Google Pixel 6 cheat sheet: Everything you need to know

3 years ago 440

From blase camera enhancements to large artillery improvements to the game-changing Tensor chip, the Pixel 6 takes Google's flagship telephone to the adjacent level.

Google has yet unveiled its latest iteration of the Pixel telephone line, and this clip it's backmost to signifier with a existent flagship device. After taking a detour distant from flagship presumption with the Pixel 5 (including a lesser-powered CPU and aging camera sensor), Google learned from its misstep and earnestly upped its crippled with the newest mentation of the Pixel phone.

The Pixel 6 comes successful a Pro oregon modular model, some of which see a customized Google "Tensor" chip, which makes it 1 of the astir ambitious Android devices ever created. Both the Pro and modular mentation volition vessel with Android 12 and see the Tensor SoC, which leans heavy connected AI and instrumentality learning. The caller spot is susceptible of immoderate reasonably singular feats, specified arsenic automatically sharpening a blurry representation successful a photo, and enjoying astir instantaneous speech-to-text.

What are the Google Pixel 6's cardinal features?

Clearly the astir breathtaking constituent of the Pixel 6 is the Tensor SoC. This is the archetypal clip Google has gone with an in-house spot for the Pixel lineup and marks the archetypal measurement toward a genuinely singular Pixel experience.

The Tensor spot promises to vastly amended photo, video, search, text-to-speech and different features connected the device. A information of this spot is simply a mobile mentation of Google's Tensor Processing Units recovered successful Google's monolithic web of information centers. These TPUs grip analyzable instrumentality learning for unreality infrastructure, truthful the Pixel 6 earnestly ups the AI/ML crippled for a mobile device.

The Tensor spot includes the pursuing pieces:

TPU - main processing unit
ISP - Signal processor
CPU - 2x2x4
GPU - 20-core chip
Context hub - Ultra debased powerfulness engine

The caller Tensor spot brings to the Pixel an 80% CPU show betterment and a 370% GPU show improvement.

How does this work? Let's instrumentality the illustration of a photo. Instead of the Pixel taking a azygous changeable of a person, the Tensor spot allows it to seizure respective shots of the subject, astatine which constituent the spot volition observe the subject's face, and harvester each of the shots it's taken into a viable image. Google has been pulling disconnected specified feats for a portion now, but this is the archetypal clip the diagnostic has been added to an onboard mobile chip.

Other tasks the Tensor spot tin propulsion disconnected are real-time code translation betwixt 2 languages successful a video and adjacent the quality to edit connected your keyboard arsenic you talk (using code to text). The Tensor spot is besides 1 of the astir susceptible connected the marketplace astatine detecting earthy code patterns. The Pixel 6 has an on-board code designation exemplary for a vastly improved acquisition with tools similar Google Assistant. Speech to substance is present much close than ever. With the assistance of the Tensor chip, code to substance tin present admit words similar wide and nonstop arsenic commands, alternatively of words to beryllium added to text. This means typing with your dependable is present faster and much close than typing with your fingers.

With the assistance of the Tensor chip, the Pixel 6 telephone app volition adjacent springiness you an estimated hold clip earlier you spot a telephone to a business.

SEE: Top Android information tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

The Pixel 6 features a 6.4-inch afloat HD+ show with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Pixel Pro, connected the different hand, includes a 6.7-inch show with a 120 MHz refresh complaint portion astatine afloat QHD resolution. The refresh complaint tin beryllium scaled down to 10Hz to prevention artillery life.

On the display, you'll find a punch-hole camera that handles facial designation arsenic good arsenic an under-display fingerprint sensor, which means users volition person the enactment of either biometric feature.

The cameras connected some devices are a important measurement up from the Pixel 5. The modular variation volition athletics a 50MP lens, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 12MP selfie camera. The Pixel Pro, connected the different hand, volition see a modular 50MP lens, a 12MP ultrawide lens, a 48MP 4x telephoto lens and a 12MP 94-degree selfie camera. For superior photograph buffs (who privation much options to instrumentality the champion photos they can) the Pixel Pro volition beryllium the mode to go. But either way, the Pixel 6 volition person the Tensor spot to lend a helping hand.

A precise breathtaking diagnostic recovered successful the Pixel 6 photograph abilities is called Real Tone. With this feature, Google worked with starring representation experts to guarantee the cameras bash a amended occupation of taking close photos of radical of color. How this was achieved was by improving look detection, improving auto-exposure, focusing connected however the telephone handles achromatic equilibrium to forestall over-brightening of darker tegument tones and amended detection for antithetic types of earthy hair. Google Photos volition besides see Real Tone baked in.

Another diagnostic is called Motion Mode, which uses galore caller technologies to adhd question blur to a photograph that would different beryllium static.

SEE: How to ever instrumentality the cleanable photograph with a Pixel phone (TechRepublic)

Other camera improvements include:

4K solution for selfies
4K video seizure astatine 60 fps
The instrumentality of the "magic erasure" diagnostic (which allows you to easy erase items from a photo)
Face deblur option
Manual achromatic equilibrium adjustment
Pixel binning utilized to present 12.5MP images from a 50MP sensor for much flexibility
Double-tap to the backmost of the camera to automatically unfastened the camera for apps similar SnapChat.

Next up, we person the battery. The Pixel 6 volition see a 4,614 mAh battery, portion the Pixel 6 Pro volition person a larger 5,000 mAh battery. Granted the Pro mentation volition necessitate that other foodstuff to powerfulness the 120MHz display, but some devices should spell each time without a charge.

The cases of some devices are made of recycled aluminum to assistance lessen the c footprint from the manufacturing process. You tin besides commercialized successful your aged Pixel and Google volition marque definite it's responsibly recycled.

Of course, some devices volition vessel with Android 12, which takes the level to the adjacent level with Material You. Material You evolves the Android UI to beryllium much personalized and modern, adapting the colour palette to immoderate representation is utilized connected the location screen. Material You besides improves animations and gestures, and makes interacting with the UI acold much intuitive and elegant.

SEE: Android 12 cheat sheet: Everything you request to cognize (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Other features recovered successful Android 12 include:

A much playful fastener surface that uses dynamic lighting
A much intuitive Notification Shade
Quick Settings present includes Google Pay and Home Controls
Google Assistant tin beryllium invoked by long-pressing the powerfulness button
CPU clip has been reduced by 22% to marque the OS much performant
Privacy Dashboard is simply a centralized determination to negociate app permissions
An indicator appears successful the Notification Shade erstwhile an app is utilizing either the camera oregon the mic
Quick settings present see toggles to disable the mic and camera systemwide
Android Private Compute Core powers definite features (such arsenic Android Caption) and doesn't stock accusation with different apps oregon services
AVIF Image support
Clipboard work notification successful the Notification Shade
A caller transcoding furniture that makes it imaginable for apps that don't enactment High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) video compression to instrumentality vantage of this much-improved standard
App hibernation and pairing
Haptic audio
One Handed Mode for easier one-handed use

Full Specs

The afloat breakdown of specifications for each instrumentality looks similar this:

Pixel 6

OS: Android 12
CPU: Google "Tensor" and a Titan M2
Display: 6.4" FHD+ astatine 90Hz
RAM: 8GB/12GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB
Rear camera: 50MP Wide and 12MP Ultra wide
Front camera: 8MP
Battery: 4,614 mAh
Biometrics: Under-display fingerprint sensor and facial recognition
Charging: 30 W wired USB-C/21 W wireless via Pixel Stand
5G Sub6, mmWave (US)
Water resistance: IP68
Colors: Kinda Coral, Sorta Seafoam, Stormy Black
Dimensions: 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.2mm

Pixel 6 Pro

OS: Android 12
CPU: Google "Tensor" and a Titan M2
Display: 6.71" QHD+ astatine 120Hz
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
Rear camera: 50MP Wide, 48MP Telephoto, and 12MP Ultra wide
Front camera: 12MP
Battery: 5,000 mAh
Biometrics: Under-display fingerprint sensor and facial recognition
Charging: 30W wired, 23W wireless connected Pixel Stand
5G Sub6, mmWave (US)
Water resistance: IP68
Colors: Stormy Black, Sorta Sunny, Cloudy White
Dimensions: 163.9 x 75.8 x 8.9mm

How does the Pixel 6 comparison to the Pixel 5?

The Pixel 6 is worlds isolated from the Pixel 5. Google learned an important acquisition betwixt the Pixel 4 and 5 to recognize that artillery beingness had to beryllium vastly improved. Although the Pixel 4 included (at the time) a flagship processor, the artillery beingness was abysmal. The Pixel 5 fixed that problem, but astatine the outgo of an underpowered CPU, which led to longer photograph processing times. With the Pixel 6, some of those concerns are erased. Google has yet travel retired from nether the shadiness of the Pixel 4 and 5 to present all-day artillery beingness and flagship-level performance. In fact, Google claims the Tensor SoC volition beryllium 80% much almighty than the Pixel 5's Snapdragon 765.

SEE: Smartphones and mobile tech: More must-read coverage (TechRepublic connected Flipboard)

Google Pixel 6 price

The Pixel 6 modular is acceptable to merchantability for $599.00 and the Pixel 6 Pro for $899.00, which means you're getting 1 of the astir breathtaking flagship phones astatine prices Apple and Samsung cannot vie with.

Why should businesses and professionals attraction astir the Pixel 6?

It each boils down to wanting maximum powerfulness and all-day artillery beingness successful a mobile device. But the added improvements that volition travel from the AI-enhanced Tensor chip, arsenic good arsenic the superb 120MHz show of the Pixel 6 Pro, should person pros champing astatine the spot for this caller phone.

Add successful the caller information features (such arsenic the Privacy Dashboard recovered successful Android 12, arsenic good arsenic the improved Titan M2 information chip), and the Pixel 6 screams concern usage cases.

Any idiosyncratic who demands the highest-quality photos from the mobile telephone volition recognize wherefore this adjacent improvement of the Pixel telephone is important. If you beryllium connected a mobile instrumentality to drawback photos for your business, the Pixel 6 mightiness upwind up being the champion enactment connected the market.

When and wherever volition the Pixel 6 beryllium available?

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are present disposable for preorder from the Google Play Store. You tin acquisition either instrumentality for Verizon, Google Fi oregon an unlocked mentation that is designed to enactment with each large carriers. The devices volition beryllium connected store shelves October 28.

5G and Mobile Enterprise Newsletter

5G networks and devices, mobile security, distant support, and the latest astir phones, tablets, and apps are immoderate of the topics we'll cover. Delivered Tuesdays and Fridays