HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are a pair of Android
phablet A phablet (, ) is a mobile device combining or straddling the size formats of smartphones and tablets. The word is a blend word of ''phone'' and ''tablet''. The term was largely unused by the late 2010s, since average phone sizes eventually morph ...
smartphone A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s designed, developed, and marketed by
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
as part of the
Google Pixel Google Pixel is a brand of portable Consumer electronics, consumer electronic devices developed by Google that run either ChromeOS or the Pixel version of the Android (operating system), Android operating system. The main line of Pixel products ...
product line. They collectively serve as the successor to the Pixel 5. The phones were first previewed in August 2021, confirming reports that they would be powered by a custom
system-on-chip A system on a chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip. Typically, an SoC includes a central processing unit (CPU) with memory, input/output, and da ...
named Google Tensor. The cameras are housed in a horizontal bar on the back, while the front features a hole-punch display notch in the center. They shipped with
Android 12 Android 12 is the Android version history, twelfth major release and 19th version of Android (operating system), Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. The first beta was released on May 18, ...
, with Google announcing numerous
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
and ambient computing features during the phones' launch event. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were officially announced on October 19, 2021, at the Pixel Fall Launch event, and were released in the United States on October 28, following an extensive marketing campaign. They received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its Tensor chip, cameras, performance, design, and price, though the fingerprint sensor and battery life received mixed reactions. The phones became Google's fastest-selling Pixel devices, allowing the company to become the fifth-largest smartphone manufacturer in North America and the United Kingdom during the first quarter of 2022. They were succeeded by the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro in 2022.


History

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were previewed by
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
on August 2, 2021, confirming the phones' new designs and the introduction of its custom
Tensor In mathematics, a tensor is an algebraic object that describes a multilinear relationship between sets of algebraic objects associated with a vector space. Tensors may map between different objects such as vectors, scalars, and even other ...
system-on-chip A system on a chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip. Typically, an SoC includes a central processing unit (CPU) with memory, input/output, and da ...
(SoC). Previous Pixel devices had used
Qualcomm Snapdragon Snapdragon is a suite of system-on-chip (SoC) semiconductor products for mobile devices designed and marketed by Qualcomm, who often refers to these SoCs as "mobile platforms". They typically integrate central processing units (CPU) based o ...
chips, with Google having begun developing its own chips codenamed Whitechapel as early as April 2016. The devices were approved by the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) in September. Google officially announced the phones on October 19, 2021, at the Pixel Fall Launch event, and they became available in nine countries on October 28. The phones were manufactured by
Foxconn Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (), Trade name, doing business as Hon Hai Technology Group () in Taiwan, Foxconn Technology Group () in China, and Foxconn () internationally, is a Taiwanese multinational corporation, multinational electron ...
, and were originally intended to be produced in Vietnam before shifting back to China due to the
Chinese government The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...
's stringent border controls imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Google doubled the production of its phones compared to last year in attempt to boost its
market share Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a Market (economics), market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those ...
, manufacturing approximately seven million devices. The phones were not made available in India at launch due to supply chain issues. During the launch event, Google also announced the phones' official cases, which became available for pre-order on the same day with three color options for the Pixel 6 and four color options for the Pixel 6 Pro, as well as the second-generation Pixel Stand wireless charger, which went on sale on November 18 and began shipping on December 13. Pre-orders for the phones began on the same day as the announcement, with shipping commencing on October 25. The
Google Store Google Store is a hardware retail store operated by Google that sells Google Pixel devices, Google Nest products, Chromecast dongles, Fitbit devices, and accessories such as earbuds, phone cases, chargers, and keyboards. It also sold Nexus, ...
did not offer any discounts for the devices on Black Friday, a departure from prior years. In February 2022, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro became available in Italy and Spain in "limited quantities", with a limited launch in Singapore two weeks later.


Specifications


Design

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro both feature a unique design that is visually distinct from previous-generation Pixel phones, including a large camera bar and two-tone color scheme on the back. The front of both phones also feature a centered hole-punch display notch. They are each available in three colors:


Hardware

The Pixel 6 has a FHD+
1080p 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the sc ...
OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a type of light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is an organic compound film that emits light in respon ...
display at 411  ppi with a pixel resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, while the Pixel 6 Pro has a QHD+
1440p 1440p is a family of video display resolutions that have a resolution of 1440 pixels on one side. In a display with a landscape orientation, 1440p refers to the vertical resolution. The ''p'' stands for progressive scan, i.e. non-interlaced. The ...
LTPO OLED curved edges display at 512 ppi with a pixel resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Both displays have
HDR10+ HDR10+ is a High-dynamic-range video, high dynamic range (HDR) video technology that adds HDR dynamic metadata, dynamic metadata to HDR10 source files. The dynamic metadata are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the HDR video to the consume ...
support; the Pixel 6 has a 90 Hz refresh rate and the Pixel 6 Pro has a 120 Hz
variable refresh rate Variable refresh rate (VRR) refers to a dynamic display that can continuously and seamlessly change its refresh rate without user input. A display supporting a variable refresh rate usually supports a specific range of refresh rates (e.g. 30 Hertz ...
. Both phones contain a 50
megapixel In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a Raster graphics, raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, p ...
wide WIDE or Wide may refer to: * Wide (cricket), a type of illegal delivery to a batter *Wide and narrow data Wide and narrow (sometimes un-stacked and stacked, or wide and tall) are terms used to describe two different presentations for tabular data ...
rear camera and a 12 megapixel ultrawide rear camera, with the Pixel 6 Pro featuring an additional 48 megapixel 4× optical zoom
telephoto A telephoto lens, also known as telelens, is a specific type of a long-focus lens used in photography and cinematography, in which the physical length of the lens is shorter than the focal length. This is achieved by incorporating a special lens ...
rear camera. The front camera on the Pixel 6 contains an 8 megapixel wide lens, while the one on the Pixel 6 Pro contains an 11.1 megapixel ultrawide lens. The new Tensor chip also brought Live HDR+ to video as well as enhancements to the Night Sight and Super Res Zoom features on the devices. The Pixel 6 has a 4614 mAh battery, while the Pixel 6 Pro has a 5003 mAh battery. Both phones support fast charging, Qi wireless charging, as well as reverse wireless charging. The Pixel 6 is available in 128 or 256 GB of storage and 8 GB of
RAM Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...
, and the Pixel 6 Pro is available in 128, 256, or 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM. In addition to the Tensor chip, both phones are also equipped with the Titan M2 security module, which is based on the
RISC-V RISC-V (pronounced "risk-five") is an open standard instruction set architecture (ISA) based on established reduced instruction set computer (RISC) principles. The project commenced in 2010 at the University of California, Berkeley. It transfer ...
open standard An open standard is a standard that is openly accessible and usable by anyone. It is also a common prerequisite that open standards use an open license that provides for extensibility. Typically, anybody can participate in their development due to ...
, along with an under-display optical
fingerprint scanner Fingerprint scanners are a type of biometric security device that identify an individual by identifying the structure of their fingerprints. They are used in police stations, security industries, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Fingerpr ...
,
stereo speakers Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...
, and
Gorilla Glass Gorilla Glass is a brand of chemically strengthened glass developed and manufactured by Corning Inc. Currently in its ninth generation, it is designed to be thin, light, and damage-resistant. Its surface strength and crack-resistance are achieve ...
Victus. In April 2022, ''
9to5Google Seth Weintraub is an American journalist and engineer. Weintraub founded the 9to5 network of tech blogs: ''9to5Mac'', ''9to5Google'', ''9to5Toys'', ''DroneDJ'', and ''Electrek.'' Education In 1997, Weintraub earned a bachelor's degree in Indust ...
'' reported that the Pixel 6 Pro was originally planning to be launched with a Face Unlock
facial recognition Facial recognition or face recognition may refer to: *Face detection, often a step done before facial recognition *Face perception, the process by which the human brain understands and interprets the face *Pareidolia, which involves, in part, seein ...
feature, similar to that of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL's but solely relying on the phone's front camera rather than on Project Soli radar technology; the feature was canceled for unknown reasons shortly prior to the launch event.


Software

As with prior generations of the Pixel phone, Google placed heavy emphasis on
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
and ambient computing capabilities during the Pixel Fall Launch event, debuting features such as Magic Eraser, Face Unblur, Motion Mode, Real Tone, Direct My Call, Wait Times, and Live Translate. Additionally, Assistant voice typing and grammar correction serve as exclusive features on the Pixel 6 series, while Google Pay's digital car key feature launched first on the Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S21 in November.
Material You Material Design (codename Quantum Paper) is a design language developed by Google in 2014. Expanding on the "cards" UI that debuted in Google Now, Material Design uses more grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, and ...
, a more personalized variant of Google's
Material Design Material Design (codename Quantum Paper) is a design language developed by Google in 2014. Expanding on the "cards" UI that debuted in Google Now, Material Design uses more grid-based layouts, responsive animations and transitions, padding, an ...
design language A design language or design vocabulary is an overarching scheme or style that guides the design of a complement of products or architectural settings, creating a coherent design system for styling. Objectives Designers wishing to give their su ...
, was also a major focus in Google's marketing efforts. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro shipped with
Android 12 Android 12 is the Android version history, twelfth major release and 19th version of Android (operating system), Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. The first beta was released on May 18, ...
at launch, coinciding with the stable release of Android 12 on the
Android Open Source Project Android is an operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen-based mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android has historically been developed by ...
(AOSP), along with version 8.4 of the Google Camera app. It was originally set to receive three years of major OS upgrades and five years of security updates, but the former was later increased to five years, with support extending to 2026. Continuing the Pixel 5a's trend, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro did not come with unlimited photo storage in "high quality" on
Google Photos Google Photos is a photo sharing and Cloud storage, storage service developed by Google. It was announced in May 2015 and spun off from Google+, the company's former Social networking service, social network. Google Photos shares the 15 gigab ...
, being the second Pixel phone not to include the offer. Concurrently with the Pixel Fall Launch event, Android 12 became available on older Pixel phones, while the Security Hub and Privacy Dashboard were introduced. Google also announced Pixel Pass, a subscription bundle similar to
Apple One Apple One is a subscription which bundles a number of premium services provided by Apple Inc. into tiered packages, first offered in late 2020. The three tiers offered are Individual, Family, and Premier, with all three providing access to Appl ...
and Xbox All-Access which bundles the Pixel 6 series with
Google One Google One is a subscription service developed by Google that offers expanded cloud storage and is intended for the consumer market. Google One paid plans offer cloud storage starting at 30 gigabytes, up to a maximum of 30 terabytes, an ...
,
YouTube Premium YouTube Premium (formerly Music Key and YouTube Red) is a subscription service offered by the American video platform YouTube. The service provides ad-free access to content across the service, as well as access to premium YouTube Originals ...
, YouTube Music Premium,
Google Play Pass Google Play Pass is an app and video game subscription service by Google for Android devices. It was launched on September 23, 2019, in the United States. History Google Play Pass was launched on September 23, 2019 in the United States. In Jul ...
, and an
extended warranty An extended warranty, sometimes called a service agreement, a service contract, or a maintenance agreement, is a prolonged warranty offered to consumers in addition to the standard warranty on new items. The extended warranty may be offered by the ...
; the service was discontinued two years later, ahead of the launch of the .


Marketing

Google kickstarted the phones' marketing campaign early, beginning with online commercials, billboards in major cities, and magazine advertisements in September 2021. Pixel 6-themed potato chips were made available in Japan. Additionally, the company partnered with
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
, the
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, and
Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...
to promote the phones. Models of the phones were also available on display at the Google Store Chelsea in New York City prior to the launch event. Google CFO
Ruth Porat Ruth Porat (born 1957) is a British-American business executive who is the president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and its subsidiary Google, LLC and prior to that was the chief financial officer of the same companies from 2015 to 20 ...
had previously revealed during parent company
Alphabet An alphabet is a standard set of letter (alphabet), letters written to represent particular sounds in a spoken language. Specifically, letters largely correspond to phonemes as the smallest sound segments that can distinguish one word from a ...
's quarterly earnings investor call in August that the company was planning to substantially increase its marketing and sales expenses in anticipation for the phones' launch, while Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh declared their intention to "invest in marketing". In November 2021, it was announced that actor
Simu Liu Simu Liu ( ; ; born 19 April 1989) is a Canadian actor. He rose to prominence by starring as Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' (2021). Liu was born in Harbin and raised in Ontario. ...
, who portrays
Shang-Chi Zheng Shang-Chi,. also known as the Master of Kung Fu and Brother Hand, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin, debuting in ''Spec ...
in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU)
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...
, would serve as the Pixel 6's
brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...
in Canada, days after Liu shot a video as part of Google TV's "Watch with Me" marketing campaign. NBA athletes
Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo ( Adetokunbo; born December 6, 1994) is a Nigerian-Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His size, speed, and strength have earned him the nick ...
and
Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...
also serve as brand ambassadors for the phones in the U.S., with tennis player Leylah Fernandez doing the same in Canada. In February 2022, Google released a commercial titled "Seen on Pixel" which advertised the Pixel 6's Real Tone feature, ahead of its airing during
Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 NFL season, 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2021 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles ...
. It featured a then-unreleased song by
Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo (), is an American singer and rapper. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family at the age of ten. After college, she moved to Minn ...
entitled "If You Love Me". Directed by Joshua Kissi and created in collaboration with
advertising agency An advertising agency, often referred to as a creative agency or an ad agency, is a business dedicated to creating, planning, and handling advertising and sometimes other forms of promotion and marketing for its clients. An ad agency is generall ...
Gut Miami, the 60-second advertisement marked the company's first Pixel-related Super Bowl spot, and was noted by
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
as the only Super Bowl LVI commercial featuring
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
people. Other promotions include Pixel 6 socks and a Tensor sticker for "Pixel Superfans", as well as a Pixel 6-themed
tarot deck Tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play trick-taking card ...
for #TeamPixel members ahead of Christmas in 2021.


Reception


Critical response

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro received much attention prior to its launch. Ben Schoon of ''9to5Google'' highlighted the potential of the new Tensor chip, finding Google's premature reveal of the devices to be a "show of confidence" in the Pixel 6 series. Michael L. Hicks of '' Android Central'' believed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro could appeal to
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
users, urging Google to rethink its marketing strategy, while Sareena Dayaram of '' CNET'' opined that the phones were "more exciting" than
Apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...
's
iPhone 13 The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini (stylized as iPhone 13 mini) are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple. They are the fifteenth generation of iPhones, succeeding the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini. They were unveiled at an Apple Event in Apple ...
. Commentators also noted the increased anticipation of the Pixel 6 series in comparison to earlier generations of the Pixel smartphone line, attributing this to its early reveal as well as the announcement of the Tensor chip. Both phones received generally positive reviews following their release. Julian Chokkattu of ''
Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...
'' and Dan Seifert of ''
The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American Technology journalism, technology news website headquarters, headquartered in Lower Manhattan, New York City and operated by Vox Media. The website publishes news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, cons ...
'' praised their performance, cameras, and battery life, but criticized the speed of the fingerprint scanner and the large sizes of both models. On the contrary, Patrick Holland and Andrew Laxon of ''CNET'' took issue with the phones' battery life, though they both praised the phones' camera and design. Lanxon also highlighted the premium specifications of the Pixel 6 Pro, including the triple-camera setup, and believed it to be on par with the iPhone 13 and
Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...
's Galaxy S21. Similarly, Jacon Krol of CNN Underscored and Sam Rutherford of ''
Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' () is a design, technology, science, and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the sub-blogs ''io9'' and ''Earther'', which focus on pop ...
'' appreciated the phones' design and cameras, with Krol declaring them "the best Android phones you can buy", though Rutherford also noted the slow fingerprint sensor and lack of a
headphone jack A phone connector is a family of cylindrically-shaped electrical connectors primarily for analog audio signals. Invented in the late 19th century for tele''phone'' switchboards, the phone connector remains in use for interfacing wired a ...
. Philip Michaels and Jordan Palmer of '' Tom's Guide'' praised the phones' affordable pricing, the Tensor chip, and the debut of Android 12, but criticized the fingerprint scanner and battery life. Writing for ''
TechRadar ''TechRadar'' is an online technology publication owned by Future plc. It has editorial teams in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that provide news and reviews of tech products and gadgets. It was launched in 2008 and expanded t ...
'', David Lumb and James Peckham commended the phones' design, build, and cameras but found the battery life and storage subpar.
Marques Brownlee Marques Keith Brownlee (; ; born December 3, 1993), also known professionally as MKBHD, is an American YouTuber, influencer, and professional ultimate frisbee player, best known for his videos reviewing technology devices. , he has more tha ...
praised the phones' competitive pricing, selfie cameras, and software features, but also noted the slow fingerprint sensor and poor battery life.


Commercial reception

Google accommodated the increased interest for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro by signing partnership agreements with more than 45
wireless carriers A mobile network operator (MNO), also known as a mobile network provider, mobile network carrier, mobile , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, wireless operator, wireless telco, or cellular company, is a telecommunications provider of se ...
and retailers across nine countries. Shortly after the phones became available for pre-order, both the online Google Store and the Google Fi store suffered temporary outages. Google attributed delayed shipping times for the Pro model to unexpectedly high demand on the Google Store, with other carriers also facing shipping delays. In December 2021, a report indicated that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro experienced greater carrier sales numbers during its first month of availability in comparison to prior models, while smartphone accessory manufacturer Bellroy announced that its phone cases for the Pixel 6 series were its most popular products of all time. During Alphabet's quarterly earnings investor call in February 2022, Google and Alphabet CEO
Sundar Pichai Pichai Sundararajan (born June 10, 1972), better known as Sundar Pichai (pronounced: ), is an American business executive. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google. Pichai began his career as a mate ...
touted "record" sales numbers for the company's 2021 Pixel phones, especially the Pixel 6 series; however, a later study conducted by Counterpoint Research revealed that the Pixel line may have only experienced moderate year-over-year growth in comparison to the Pixel 5. In March, the
International Data Corporation International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is an American market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.'s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, market ...
(IDC) analyzed that the introduction of the Tensor chip on the Pixel 6 series had been a factor in allowing
MediaTek MediaTek Inc. (), sometimes informally abbreviated as MTK, is a Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company that designs and manufactures a range of semiconductor products, providing chips for wireless communications, high-definition television, h ...
to overtake Qualcomm as the most popular Android chip manufacturer in the U.S., though the latter disputed the report. Another report published by Counterpoint Research the same month revealed that Tensor made up approximately one to two percent of the high-end system-on-chip market. In April 2022, a report from
market research Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers. It involves understanding who they are and what they need. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining com ...
firm Wave7 claimed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro had experienced low carrier sales, with Google offering unusually high " kickbacks to salespeople" and
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
finding the most success with the phones. Pichai stated that the Pixel 6 series were the fastest-selling Pixel devices ever, with the company further revealing during the 2022
Google I/O Google I/O, or simply I/O, is an annual developer conference held by Google in Mountain View, California. The name "I/O" is taken from the number googol, with the "I" representing the first digit "1" in a googol and the "O" representing the s ...
keynote on May 11 that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro had been sold more than the Pixel 4 and Pixel 5 combined. Data from the IDC in October 2022 revealed that Google had sold approximately 3.75 million units of the Pixel 6 series globally by then. The Pixel 6 series was instrumental in allowing Google's smartphone market share in North America to increase by 380 percent during the first quarter of 2022, becoming the fifth-largest smartphone manufacturer in both North America and the United Kingdom for the first time; the next quarter, Pixel sales increased by 230 percent in North America, acquiring 2 percent of the smartphone market on the continent.


Future

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were succeeded by the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro in October 2022, with the phones first previewed during the 2022 I/O keynote. They were powered by the second-generation Tensor chip and shipped with
Android 13 Android 13 is the Android version history, thirteenth major release and the 20th version of Android (operating system), Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. It was released to the public and ...
. At I/O, Google also announced the Pixel 6a, a mid-range variant of the Pixel 6 series, which launched in July.


References


External links


Pixel 6
(archived)
Pixel 6 Pro
(archived)
Pixel Fall Launch
(archived) {{Google Pixel Android (operating system) devices Discontinued flagship smartphones Foxconn Google hardware Google Pixel Mobile phones introduced in 2021 Mobile phones with 4K video recording Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras