Google Pixel 6 Pro – Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with 50-Megapixel Camera and Wide-Angle Lens 256 GB – Stormy Black

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The haptics or vibrations that recreate a sense of touch for buttons and other interactions are really sharp and good compared with most Android competitors. Google didn't disclose the Pixel 6’s modem at its launch event, nor when we asked for additional details about it. After some research with Sascha Segan, PCMag's lead mobile analyst, we're confident the phone uses Samsung's Exynos 5123 modem.

Pixel 6 5G (256 GB Storage, 50 MP Camera) Google Pixel 6 5G (256 GB Storage, 50 MP Camera)

Google's new Calling Assistance features for 1-800 numbers—which includes a hold time estimate called Wait Time, and another feature called Direct My Call, which displays automated prompts on the display—were hit or miss. We tested the features with nearly a dozen different companies and it worked about two-thirds of the time. Two Cameras, Many Possibilities The camera bar has a 50MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultrawide lensBenchmarks were impressive but, again, not the best indicator of day-to-day performance. On Geekbench 5, a suite of tests that quantifies raw performance, the Pixel 6 easily beat similarly priced competitors. It scored 1,021 single-core (SC) and 2,813 multi-core (MC). For comparison, the Pixel 5a scored 680 SC and 1,952 MC, while the Galaxy A52 managed 645 SC and 1,945 MC on the same test. Android 12 and Future Support The phone was the first to launch with Android 12 out of the box, and there are plenty of new features to discover. Most of these upgrades are incremental or not too noticeable, but some are huge. The Pixel 6 also includes a 8-megapixel front-facing camera, in a punch-hole at the center-top of the display, which has an 84-degree field of view and f/2.0 aperture.

Pixel 6 Pro – Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with 50 Google Pixel 6 Pro – Unlocked Android 5G Smartphone with 50

So how does Tensor compete with the competition? Looking at the comparison, single-core speeds are matched with the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100, but Qualcomm and Samsung’s top-end mobile chipsets both outperform Google’s in regards to multi-core processing. The Apple A15 Bionic found inside the iPhone 13 is still top dog in both metrics. Whether that matters is another question: like the Samsung phones mentioned above, the Pixel 6 breezes through browsing, watching media, and other tasks, without a hitch. Those scores are also notably higher than that of the Google Pixel 5, which, with its Snapdragon 765G chipset, got a Geekbench 5 score of 1600. The Pixel 6 Pro is Google’s reinvigorated attempt to beat Apple and Samsung’s best smartphones, with powerful new cameras, custom chips and a standout design. The Pixel 6 Pro is the best phone Google has ever made. Whether that will be enough for it to be a hit remains to be seen. We tested the Pixel 6 on Verizon’s 5G network in Chicago and recorded admirable speeds, averaging 168Mbps down and 78Mbps up.While it's not surprising that the Google Pixel 6 takes great photos given how much its predecessors have been capable of, the Pixel line has been doing wonders with 12MP cameras for years – and we wondered what Google's new phone could do with its 50MP main camera and Tensor chipset. On the other hand, battery life isn’t the Pixel 6’s strong suit. Lasting just a bit longer than the Pixel 6 Pro, the regular model topped out at just 18hrs 34mins in our video-rundown test, which represents a stamina decrease of 19% compared to 2020’s Pixel 5 (22hrs 54mins). You’ll be charging the phone more often, which is a shame. Samsung’s second-generation 5G modem, the Exynos 5123, also appeared in the global version of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. It supports 800Hz mmWave connectivity and 200MHz of Sub-6 5G; as mentioned, the Verizon version of the Pixel 6 is the only model with mmWave antennae. It would be an understatement to say Steven Winkelman is obsessed with mobile technology. Since joining PCMag as a mobile analyst in 2019, he’s reviewed over 100 phones and tablets. Before that he covered mobile and wearable tech as a staff writer at Digital Trends.