Review: Google Pixel 6 Pro
After the initial hype surrounding Google’s answer to the iPhone – with the debut of the original Pixel, back in 2016 – subsequent releases, although competent, have failed to capture the attention of mainstream smartphone buyers and remain reserved for the tech-savvy Android fans already aware of the Pixel line’s particular strengths and standout selling points.
This year, however, Google is hoping to shake things up, with the latest and greatest entry in the Pixel lineage – the Pixel 6 Pro – sporting a feature set specifically engineered to position it as a direct competitor to the Pro Maxes and Ultras that occupy the top end of the smartphone market, all the while maintaining an approach that’s distinctly ‘Google’.
The ‘Pro’ suffix may already be commonplace in the smartphone space but this is the first time Google has applied it to a Pixel; with previous entries only ever really being separated by size – sporting an ‘XL’ on the end of their names. It’s the first indication that, despite some familial traits, this year’s Pro is meant to be seen as a different breed to the Pixels that have preceded it.
Google bills the Pixel 6 Pro as its first proper flagship phone, and while that seems unnecessarily disparaging to some of the line’s previous entries, you can see why the company might be throwing a little extra mustard on this particular release. It has upgraded the primary camera hardware for the first time in years, pushed the display tech to new heights and imbued both entries with its first own-brand SoC (system-on-chip), in Tensor.
DESIGN
The 6 Pro is the biggest, thickest, heaviest Pixel ever, and by quite some margin; sporting a squared silhouette and an industrial design that’s undeniably unique, it’s instantly recognizable, though it might struggle to find as broad appeal as some of its competitors.
It’s a strange mix of precision and elegance, offset by some jarring details. There’s a polished (partially recycled) aluminium alloy frame, sandwiched between a curved Gorilla Glass Victus front and curved Gorilla Glass 6 back – helping the phone feel thinner than it actually is in hand, while the top edge of the metal frame is interrupted by a strip of plastic that doesn’t quite colour match
