Google unveils Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro

There isn't much of a surprise design-wise with the Pixel 6 series. We've seen it months before, with Google teasing the devices themselves. But now, we have a better look at the phones, and we know what they can do. Possibly the most important thing is we now know how much they cost. 

Google Pixel 6's starting price is $799, while the Pixel 6 Pro starts at $1,179. They will be released in Canada beginning October 28. Both phones run on Google's new Tensor chip, which it claims is comparable to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in terms of performance. That processor is paired with 8GB of RAM on the Pixel 6 and 12GB on the 6 Pro.

For the first time in years, Google introduces a new camera setup for the Pixel 6. Both get a 50-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens. The Pixel 6 Pro gets an extra 48-megapixel telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom. Meanwhile, the front-facing camera on the Pixel 6 is an 8-megapixel sensor, and the one on the 6 Pro is an 11.1-megapixel camera. 

Another feature differentiating the phones is their displays. The Pixel 6 gets a 6.4-inch 1080p screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch 1440p display with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. Both displays are OLED with Gorilla Glass Victus protection and HDR support.

Battery capacity is also different at 4,614mAh for the Pixel 6 and 5,004mAh for the Pixel 6 Pro. They do support fast charging, but you won't get a power brick in the box.

Other features include wireless and reverse wireless charging, IP68 resistance rating, stereo speakers, and an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

Aside from the hardware, there are many software enhancements Google squeezed into their new phones, showing off how vital hardware and software integration is for a better experience.

Some of the improvements the tech giant focused on at the launch include camera and on-device transcription and translation.

For the camera, there are new features like Real Tone, which should do a better job at rendering different skin tones; Face Unblur, which can unblur fuzzy faces in pictures; Motion Mode, which lets you create long exposures and action shots without the help of a tripod; and Magic Erase, which can take out unwanted elements in your photo's background.

Google also announced a new partnership with Snapchat, which brings exclusive features to the Pixel 6. There's a new Quick Tap to Snap on the Pixel's lock screen, a camera-only version of Snapchat. There will be Snapchat Lenses from Google and live translation on the social media app.

The company also improved on-device language processing and live translation on these phones. You're expected to get more accurate speech-to-text transcriptions and real-time translating. The latter is even coming to text-entry fields.

Google Duplex's Hold For Me feature is expected to come to Canada soon, and that's been improved on this device. Along with features like getting the hold and projected wait times on customer service lines and seeing a transcribed version of options you get in automated calls, so you don't forget what number to select. 

On the security front, Google introduces a new Titan M2 security chip and promises five years of security updates for the Pixel 6 series. The phones get a new Security Hub and Privacy Dashboard, too.

It's unclear if we will see any of these software innovations on older Pixel phones.

Source: The Verge