in the Pixel's epitome, just this is, as we've seen thus far, a very close race.
In these portraits of Mark Spoonauer, both phones took different approaches to the final images. The Pixel zoomed out a fleck while the iPhone brought things in a niggling closer to focus on Mark'due south face up. Both phones had to compensate for the direct sunlight on the subject and both did very well, even if the Pixel compensated amend in my opinion. The blur radii are very artistic, as well. I think either portrait is smashing, but I prefer the color tones in the Pixel's paradigm.
This comparing between the 2 phones' night modes certainly surprised me. Correct abroad, the Pixel'due south pic using Night Sight is brighter. The plant on the left is fully visible, as are the pumpkins and flowers in the foreground. The shadows remain deep, just they don't overpower annihilation else in the photograph, unlike the iPhone'south shot. That one is very dark, with the pinkish flowers on the left about invisible.
The two selfies are quite different. The Pixel's image has softer colors, but sharp focus on my face. Information technology does make my hair expect a bit darker than information technology actually is. Meanwhile, the iPhone's selfie is brighter, but my face looks a bit too smooth. The colors look off, though, with an overall yellow-green tinge to the final paradigm — the Pixel's colors are more natural.
For zoom comparisons, we brought out the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung went all out with zoom this year on its best phone. It can become all up the way upwards to 100x and features Zoom Lock, which uses AI to aid go on your photos steady. The Pixel half dozen Pro tops out at 20x, just sports Super Res Zoom. I decided to compare the Pixel'south 20x to the Milky way S21 Ultra's 20x.
Despite the blurred out license plate in the S21 Ultra'southward photo, both images expect similar until you lot really look at the groundwork. The Pixel's moving-picture show is a bit cleaner, while Samsung'south seems a tad blurry on that purple SUV. But all of the signage in either paradigm is clearly legible, including the chimney sweep and Aid Wanted ones. Again, I think the Pixel'due south prototype is cleaner than the Galaxy S21 Ultra'due south, simply it'due south a very close race. Samsung plain has the articulate advantage when information technology comes to max zoom, however.
Motion Mode, which includes Activity Pan and Long Exposure, is great for those long exposure shots to create artistic photos that perfectly express movement. Action Pan focuses on a moving subject and blurs the background, while Long Exposure adds blur to moving objects within the scene. You lot can see the former above, with Action Pan on and off as this blue SUV drives by.
Similarly, hither'south Long Exposure on and off. Information technology'southward a pretty cool and artistic event, every bit you tin can see in this photo of a running fountain.
Finally, I included a sample from the Pixel 6 Pro's astrophotography mode, grabbing a picture of the cute moon, and the ultrawide selfie cam. Both examples are in the gallery above.
Pixel half-dozen Pro review: Video
Video has also seen a boost cheers to Tensor. You can record HDR live in 4K, offering vivid and punchy videos — 4K video is as well available on the front-facing camera. Selfie recordings become sound improvements, too, with Speech Enhancement. Google says the Pixel half dozen Pro will better filter out groundwork noise to brand your voice come through clearly.
Pixels have ever taken fantabulous photos, but have historically struggled with video. That'due south inverse this yr, though I'chiliad non certain it's as good as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. There'south certainly no Cinematic manner on the Pixel six Pro, but that isn't really a bad thing.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Performance
We knew the Pixel 6 Pro's cameras would exist practiced, only driving that excellence is Tensor, Google Silicon'due south showtime-generation chip. It's built for AI and machine learning (ML) and you can see that evident in the computational photography. Only it besides lends itself to on-device oral communication recognition and translation and other AI-powered features like Live Transcribe and Live Translate.
Google flat out said that benchmarks alone don't tell Tensor's whole story, but we nevertheless have to await to them to draw comparisons to other devices like the Milky way S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Hither's how the Pixel 6 Pro, with its 12GB of RAM, stacks upwardly to its competition.
| Pixel 6 Pro | iPhone thirteen Pro Max | Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
| Geekbench five (single / multicore) | 1027 / 2760 | 1720 / 4549 | 1123 / 3440 |
| Geekbench ML TensorFlow Light (CPU / GPU / NPU) | 300 / 1376 / 1745 | 915 / 1587 / 2663 | Non tested |
| Adobe Premiere Rush (Mins:Secs) | 0:48 | 0:25 | 1:03 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited (Score / FPS) | 6682 / xl | 11,418 / 68 | 5739 / 34 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (Score / FPS) | 1832 / xi | 3075 / 18 | Non tested |
Overall, for a start-generation product, Tensor doesn't do too bad. Apple's A15 Bionic is still clearly superior and Google Silicon has a long way to go to catch up. But in most of the in a higher place tests, Tensor holds its own against the Snapdragon 888 (and its Adreno 660 GPU) in the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Of grade, yous tin see that Tensor performed the Adobe Premiere Rush test — where a telephone transcodes a 4K video to 1080p — faster than the Milky way S21 Ultra. It's even so slower than the iPhone 13 Pro Max, but it's certainly one of the all-time Android phones in this particular test. And surprisingly enough, the Pixel half dozen Pro outperformed the Galaxy S21 Ultra in the 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited gaming benchmark, netting six more frames per 2nd than Samsung's phone.
Nosotros started running the Geekbench ML TensorFlow Lite tests after the S21 Ultra came out, but Tensor is pretty cervix and neck with other Snapdragon 888 devices that take gone through those tests. For a chip designed specifically for AI/ML, I expected to encounter Tensor step actually far ahead of the Snapdragon 888 or keep up with the A15 Bionic. That said, no one expected this kickoff go to exist perfect.
Equally for 5G, the Pixel vi Pro uses an older Samsung 5123 modem. This piece of hardware is more equivalent to the Qualcomm X55 modem from 2020 that we saw in the Galaxy S20 and iPhone 12 models. Granted, few US carriers have full reward of the new X60 modem, simply at that place are efficiency gains over the X55 and Samsung 5123. In practise, this leads to 5G on the Pixel six Pro (and the Pixel 6) draining more battery than it probably ought to.
To run across how the Pixel 6 Pro stacks upwards with other phones, see our dedicated Pixel 6 benchmarks page.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Battery life and charging
The Pixel six Pro packs the biggest battery we've ever seen in a Pixel, clocking in at a huge 5,000 mAh. That's the aforementioned size as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and 500 mAh bigger than the OnePlus 9 Pro. Nosotros don't know the exact size of the iPhone xiii Pro Max's bombardment in milliamp-hours, but you tin't draw direct comparisons between Android and iPhone batteries anyway.
Nosotros practise know that all of the three in a higher place-mentioned phones last longer than x hours in the Tom'southward Guide bombardment life exam. This is where nosotros set a telephone to 150 nits of brightness and task it to endlessly reload web pages on a cellular connectedness until information technology kicks the bucket.
Here'southward how the Pixel 6 Pro fared against the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Galaxy S21 Ultra.
| Pixel 6 Pro (Adaptive / 60Hz) | iPhone 13 Pro Max | Galaxy S21 Ultra (Adaptive / 60Hz) | |
| Bombardment life (Hrs:Mins) | seven:49 / seven:55 | 12:16 | 10:07 / 11:25 |
| Recharge percentage (15 mins) | 20 | 19 | 31 |
| Recharge percentage (30 mins) | xl | xl | 56 |
I am, in a discussion, flabbergasted. The Pixel 6 Pro's incredibly poor battery life effect gives me pregnant pause. A phone with a 5,000 mAh battery should not provide something this bad. Even considering that Tensor is a beginning-generation product (with an older 5G modem), I expected far, far ameliorate.
To see how the Pixel 6 Pro compares with other flagship phones on endurance, run across our Pixel 6 bombardment life results page.
Anecdotally, I don't recollect the Pixel half dozen Pro'southward battery life is that bad. I took the phone out to the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. for a full twenty-four hour period of photography and navigating public transit, and so spent the evening getting product photos and playing some Xbox Game Pass at 100% brightness. I ended the day in the 35% battery range, which isn't awful considering how hard I pushed the phone. In the fourth dimension since, I've regularly finished the twenty-four hour period with more than than plenty life left to continue the battery anxiety away.
The Pixel 6 Pro was expected to get a charging upgrade over previous Pixels. Earlier, Google limited things to 18W, which was just style too slow. While it was suggested that the Pixel half-dozen Pro would offer 30W speeds, afforded by a new charging brick, it was later discovered this isn't the example.
Google has publicly admitted that the Pixel 6 Pro has a maximum power draw of 23W, which is only a pocket-size upgrade over the Pixel 5. Information technology's likewise the same speeds you'd go from the new Pixel Stand. Nevertheless it'south significantly more than the 12W speeds you can get from a standard Qi charger.
Honestly it's not a dandy wait, and Google should accept known better.
Pixel half dozen Pro review: Software and special features
The Pixel 6 Pro debuts with Android 12, which arrived for other supported Pixels on October 19. Although you go the same Bone-level features on whatever Pixel from the Pixel iii/3 XL and above, the Pixel 6 Pro is where Android 12 shines, particularly with the new Cloth You design linguistic communication and theming system.
Rumors leading upwardly to the Pixel 6 Pro suggested that we'd encounter longer support with the Pixel 6 series. While that'southward truthful in some respect — the telephone will receive five years of security patches — Google has only committed to iii years of Android updates at time of writing. Because that the visitor now owns the silicon powering the Pixel 6 Pro, I observe this to be in really bad gustatory modality. I expected platform updates rivaling that of Apple.
A full Android 12 review is outside the scope of this Pixel half dozen Pro review. Withal, there are several Pixel 6-specific features that Google highlighted in its keynote. The visitor is touting the security and privacy aspects of the Pixel 6 Pro, with many of those powered by Tensor and its security core, which includes the new Titan M2 security chip.
Google Assistant is getting a lot smarter and more helpful with the Pixel 6 Pro. For case, when you're voice typing, you can insert emojis using your phonation and upshot commands like "Clear," "Stop," and "Ship." I've never been large on voice texting, but the accuracy and convenience on the Pixel 6 Pro is unmatched right now. You might fifty-fifty consider me a convert.
The Live Translate feature lets you but point the camera at a sign in a strange linguistic communication and meet it translated. Or yous can tell Banana to be your interpreter and it volition translate what's said in real time. Google showed this off in an interview with Marie Kondo.
Google continues to lead the way on making phone calls more convenient. Non only is Call Screen still here — where you can make callers announce themselves before you lot selection up the phone — simply you tin can now get wait fourth dimension estimates and call carte transcriptions for those pesky options when you punch a business. Banana is the perfect telephone call companion now.
Google Assistant on the Pixel vi Pro too supports new quick phrases for things like "Stop" for an alarm or timer and "Reject" when getting incoming calls. And At a Glance tin can bear witness yous things on the domicile screen when yous need information technology, such every bit your airplane ticket, appointments, commute times and more.
Pixel six Pro review: Bug and updates
As you've just read, I really like the Pixel 6 Pro. Information technology's a great phone that does a lot of things right, just it's yet a Google device. That means that there are quality command issues. Pixel fans tend to be some of the most vocal Android users, then the level of reports might be skewed due to how often those people participate in give-and-take forums similar Reddit.
That said, the Pixel vi problems certainly deserve annotation and you can read about what we know so far. The latest issue impacts the ability of some Pixel 6 users in Europe to connect to cellular networks; Google says information technology's investigating the problem. It wouldn't exist a Google phone launch without a host of issues, then at least things stay consistent this year.
The latest Feb update has also stock-still a few issues. Namely, these problems were with the Bluetooth connections to sound devices, the keyboard roofing upwardly the input area and the camera app sometimes causing crashes.
Another consistency, admitting a much more positive ane, is Google'due south addition of extra features to its Pixel phones after launch. These "feature drops" add more than just the basic Android updates do, and come around four times a yr. However we've already had some updates outside of that to introduce a new Adaptive Sound setting for the phone's speakers and the reintroduction of the Google Fit app's heart and breathing charge per unit tracking seen on the terminal generation of Pixels.
Pixel 6 Pro review: Verdict
With an incredible camera assortment and the hope that Tensor provides, the Pixel 6 Pro is certainly a good pick for Android enthusiasts. Information technology has plenty ability for any task and information technology is a wonderful photographic camera phone. The best office is the price. At $899, the Pixel vi Pro is more than affordable than the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Milky way S21 Ultra and just equally capable in most areas.
In fact, the Pixel 6 Pro is compelling enough to convince me to switch back to Android from the iPhone 13 Pro Max I've been using. I like the curved brandish, I love the cameras, and all of the convenient Pixel features that I've come to adore over the years have gotten fifty-fifty meliorate — Phone call Screen solitary is plenty for me to recommend a Pixel to anyone.
From my own experience with the telephone, I can easily recommend the Pixel 6 Pro to anyone who'south looking for the best Android photographic camera experience. Platform-agnostics may nevertheless desire to look at the iPhone xiii Pro or iPhone 13 Pro Max, both of which are more than powerful than the Pixel 6 Pro. Simply when push comes to shove, Google'south new top-tier phone offers everything you could want in a handset without breaking the bank.
Nonetheless undecided? Encounter how the Pixel 6 compares to other flagship devices:
- Google Pixel 6 Pro vs. OnePlus 9 Pro
- Google Pixel 6 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/google-pixel-6-pro
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