Once I switched to an iPhone final 12 months, the Google Pixel sequence was in disarray. Its newest flagship on the time, the Pixel 5, was discontinued in lower than a 12 months, and aside from the mid-range Pixel 4a’s above-average figures, there was little for Google to hold on to. It appeared like the top of the highway for its premium smartphone lineup, leaving me with no choice however to leap ship. The newest Pixel 6, in some ways, represents a brand new line of telephones with a contemporary course and Google’s in-house chip, and for a second, it did seem to be Google has, in the end, hit a house run. Then got here the bugs.
The Pixel 6 was alleged to be Google’s {hardware} division’s knight in shining armor, and it had the elements to be one. It racked up rave critiques throughout the board, was priced moderately, and addressed nearly every little thing its predecessors had been criticized for. Heck, I even thought-about going again to it from the iPhone. Nonetheless, quickly after it started to ship to prospects, experiences emerged left and proper of the identical kind of bugs that proved to be the Achilles heel for earlier generations. Some had been auto-rejecting incoming calls, some had been ghost-calling contacts, others’ fingerprint scanners refused to work — the listing goes on.
The bugs paired with the Pixel’s current poor status for efficiency points hit gross sales. Carriers like Verizon struggled to get it off the cabinets regardless of beneficiant gross sales incentives. Certain, Google’s yearly gross sales are up, however that’s a low bar given the Pixel 5 was killed in months.
Since launch, although, Google has frequently launched updates to patch the Pixel 6 bugs, and many of the main ones appeared to have been mounted now. I’ve been utilizing the Google Pixel 6 for weeks to see how massive of a distinction these latest updates have made and whether or not what we initially discovered to be “the perfect Android worth ever” nonetheless holds up. Right here’s what I discovered.
Is the Google Pixel 6 now bug-free?
I’ll lower proper to the chase: the Pixel 6 is just not out of the woods simply but. Although Google has taken care of particular bugs just like the one which prevented house owners from calling 911, the Pixel 6 nonetheless suffers from what seem like customary first-gen silicon hiccups. The Pixel 6 is the primary cellphone to run Google’s customized Tensor processor, and the corporate is understanding the kinks because it goes.
In sensible phrases, meaning the Pixel 6 will grind to a halt about as soon as every week and wrestle even to carry out run-in-the-mill duties, comparable to multitasking between apps or recording a video, and your solely escape from this may be to reboot it. App crashes are extra common, and every single day, no less than one of many apps I actively depend on, like Twitter, abruptly quits.
What’s extra worrying, nevertheless, are the Pixel 6’s mobile troubles. The cellphone ceaselessly drops cell community connection, and the one approach so that you can inform the problem has struck once more is that if somebody you understand messages you that they’re unable to name you. It’s maybe probably the most important deal-breaker for the Pixel 6 in the mean time, particularly for somebody who depends on cell information greater than Wi-Fi. Once more, the short-term repair is simply to restart the cellphone or activate the airplane mode and toggle it again off.
In December, a Google Provider companies beta replace was mentioned to have patched the Pixel 6’s community issues, however that hasn’t been the case, no less than for me, and switching to the Android 13 beta doesn’t do the trick, both. The buggy expertise extends to some different features. Android Auto, for example, sometimes freezes on the Pixel 6. The Wi-Fi hotspot additionally typically refuses to activate till I reboot the cellphone.
It’s not unusable by any means. As we discovered within the overview, the Tensor octa-core processor is completely able to dealing with every little thing you throw at it, from multitasking between a number of apps to taking part in resource-intensive video games. Day-to-day duties like scrolling net pages are lots quick and are additional complemented by the graceful 90Hz show. Nonetheless, once in a while, the bugs kick in, and the Pixel 6 expertise falters. Rebooting doesn’t take quite a lot of seconds, however it’s nonetheless unacceptable on a premium cellphone.
One other controversial part of the Pixel 6 is its under-display fingerprint reader. Each patrons and critics have lamented the sensor for its inaccurate and sluggish response instances. Late final 12 months, Google rolled out an replace to “enhance” its efficiency and clarified that the sensor relied on a string of safety algorithms, which typically took longer than standard to confirm the biometric’s identification. The replace supposedly optimized these algorithms to course of your finger faster, and in my expertise, it’s confirmed efficient.
The Pixel 6’s fingerprint reader features decently now and positively doesn’t take as lengthy to authenticate because it used to. You do need to press on it firmer than different telephones, however it’s fairly on the spot when you construct the muscle reminiscence for it.
Battery for days
Battery life has been wonderful. The Pixel 6’s commendable 4,614mAh battery lasts simply a day and a half for me on heavy use. Switching on the always-on screensaver does knock off some hours, however you possibly can nonetheless get by way of a day with out reaching for the charger. It additionally fees a lot quicker over a wire or wirelessly than the iPhone 13 Professional. With a 30W adapter, you possibly can high it up utterly from 0 to 100 in about an hour.
Powerful and distinctive design
The Pixel 6’s dual-tone look and periscope-esque digicam setup itself are fantastic. It’s quintessentially Pixel and polarizing. Whereas I’m undecided if it’s my favourite Pixel, it actually turns heads. I’m additionally a fan of the funky colour choices and should you can, avoid the Stormy Black variant as a result of one, it’s boring, and two, it’s a fingerprint magnet and a nightmare to wash.
The entrance, nevertheless, is beautiful. The 6.4-inch OLED show dominates and goes practically edge-to-edge, barring only a tiny selfie digicam. At 1080p, it’s sharp, vivid, and vibrant for out of doors studying. Whether or not streaming motion pictures or scrolling by way of Twitter, the Pixel 6’s display doesn’t disappoint and makes coping with its dimension price it.
I’m but to return to phrases with the Pixel 6’s tall physique. For anybody coming from earlier Pixel fashions, its 6.4-inch display can be virtually inconceivable to deal with. Even after weeks, I’ve not been in a position to get comfy with it and dropped it from a 4-feet peak twice. The slippery glass again, which attracts smudges and fingerprints like something, doesn’t assist its trigger, and I’d advise you to stay it in a case. These drops did by chance enable me to check how sturdy is the Pixel 6. It got here out unscathed with nothing however a few minor scratches.
Finest Android haptic suggestions
I’ve been a Pixel person for the reason that first one got here out in 2016 and the one space the place it may by no means go toe-to-toe with Apple’s iPhone is the haptic motor. I’m glad to report the Pixel 6 modifications that. It comes geared up with a vibration motor that doesn’t really feel prefer it’s making an attempt to offer you a shock. Just like the iPhone, it’s delicate and nice, and typing on the Pixel’s digital keyboard with the haptics on is a pleasure.
Cameras are a combined bag
It wouldn’t be a Pixel with out unparalleled pictures talents, and the Pixel 6 is not any exception.
The Pixel 6’s 50-megapixel large sensor can shoot detailed and well-lit photos in virtually each lighting situation. Its HDR algorithms have solely gotten higher for the reason that lineup’s inception, and the cellphone does a superb job of balancing a scene’s shadows and highlights. The outcomes, subsequently, have a signature contrast-y look, in contrast to the iPhone’s vibrant photographs and Samsung’s saturated method. The wide-angle digicam, nevertheless, wants an improve. Although it produces first rate photographs, the sides typically are tender, lack element, and should not as refined as the primary digicam.
My largest criticism with the Pixel 6’s digicam is solely how lengthy it takes to course of and save photographs. Particularly once you swap to the evening mode, the Pixel 6 wants a number of seconds to seize, which within the case of transferring objects, can result in blurry and unusable outcomes. Its video-recording capabilities, although Google says at the moment are vastly improved, are one other letdown and are miles behind the iPhone. In movies shot on the Pixel 6, stabilization appears too synthetic, and colour processing is unnecessarily overblown and oversaturated. Sadly, it’s simply not on the identical stage as its competitors
Do you have to purchase the Pixel 6 in 2022?
The Pixel 6 is the cellphone Google’s premium line has at all times deserved. It’s obtained all the trimmings you’d count on from such a tool, and at $600 (which is normally discounted), it’s the perfect worth available on the market, interval. Google, in the end, is not off course by going all-in as a substitute of making an attempt to face out with new, experimental plans yearly and providing a top-of-the-line Android flagship expertise.
Nonetheless, the Pixel 6 continues to be a first-gen product, and at this level, particularly with the Pixel 7 (which could have a next-gen Tensor chip) across the nook, I’d recommend you await it should you can. However in case you want a cellphone at the moment and are getting a very good deal, the Pixel 6 received’t disappoint, and hopefully, Google will iron out the remaining bugs and stutters in subsequent updates.
