price, release date, technical sheet, everything you need to know about the Google smartphone

The Google Pixel 6 takes over from a Pixel 5 which has raised a lot of debate. What awaits us with this new smartphone whose design promises to be innovative? Price, release date, technical sheet… Here’s everything we know about it.

Google’s strategy for its latest smartphones surprised us a few months ago. The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G were released almost at the same time, with fairly similar specs. And the Mountain View firm had chosen to equip its flagship, the Pixel 5, with a mid-range Snapdragon 765G SoC rather than a high-end chip. A reorientation aimed at reducing costs and therefore the price of the final product. Another strangeness, the Pixel 5 was not accompanied by an XL model equipped with a larger screen, as was the case for previous generations. We are therefore very curious to know what Google has in store for us this year with its Pixel 6. And there should still be some surprises with this upcoming model.

How much will the Google Pixel 6 cost?

For now, we do not know anything about the price of the Pixel 6. In France, the Pixel 5 was in any case displayed at the price of 629 euros when it is launched. A much more affordable price than 769 euros requested for the Pixel 4 a year ago.

Will Google continue to lower the bill in order to attract consumers? Probably not, the Mountain View firm can not really afford to further reduce the presence of its smartphones, or reduce its margins given its sales volumes. We should therefore stay on a price similar or slightly higher than the Pixel 5 for the Pixel 6. Google is probably not going to start again on a premium positioning while Samsung and Apple have recently made the gateway to the Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12 more affordable. .

When is the Google Pixel 6 released?

The Pixel 6’s release date is not a big mystery, with Google remaining very regular on its calendar. The main series Pixels still launch in early October, except for the latest Pixel 5 which officially premiered on September 30. It is very likely that the Pixel 6 will make its official appearance in the last days of September or at the beginning of the following month. Google would have chosen to present the Pixel 6 on September 30, 2021.

Design

For a long time, Pixels have been outdated smartphones from a design point of view: thickness of the borders, late transition to the notch or punch system, materials used … But Google has revised its copy with the latest iterations of the range and its smartphones are no longer outdated by one or two generations compared to the competition from this point of view. We feel that the takeover of part of HTC’s design division, and the acquisition of engineers and designers from the iconic manufacturer has paid off.

We hope that the Pixel 6 will be able to continue this good momentum and get even closer to what other brands offer in this price range. The Pixel 5 has a frame and back made of aluminum, with the presence of a plastic resin allowing compatibility with wireless charging. Google could make the same choice on the Pixel 6 in order to control its costs. Another option, more premium but also more expensive, would be the return of the glass back as we had on the Pixel 4.

The front camera should be integrated within a punch. It could on the other hand tilt from the upper left corner of the panel to the center of it, as on Samsung smartphones. It seems more and more likely that the Pixel 6 will finally be entitled to a fingerprint sensor under the screen. This is what the first photos that appeared on the web show. Note that next to the standard model, Google is preparing a Pixel 6 Pro with the same ultra original design. The photo block takes the form of a large, prominent band.

And speaking precisely of this atypical photo block, the TechDroider youtuber has managed to get his hands on two units of the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro. The opportunity to confirm the position of the punch selfie sensor in the center of the screen, while we can actually see this massive photo block on the back of two devices. As a reminder, the leaks mention a 50-megapixel main sensor, which is a major improvement over the 12-megapixel module of the Pixel 5.

Screen

According to the leaks, the Pixel 6 is covered with a 6.4-inch AMOLED display. For its part, the Pixel 6 Pro would have a 6.71-inch touchscreen. The image definition is beyond doubt: we will stay on Full HD + 1080p, more than enough for the expected diagonal of the Pixel 6 and which has the merit of not drawing too much on battery life. For the refresh rate, Google has switched to 90 Hz since the Pixel 4. Two years later, it would not be surprising that we are moving towards the 120 Hz, especially since it is rumored that Google would like to greatly improve the screen of the Pixel 6. The Pixel 6 would offer a 120 Hz FHD + OLED screen, against QHD + for the 6 Pro.

Performance and memory

We could have a big surprise on this side. It has been known for some time now that Google is working on its own chip to equip its devices. Sundar Pichai himself has confessed that the American group is in the process of making a big leap when it comes to hardware. Google also inadvertently confirmed the arrival of the SoC.

Google has teamed up with Samsung, a semiconductor giant with experience in smartphone chip design that has gained expertise over the years with its Exynos chips. These have equipped many models of the brand’s mobile phones, including its top-of-the-range Galaxy S and Note in Europe.

However, and according to our colleagues from the WCCFTech site, the Google Soc called WhiteChapel is based on the 5nm engraving process developed by Samsung with the Exynos 2100. This chipset would include two Cortex-A78 cores, two Cortex-A76 cores and three Cortex-A55 cores and a Mali-G78 GPU. However, we should rather expect performance close to that of the Snapdragon 870, a processor launched in January 2021 and engraved in 7 nm.

To compensate for this lack of power compared to the competition with the Snapdragon 888, Google would therefore bet on software optimizations based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Via this house chip doped with algorithms, Google would be able to promise 5 years of Android update.

The Pixel 6 is bound to be 5G compatible. As for memory, Google has gone from 6 GB to 8 GB of RAM from the Pixel to the Pixel 5 and should stay at those. 8 GB of RAM for the Pixel 6. Storage should start at 128 GB, with possibly a 256 GB configuration variant. The Pixel 6 Pro would have 12 GB of RAM. Finally, Google would offer the Ultra Wideband to its Pixel 6.

Autonomy, battery and recharging

The Pixel 6 is said to be powered by a 4,614mAh battery, while the Pro version will come with a 5,000mAh battery. But the battery capacity will not be the only one to determine the autonomy of the Pixel 6. If Google goes from a screen 90 Hz to 120 Hz, the consumption should increase, unless to set up an adaptive system of automatic variation of the frequency of refreshing like we expect one on the iPhone 13 Pro. The chip is also a key element that directs the energy consumption of the mobile, just like software optimizations. For both wired and wireless charging, do not expect a disproportionate power surge, Google is very careful in this regard.

Camera

The photo part is undoubtedly the one that has made the reputation of Pixel smartphones the most. They are known to be very good photophones, even if Google is not very generous in terms of hardware or number of sensors, thanks to the excellent software processing of the Mountain View firm.

If the Pixel 6 will necessarily be good in photos thanks to the software, we hope that Google will move up in hardware level, where the shoe pinches. The manufacturer has been recycling a dated photo module for three generations. Sony IMX363 12 MP. Yes, you read that correctly: the Pixel 5 has exactly the same sensor as the Pixel 3 released two years before it. With a better sensor, the photo quality should improve further.

The Pixel 5 got an ultra-wide-angle sensor, which should make a comeback on the Pixel 6. This feature has become almost essential these days. However, we have no information on a possible third camera to complete the camera configuration. The Pixel 4 was equipped with a telephoto lens allowing a 2x optical zoom, disappeared on the Pixel 5 in order to reduce the price. Google could offer it again in the event of a strategy to (re) move upmarket its smartphones.

Anyway according to the latest renderings available, it seems that the photo module will be particularly thick, so we can hope for a change. Limited to 1080p so far, the front camera could record in 4K quality on the Pixel 6. This is in any case what the source code of the APK of the Google Camera 8.2 application suggests.

Software

The Pixel 6 will release directly on Android 12, the next major mobile operating system update expected in late August or early September. This version brings many interface and design changes, it could be the most important evolution in the field in years. Settings, notification bar, always-on screen, lock screen, home screen: everything will happen with the Material NEXT UI. A theme system that adapts to the chosen wallpaper is also in the works.

A one-hand mode to more easily use the largest smartphones should also make its appearance. An addition that may make one think that the screen diagonal of the Pixel 6 will grow, or that a Pixel 6 XL is planned, but this is only a guess. An intelligent gaming mode will be there, as on many Android overlays already.

On the program, we should also find the following features:

For the first time, Google would guarantee 5 years of updates on its smartphones. With this extended software support, the Mountain View giant would approach Apple’s iPhone practices.