Google Pixel 6 / 6 Pro

Took me 3 hours refreshing the Google store page but I finally got a Pixel 6 Pro. Not that crazy about the design but it will be in a case anyway. I love the Google OS.

Anyone else buying one?

 

Not for $899. Picked up an OP 8 Pro instead for less with more RAM/storage.

https://www.techradar.com/news/the-...-pixel-6-and-iphone-13-away-this-black-friday

 

I was going to but man the price of flagship phones has become absurd.

 

For sure. I got $475 trade-in for my Note 20 Ultra so that helped.

 

congrats in advance! This is the best Android phone and has the best camera amongst any iPhone/Android (at least from the specs).

Tip: I miss the Google Photos app on my Pixel 5 that I had before, It isn't' the same when used on iOS, as in, the editing features are not the same. The Google Photos app has the best sharpen effect so I could take photos in the gym and look ripped as heck. When I do it on the iPhone it's not as good and the iPhone's Photos app has the same editing feature but they aren't as good.

 

Congrats on the purchase.
IMO, if buying Android, Pixel is the way to go.
The non "a" models are a bit overpriced on release, but they go on sales and that's when they are really worth it.

 

I'm excited to get it and see what the new AI is capable of. Supposed to be delivered by Oct 27 – 28.

 

Thanks, it will probably be half price Black Friday.

 

The Pixel 6 is supposed to get 5 years of updates so I don't think I'll be getting a new one anytime soon.

 

Yeah, I pre-ordered the P6 Pro as soon as the site would let me. I think $899 MSRP is a fair price for flagship hardware with $99 Pixel Buds A bundled. The S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max started out at $1,199 and $1,099 respectively.

I found the launch stream a bit underwhelming and non-technical. I had expected to finally learn more about Tensor and the cameras rather than just having previously leaked info officially confirmed. Instead, the important details are still under embargo.

I actually sorta like the design apart from this year's unimaginative colour selection, the back being glossy rather than matte, and the ugly mmWave plastic cutout.

While 5 years of security updates and Pixel feature drops delivered through Google Play is decent, only 3 years of Android OS upgrades guaranteed is a bit of a bummer. Google blamed Qualcomm for limiting devices to 3 years of updates in the past and the opportunity for long-term support with the introduction of their own SoC has been highlighted several times. Let's hope they go beyond their initial promise like they did with the OG Pixel.

Those few niggles aside, I'm happy to see Google is finally taking the usual kitchen sink flagship approach to hardware and marrying it with their software strengths. It's not really cutting edge the way Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Oppo can be, but it no longer feels like we have to compromise on hardware to get the software we want.

Edit: Nevermind. Five days later, Google cancelled my pre-order. The reason they provided was "We had to cancel your order because it doesn’t align with our Sales Terms." Not very specific, but I'm guessing it's because I'm not a US citizen. So I've gone from a firm October 28 shipping date to not being able to get the Pixel 6 Pro this year, which means availability is awfully close to the S22 Ultra and other major next-gen releases. I've been due for an upgrade for over a year, but that still gives me pause.

Edit 2: I knew shipping to P.O. boxes is usually blocked, but it turns out rerouting addresses in general are now blacklisted by many stores. That's what happened when my order from the Google Store got cancelled and the same thing would have happened if I'd ordered from Apple, Best Buy, or Target among others. The stock situation looks to be slightly better in the UK, where the Pro is also sold without mmWave <s>and its accompanying plastic cutout</s>. I placed another order which should ship on Monday.

Edit 3: I cancelled my order at clove.co.uk and ordered from sotel.de instead. Got my Pixel 6 Pro on November 9.

Initially, the curved display bothered me more than I thought it would and navigation by gestures in Android 12 felt alien. The curves bother me less now, but I still think it's the worst hardware decision Google made with the P6P. You get distortions even in dimly lit rooms and bright reflections under some ceiling lights. It also makes an already tall display seem even narrower.

The second bad decision is saving pennies on the ultra-wide camera, outfitting both Pixels with an old IMX386 sensor without auto-focus so that there's no macro mode.

The third bad decision is using an optical fingerprint scanner. In my mind, it offers no benefit over capacitive fingerprint sensors and probably costs more. The slower speed compared to ultrasonic fingerprint scanners doesn't really bother me, but it rejects my thumb far more frequently than the capacitive sensor on my Pixel 2 XL would reject my index finger. Also, the position is more awkward and the old trick of being able to pull down the notification shade using the scanner is gone.

Google needs to have confidence in the things they do well. Following the norm of other flagships isn't always what they should strive for. The Pixel 6 Pro is a sleek device that makes me think of the Note 20 Ultra, but it's far more anonymous than previous Google phones. I miss the contrasting power button colours and soft finish, although I appreciate a material that doesn't scratch as easily as the bio-resin they used before.

Pleasant surprises so far are the haptics and ergonomics. While I wish Google had copied Apple's matte textured glass, there are no sharp edges fatiguing your hand here. The weight and balance also feel spot on. While the camera visor divides opinions, I find it doesn't look as protruding in person, it's nice to rest your index finger against, and I generally find symmetrical camera arrays better-looking. Google and Huawei (sometimes) are the only ones with cameras that aren't pushed into a corner at the moment, I think.

The phone's UI is overall very fluid and responsive. The gestures are a nice alternative once I got used to them. Granted, I upgraded from a 4-year-old phone, so just about any flagship would have felt fast to me. I'm looking forward to seeing if Google will succeed in fully tailoring their camera algorithms to the new sensors so that consistency and HDR are at least as true-to-life as previous phones.

 

Oh, I thought it was 5 years of OS updates. That kinda sucks but I'll live with it. My buds are supposed to be delivered tomorrow. My phone delivery keeps jumping around to different days next week.

 

Well, Pixel 6 isn't available in India, I remember waiting for P4a from Google Official Store aka Flipkart and phone was out of stock within 2 mins. Finally got pissed off and ordered from Amazon India and had to pay 500$ to get my hands on P4a.
If it was released in India I'd choose Pixel 6 over Pro since I like smaller (not so much this time!) devices. Too bad Pixel/Google doesn't carry International Warranty and you might run into carrier problems sometimes. If Google skips India next time, my next phone will be a iphone 14.

 

Looking forward to reviews and user comments, if the photo\video dept. can live up to hopes and hypes, expectations of some revolution. And get info on manufacturing quality, screen, bugs, battery time, annoyances etc before dishing out $.

France, 6 is offered with Bose 700 (time limit). Quite a good deal.
https://www.darty.com/nav/achat/telephonie/telephone_mobile_seul/marque__google__GOOGL.html

 

I'm holding out for the much rumored Pixel Fold, I've got the Fold 2 now and there is no going back to my dad's rectangle. Uh uh. Not happening. No way.

I've had most of the Pixel devices as well as the Nexi (plural?) that came before so they had me at hello with the alleged fold, I really miss having root.

 

(from reddit) For the impatient :O)
Handling & presentation.


Basic pic test.

 

Took 6 iterations, seems Google nailed it this time.

Lots to read \ watch:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/qfgqk1/google_pixel_6_and_6_pro_review_megathread/

 

^^^ Macro, the tester in that video f****d it up. There are real examples of pixel macro shots in other tests.

edit: with 'macro' I refer to good close-ups using the zoom.
Iphone 13 does the better job with it's dedicated macro mode.

 

Getting excellent reviews, but now for the bad news: it's Google; once they do something right they sunset it and replace it with something you didn't want that doesn't work as well.

 

Seems they do not want to sell many :O) Available only in

Australia
Canada
France
Germany
Japan
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States

Am currently in one of those countries (work travels), checked a local shop nearby, only the 128 GB's. Want 256. Maybe good to wait, price drop, hidden bugs ironed out, some upgrades (unlock, battery time?). But no doubt here, this is the photo quality I want in a phone (for my little video needs, they are 10x good enough). A 6 will do fine, 6pro at a good price may do even better.

Generally, looks like they closed the gap vs most flagships, and at a very competitive price. This was not the case with the previous models, which gave (me) the impression (from reading tests & forums, no personal ownership) of some B-quality experimental device, just a good cam thrown into the mix.

 

Still waiting for my phone to ship. The buds shipped today and I was charged for them. They are supposed to be free with the phone. I guess I'll get it straightened out when I get my phone. I can no longer cancel it so I assume it is preparing for shipping. Still has delivery Oct. 28-29.

 

When I got my 4 XL it came with some random crap, don't even remember what know, just something to give away. The charged me for it though and didn't credit my account until I was past the return period. Might be the same thing playing out with your order.

 

I thought about getting one of these. $900 is a good price for a flagship phone, but that's a lot of money to me for something I'm not glued to.

 

My 6 Pro shipped today. Delivery Friday. Just waiting so see how much they charge. Some others have said they deducted the buds price from the final price of the phone. My case will be here tomorrow then I just have to wait on the charger which won't be here until Tuesday.

 

Can't remember a pixel having such solid reviews. Do give us your impressions if you don't mind; curious what a real world user thinks of it.

 

I will. You can see what some who have gotten theirs has said at XDA too. https://forum.xda-developers.com/f/google-pixel-6-pro.12313/

 

Magic eraser is awesome lol+++
https://twitter.com/RobDenBleyker/status/1453381258873085952?s=20
Waiting for delivery :O)
https://twitter.com/ReignsHavok/status/1453421523763666944?s=20

https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pixel6
https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pixel6Pro
https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixel/

As for my urge to spend money, 256 \ 512 versions nowhere to be seen locally, may never be available in some countries, so postponing ftm, surviving well with my trusty samsung note.

 

Great links. Lots of good info and great pictures.

 

They charged me the correct amount on the phone to allow for the free buds.

 

FedEx is so screwed up right now. My phone was supposed to arrive today. It doesn't even show it in my state yet. I've seen a lot of other people with the same problem. One person's phone was going to Boston and it ended up in Florida.

 

Finally! I've seen some people say it doesn't get bright enough. I have to disagree. Turn off adaptive brightness and turn brightness up, its very bright.

 

This is cool. You can see a live video of where you are and it will give you directions of which way to go while you're walking. Since I walk nowhere its useless but still cool.



its also very easy to take a screenshot of anything.

 

First Pixel?

 

Man, most people are already trash when trying navigate a map, this will make it even worse...

 

First one since a Pixel 3a XL. Did that have it too?

 

I had that one but I don't recall it having it, it's not on the 4xl either, I still have that one. I'm any event I was only inquiring in general; people new to Pixel's often aren't aware of some of the Goog stuff because it wasn't available on their S10 or whatever they had before. I would have tossed out a couple tips for features that might be of interest but you already know the lay of the land.

 

Among reported annoyances \ unpolished software etc: "call James" lol+++
(but many are happy with their device, seems there is a lottery ongoing. I'll wait for some 7)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/qnag79/some_pixel_6_phones_are_ghost_dialling_random/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/qnnbmn/pretty_sure_i_figured_out_whats_causing_the_pixel/

 

How good is Live Translate in practice?

 

I decided to return mine. Battery life is better on my Note 20 Ultra. Navigating in the OS is also easier to me. Google gave me a refund the next day. Maybe the Pixel 7.

 

Live translate works pretty well on the 4XL, I don't imagine it being worse on the 6. I use translate, live and not, extensively, so I'm saying this with some basis. The hardest part is getting the person you want to initiate a session with understanding what it is you wish to do: young people are a better bet in that regard.

About battery life and screen brightness: Pixel devices usually see substantially better battery life after a few weeks and the screen brightness in regards to auto-brightness greatly improves over the same period. In the case of the latter you can't get the maximum screen brightness in manual; it is only accessible to the auto brightness mode unless you root and change the behavior.

Both of these are controlled by Goog's fancy whiz-bang algorithms; I've never seen them explained in terms of how they work or why they take so long to figure it out. The auto-brightness must be trained; you leave it in auto and adjust it up or down every time you don't like the chosen level. Eventually it learns but it's remarkably stubborn and you've got to keep at it until it works the way you want.

 

OK, put another way - what's special about the much-touted Android 12 live translate?

 

With my 4XL it can use offline translation and do so "live" with downloaded languages and real time but only out of translate itself; the new behavior and capabilities are explained pretty well in the link below. Can't speak to how well it all works as I won't be in until the fold releases.

Https://9to5google.com/2021/10/19/pixel-6-live-translate/

 

I ordered a Pro at the beginning of the month, but upon reflection, it seemed like a lot of money, so I canceled, Upon further reflection, the Six seemed like a better value, particularly after getting the Best Buy price match, so I bought it again. It shipped last Tuesday. It was kind of annoying that I paid $600 for a phone and got ground shipping. It was supposed to get it Monday, but for some reason Friday, it just stopped making any progress in some small town I'd never knew existed. I"m not sure if the truck broke down or something else, but when I checked last night, it hadn't budged. I figured I wouldn't see it until next week at the earliest, so I was pleased to see when I got home today and the phone had been delivered, on Thanksgiving no less. I felt bad for the driver, but perhaps they wanted the extra cash with Christmas coming. Hats off to FedEx for coming through.

I plugged in my sim and was pleasantly surprised to see I have 5G, given that I live in a small town that's almost a hour away from another town with more than 5,000 people, though I do live about 1.5 miles from the freeway. I can't speak for anyone else, but my fingerprint reader works great. My main reasons for buying were a better screen, which was a low bar as I have a Motorola, and though my phone is only 2.5 years old, I can't recall getting an update in the last year. The Pixel should solve this problem for the next five years. For now, I'm just installing apps.