Pre-Intro: this is an unedited draft. I will re-read, correct, edit and add pictures in one or 2 days. But since the main points are already there, I already wanted to make this available to people who are looking for info on this phone. Thanks!
I have been using the new Pixel phone from Google as my main unit since a few weeks now. I switched from a Samsung S20+ which, while still working very well, I hated using. This for two main reasons: its borderless screen which is more annoying than anything else, and its terrible fingerprint sensor. At 649 euros, with free headphones worth 300 euros, the Pixel was too much of a great deal to pass, so I plunged. In order to benefit from the headphone offer, I had to make the order before the end of the embargo on its reviews. It was a blind shot, how did it turn out? Let’s dive into it!
Overall looks, feel and quality
First things first: this is a large phone! With its 6.4 inch screen, it stands as tall as my Samsung S20+, which was already the large phone from the S20 line-up. It’s also a little bit thicker, as most modern phones tend to be, and is substantially heavier than my previous Samsung. Again, something that seems to be a trend with modern phones. If you like smaller phones, forget about Pixel phones all together. If you consider the Pixel 6 Pro, do think twice. At a personal level, the 6 is the extreme limite of what I’d accept fitting in my trouser pocket.
Ok it’s large, you got it. But how does it look? My very subjective answer is: great! I really love the design. While most of the phone breathes sturdiness, quality and durability, the small touch of fantasy with the faded green on the top of the back gives it some specific character few other phones can claim to have. I particularly enjoy the black plastic borders, as they look more « pro » and feel more durable than the silver plastic – and prone to scratches- borders of my S20+.
The phone feels great and, again, very sturdy in the hands, everything breathes quality and durability about it. Judging by its feels only, I have no doubt this hardware will survive the 5 years of security updates promised by Google – provided I don’t drop it from the back of a horse obviously!- It did take me some time to adapt to it though, more specifically to its added weight compared to my previous phone. It probably reads like a few tens of grams on paper, but did result in me dropping it back on the table a couple of times when picking it up in the beginning. The camera bump on the back helps with providing a good grip, which is overall excellent. The glass on the back isn’t slippery at all, and the plastic on the side feels grippy also. This being said, one has to be bonkers to use a phone without a proper protective case in this day and age, so I can’t recommend one enough.
Other small things to note is the absence of mini-jack connector, and the fact that all the phone’s buttons -on/off and volume toggle- are placed on its right side. I don’t mind at all, as they are well positioned. The camera bump protrudes quite a bit – somewhere between 1-2 mm- so again I’d be worried using it without a protective case just for this reason, scratching the camera lenses.
I’ll finish this part with the main downside I found with the design of this phone: the fact that it can host only one sim card. I feel like this is a missed opportunity from Google on a phone that is relatively large. For professionals, a second sim card means not having to carry two phones along all day long, which is great. Non professionals could have used the slot for a micro-SD card, like many Chinese manufacturers propose. Another, smaller downside is that given the design of the phone and its prominent camera bump, it’s practically impossible to take out of the pocket without holding the camera bump. This means users will have to remember cleaning their lens with some cloth (t-shirt power!) before shooting with it.
Screen
The screen on the Pixel 6 is awesome. I’m not going to pull out the specs here – too lazy-, but the important thing is that they are the same (minus the refresh rate) as with my previous S20+. And yet, I’m not sure how Google pulls it off, whether it’s better hardware or color settings, but it looks way more pleasing to the eye, and tires them less. I was surprised about this, as borderless screens are supposed to be more immersive, but I forgot all about my Samsung as soon as I got this babe in the hands. As mentioned before, it’s particularly easy on the eyes, especially in night mode, which is agressive (a good thing!) on this phone.
There is a usual notch in the top middle of the screen but it doesn’t bother as it’s covered in a black stripe when displaying multimedia content.
The refresh rate of 90hz is a good compromise between the 60 of my previous Samsung, and the 120 of today’s top-end devices. In everyday use, I do notice that 90 goes slightly faster than 60. It’s already so fast that seing the difference between 90 and 120 (which I use on my Ipad Pro) gets difficult, if not gimmicky.
There is a small bezel that goes all around the screen. While not being overly large, it’s there and noticeable. To me, it has the perfect width to avoid accidental screen taps without being too intrusive.
If you’re in the team that cares for all the whistles and bells that modern technology can provide (geek!), you should consider the Pro version instead. It has a screen with better resolution and a higher refresh rate… on paper. I’m sure that if put side by side, the difference will be noticeable. But in comfort of everyday use? Not for my use at least.
To conclude on this point, my advice for the screen – which is the main decisive factor between the Pixel 6 and the Pro versions- is as follows:
- If you do lots of multimedia stuff on your phone, such as viewing movies and playing high-res games, then maybe the Pro is worth considering for the extra comfort.
- If, like me, you’re using other devices (TV, iPad, computer) for most of your multimedia stuff, save yourself 300 Euros and go with the regular Pixel 6, its screen is gorgeous enough!
Addendum to the conclusion: why do I hate borderless screens so much?
- I have big hands that use big phones. Borderless screens make one-hand use more challenging, and accidental screen taps more regular.
- Borderless screens make phones more fragiles, as covers can’t protect the screen on all its length. Unless you go old school with a flip cover, most protections will just add small bumps at the top and lower part of the screen. If your phone falls on any mid section, its screen will be smashed good old style.
- These are lots of compromises, for and « added screen immersion » my eyes simply don’t see. So why bother?
Camera: General considerations on phone cameras, and this one
I don’t want to expand too much on this section as I have very strong thoughts about phone cameras at this price point. Doing mirror-less photography as a hobby (hello there, team Fuji!), I see the role and use of phone photography -point and shoot, on the spot family pictures or life scenes, etc…- but also its limitations.
Passed a certain threshold, nearly all phone cameras are able to deliver great pictures for social media and other daily uses; the Pixel 6 is no exception. It takes wonderful pictures without having to worry about any settings, just as an iPhone 12 or Samsung S21 would. It also shows its limitations in lower lights, just like any other phone sensor out there. So it’s a really nice camera phone capable of delivering awesome souvenirs and social media content. Just like most of its competition. Like other phone cameras, it’s also far less predictable than a regular camera: I like to say « it does what it likes », in the sense that most of the time I’m pleasantly surprised about the great render, and sometimes not so happy about it… Whichever scenario, without being able to explain why, because so much of this end result comes from AI rendering.
To cut things short, the Pixel 6 is as great a camera phone as an iPhone or Galaxy. But a regular camera will always provide with an added level of control – not to mention the larger sensors, accessible settings, etc…-. To each its role and place, the Pixel 6 fills his marvelously well. Be it on the regular lens or the wide angle, pictures are generally looking great, with good white and color balance.
To Pro, or not to Pro? Camera
My last point about the camera again comes to choosing between the Pixel 6 and the 6 pro. The main and wide angle sensors are the same on each phone, the difference coming from the added x4 optical zoom on the 6 Pro. to be honest, a 4x optical zoom can come very handy indeed… about 4 times per year! Most shots are well covered by the dual setup of the Pixel 6, and the 50 megapixel sensor allows for agressive cropping without losing resolution, which evens to zooming. Purists will disagree, saying cropping does NOT bring the same quality as optically zooming. To which I would agree, if we were not talking about tiny phone sensors that are meant to deliver small pictures used on social media mainly. If your dream is to take DSLR like pictures with the Pixel 6 in the first place… Dream on, Babe!
To resume things, I guess you got my point: unless you have a specific and regular use for a 4x zoom lens – like taking lots of wildlife photography or spying on your wife/neighbor-, this zoom option should not be a decisive factor in your choice of phone. Pick the regular 6!
Battery life
Life is Life… Lalaaaa Lalaaaa La
The Pixel 6 comes with a 4.500 ma battery, which is more than enough for its 6.4 screen and its Tensor chip. I’m a relatively heavy phone user, not just for my 4-5 hours of on screen time per day, but also because I use it as Bluetooth music streamer, listen to Podcasts with it under the shower, etc… I’m also a night owl, and sleep 3 to 4 hours per night. So there was no way I could make it through the day without charging my S20+ at some point of the evening. With the Pixel 6, I usually have between 20 and 30% battery life left when I go to bed. Quite a performance! I have seen a Youtube reviewer complaining about his Pixel 6 battery life, but can only guess he got a lemon. Mine is excellent!
Charging one step at a time…
About charging time, it’s definitely not the main selling factor of this phone. The adaptative charging function takes ages to charge, but that’s normal as is designed to save battery life expectancy. But regular charging also takes long, a little less than 2 hours, which is more than my previous S20+, and double the charging time of my OnePlus 6T! This being said, there are also reasons to this: once at 80%, the phone reduces its charging speed, again to protect the battery and ensure it lasts longer in time.
Prioritize durability or get out!
So Google made a compromise in our name here, deciding that we would prioritize a longer durability of our phone batteries to faster charging speed. This particularly as the battery capacity is good enough and shouldn’t require daily refills too often. And also as changing a phone battery isn’t an easy and costless experience in this day and age. While being arbitrary, it works very well with me, I adhere to the logic.
Everyday use
In this last section, I’ll mention in total random order a few other things worth pointing about this phone. Starting with the infamous:
Fingerprints with ink?
If you read this review, you read reviews. If you read reviews, you’ve read about the infamous fingerprint sensor on this phone. Here is my take on it. As mentioned in the introduction, I switched from my S20+ in part because of its terrible fingerprint sensor, which not only was unreliable, but also required uncomfortably strong presses to register a scan. The scanner on the Pixel 6 is ways better, and I mean it. First, it doesn’t require one to PRESS the screen to scan, a gentle tap is enough, and therefore much less finger-tiring. Hitch hikers will appreciate! Also, it’s ways more precise than on my S20. Yes, I do get a few misses every now and then, which is usually when I don’t press my finger straight on the screen. But it works 80% of the time. Would I prefer an ultra sensor that works 95% of the time like on the Samsung S21s? Sure! Would I want to pay an extra 200 Euros to get one? Nope… In the meantime, this fingerprint sensor is very useable to my taste and experience, but I do agree it could be better. About face unlock: never used it much before the pandemic, hardly ever use it since we all dress up as surgeons wearing masks every day. I don’t miss it, and accept the compromise to cut the costs and purchase price down.
Audio out
The Pixel 6 unfortunately took the majority lane and ditched the mini-jack port. The fact that I’m getting free Bose bluetooth headphones with the phone makes this pill easier to swallow. Those who didn’t jump onboard early enough to benefit from the offer, will have to do with some small in-ear plastic earbuds provided in the box. I like their built quality and feel, they must be great for Skype calls. Don’t expect any hi-fi listening experience from those, though.
In lieu of that mini-jack out, we get 4 glorious mini speakers, two located under the phone, and two located on top, under the screen. They sound surprisingly good, with little saturation even at highest volume. Still don’t expect to listen to music with them unless you want to annoy your neighbors in the train. But they are good for Skype calls, listening to podcasts in the shower, and other sanitation pur- poses. Miles ahead better than on my S20+, with which I couldn’t listen to a podcast hands-free. No effing way!
Android 12 and updates
Android 12 looks great, with many visual changes that please the eye and bring a sense of novelty. This being said, it’s exactly the same as the one that will gradually roll out on other Android phones, so I won’t expand on it.
Where I will expand on is the great guarantee that Google gives of 4 system updates (taking us to Android 16 at least) and 5 years of security updates with this device. This is an awesome and responsible move, as climate change issues make it necessary for us to revisit our consuming habits, in a more durable way. From the sturdiness of its hardware, the way it charges its battery to its software updates, it seems that Google spent a lot of time thinking about making their devices stand the test of time. Something I applaud, as at the same time other companies continue to have « one to two year lifetime » business and marketing models for their devices – hello there, dear Apple!-
Some specifics to Pixel phones
Let me mention the famous smart eraser… to say that I have never used it yet! Being into photography I find it gimmicky, but I’m sure it will be a fun feature to use for the majority of users out there.
The other thing I want to mention is the subtle yet effective efforts placed by Google into enhancing the one-hand handling capabilities of the device. Software tweaks allow to pull the menu bar down from the bottom of the screen (like Sam- sung did before already), there is also a specific search bar in the Apps menu that works like the search bar on an iPhone, something is very handy. But my favorite gimmick is being able to double-tap the back of the phone to launch the application switcher menu, something far more convenient than the dedicated on-screen gesture.
To conclude
You got it by now: I love my Pixel 6, and don’t regret my purchase at all. It does have some down-sides, like not being able to receive a second sim card or a fingerprint sensor which, while being good enough, could be much better. Yet the awesome build quality, look and feel, practicality of the phone balance this out well, particularly when placed back in its context: it’s a 640 euros phone, not a 1000+ Euros one like we see them too often nowadays! Even if it were, would I buy a S21 or S22+ over the Pixel 6? No, I prefer the stock Android version to the Samsung port, and the durability offered by Google with its Pixels. If money were no issue, would I buy an iPhone 13 over my Pixel 6? Of course I would, but just because I’m a marketing victim/jerk like the rest of us out there, and don’t claim to be better :p
My final words about the Pixel 6: if you have your eyes on it, get it, you won’t be disappointed. If you don’t know which model to chose, forget the Pro, get the 6, and buy presents to your kids with the saved 300 Euros. If you’re hesitant between an iPhone and the Pixel 6… Get the iPhone, it means you have the money/ budget to consider it, and with all the constant Apple marketing you won’t be able to get your head over it.
Voilà, that’s all for today folks, I hope this was helpful. Have a great one!
Small Toys for Grown Men 