Pixel 6 & 6 Pro Review - 6 Months Later

Review of the Google Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro after 6 months, how the cameras compare to the iPhone 13 and Samsung 21 Ultra, which Pixel you should choose, the Pixel 6 vs. Pixel 6 Pro, the price difference between the two, the software features that set the Pixel apart from other Android phones like call screen, hold for me, and Magic Eraser.

We also take a deep dive into Google’s new Tensor chip and how that enables better video image processing from the Pixel’s camera system, plus the new natural language processing model used in the Pixel’s speech dictation & suggestive typing features. Lastly we’ll take a look at how good Tensor’s performance is compared to previous pixels and if it makes a difference when it comes to the battery life on these phones.

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0:00 - Android 12 & Pixel Software
3:27 - Camera system & new features
6:32 - Speech dictation & external design
8:22 - Android Ecosystem & Downsides
11:07 - Recommendations
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Pixel 6 Pro & Pixel 4 XL phones seen in this video were supplied to the channel by Google. The channel purchased the Pixel 6 seen in this video.

Any Amazon links we provide in our descriptions are in conjunction with our Amazon partnership. The channel receives a small percentage of revenue from any sales generated by viewers clicking the links.

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[AlbertPatrick]

Call Screen is a must have that should be available on all phones. At this point Telemarketers just immediately hung up when Google's Call Screen kicks in. Satisfying.

[ianmansfield]

The speech recognition on this phone is noticeably better than anything I've ever used. It's a game changer for sure

[elwd]

I've had my 6 Pro since November last year and my experience with the hardware's been great. Even the fingerprint scanner is just fine in the right conditions. To me that translates to my hands not being dry which gets in the way of the scanner reading my fingerprint. When my hands aren't dry the fingerprint works great. Yes it's slower than a regular fingerprint scanner (Pixel 3 for example) but in my experience it's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. One more thing I noticed is that the scanner works more reliably if I don't use my fingertip but a lower part of the finger where the fingerprint swirl is.
Another point for me was the battery life. I came from a 3 year old Pixel 3 which by now had pretty terrible battery life so an improvement was easy to be had. However I noticed that disabling 5G and "Mobile Data Always Active" in developer options basically doubled my battery life to where I can without a problem squeeze 2 days out of my new Pixel. With every monthly patch I briefly tried enabling 5G but it didn't seem much better than it was which leaves me to believe that there's a hardware issue with the modem. I can live with it as 5G speeds in the Netherlands haven't been that big an upgrade for me. For now I'll keep it off and enjoy the fact that I can basically run my phone between 80% and 30% on a daily basis to keep battery degradation to a minimum.

As far as the software goes, it's been hit and miss in terms of fluidity in the first software builds. While it was completely usable and still an upgrade compared to my previous Pixel 3, it kept getting smoother as it got updated which made me realize there was improvements to be had. I haven't had any of the major bugs or issues that have been reported on the internet. I wonder if all those issues could be solved by wiping the phone and starting fresh without a full restore from an old phone/backup.

[disneyliaz]

I preordered the Phone right in the beginning and since, im a big fan of my Pixel 6. I love the camera, Material you (getting a new experience EVERY time you Change your wallpaper. The Speech Recognition ist amazing and i love to Call companies through the gimmecs it has. I was stunned of battery life in the beginning but it went down pretty soon. (About 7-8h Screen on time) I got used to the Clean Android Style (former Samsung User here) and the only Thing i have to critizise are the many bugs with the Software. Bugs in Keyboard, App Launcher, Games and sometimes even Lockscreen. Luckily this doesn't Happens a Lot. I Miss Face or Iris Unlock Feature i Had with Samsung & the Fingerprint got really fast with the march update.. Totally Worth the 600€

[mccannms]

I have read that facial recognition is coming. It hasn't shown as an update, but is said to be offered when you set up the phone from scratch.
Always enjoy your reviews. Keep up the great work.

[methodicalmayhem]

Thank you Josh Teder, for your comprehensive review of this product.

[randallhenderson]

Well organized and well delivered review. Thank you. I am enjoying my 6 pro.

[peterschmidt]

A couple of the features I'm really enjoying and using often is the magic eraser and translating audio. I can then send a dictation to a file and start editing quickly without the need to fully type something out. Much quicker than handwriting a note and having an app convert handwritten to type even with a few mistakes in-between. I can also take a note while I'm driving.

One thing you hit on was cases. I had a hell of time trying to find ANY case for a Pixel Pro and in the end had to settle for an actual Pixel case as Otter were just about out of stock of anything Pixel (completely out of Pro stock). The Pixel case is also a little too smooth and I'm always afraid it's going to slip out of my hand because of the size and weight.

I'm not finding any issues with the screen - probably because I put a screen protector on it so I'm not seeing any of issues you mentioned. But the adaptive brightness is a bit hit and miss, especially when in full sun. And the finger print recognition can be a bit hit and miss in full sun.

[rjspin]

I always appreciate your fairness in these reviews.Fantastic

[mravalik]

I have been an Apple user for the last 6 years, and have always boasted how Apple outperforms android smartphones, but, despite myself being a loyal Apple user, the user interface has become something so "normal" and nothing majorly new and exciting (that is until the iOS 16 update release).
Which, over the last few months I've noticed the Pixel 6 Pro and watching the reviews and usage, it is been incredibly convincing to make the switch just to make a change and have a new feel. Again, despite not being a huge fan of android, the Pixel 6 Pro looks like a entire game changer.

[hueything]

Exactly how I feel about my phone! Great review!

[nickhallowell]

I loved my pixel 2xl. I said I was never going to leave Google because I liked it so much. Had it from release until the 6 pro came out. The phone never slowed down until I pre-ordered the 6 pro

[koreyb]

The Google Voice screening options which are only available on Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were enough to make me jump to Pixel 6 Pro. I have been very pleased with it. I never have to deal with scam calls anymore at all. And every important phone call gets right through to me so I can finally not have to worry about answering my phone anymore. I mainly use my phone as a phone, and I need to be able to get important calls immediately and not get distracted by a bunch of scam calls.

[oscarcastro]

I have multiple phones due to work, so I managed to devise a personal test to determine the capability of the phone. Which is having a call, while using gps, while texting, swiping through apps to review some information (Chrome, Gmail, Calendar, Work Apps). I can tell it's pretty taxin since the phone usually gets warm/hot.

Suffice to say, iPhone executes this flawlessly, while on Android it always lagged, stutter or crashed. Surprisingly, the Pixel 6 executed this flawlessly. So it's a huge win for me.

Tensor is clearly capable.

[ericmarentette]

I got a Latercase made of Kevlar and I absolutely love it. Insanely thin, strong and light.

[donk.]

Good decent review style. I'm glad you showed the swype option. I can't understand why people want to go the slow route to type letters one at a time. I was going to ask if this can be done- Yes, you showed this, thank you.
I noticed that you didn't mention anything about the curved 'Pro' model. Have they stopped it? Or is it continued. It doesn't sound great, but you didn't say anything about it, and how the curve allows the rocking movement of the phone when someone is typing on the keys-screen -which I do.
Your thoughts on that curve , please ?
I always appreciate a Youtube channel that does answer intelligent viewer questions. I'm happy to subscribe to those kind of channels. Well done! Thank you...

[ligialepe]

Thank you for the update, I think I will buy soon my pixel.

[vec]

I've had the Pixel 6 Pro since December and I must say it's been a great phone, I've been fortunate to not have the bugs and problems other people had.i would highly recommend this phone

[michaelobrien]

I really appreciate this review and all of your other content - its some of my favorite to watch! 👍

As a customer it’s great to know how these products hold up in the long run, instead of just getting a first impression and hoping that the experience is still smooth down the road.

[crazyfun]

What keeps me coming back to Pixel is the cool features like call screening, hold for me, magic eraser, the great cameras and getting the android updates faster. I ordered a pixel 6 and waiting on it to arrive. Had it before all the updates and I’m hoping it fixed the battery drain and standby time issues. Because at this point, I’m burned out on iPhone because they keep going backwards in quality while raising the prices. Then Samsung is so way overpriced and has atrocious battery life/standby time with laggy animations. Ultimately I love the stock android experience and Google has a premium feeling flagship for $599. Making it a great deal.