The Pixel 6’s 6.4-inch OLED display is the biggest screen included on a Pixel phone, with the exception of the Pixel 6 Pro with its 6.7-inch screen, topping even the 6.3-inch Google Pixel 4 XL from 2019. The Google Pixel 6 was unveiled on October 19, 2021 alongside the Google Pixel 6 Pro, and each of these smartphones were released on October 25. There isn’t much that wasn’t already leaked about the Google Pixel 6 prior to launch, but here’s confirmation of one key fact. Somehow undercutting all of this year’s high-end flagship launches so far, the Pixel 6 is an absolute bargain with very few compromises. In the outdoor set, you can see straight away that the wide shot has darker shadows than the one from the main camera. Things are even hairier in the indoor set: that wide shot has the most noise of any photo I took during my testing, and the subject’s hand is blurrier than I would’ve expected.

Google Pixel 6 review: The best value Android phone in 2022? Google Pixel 6 review: The best value Android phone in 2022?

The Pixel 6 also gets a significant leg up when it comes to gaming. In the GFXBench onscreen Manhattan 3 test, the Pixel 6 achieved an average frame rate of 79fps, which, if you take a look at the graph below, is almost three times faster than last year’s phone. Blimey. According to Google, Tensor delivers “up to 80% more performance than Pixel 5”, which runs on a Snapdragon 765G. In typical Google fashion, the search giant says its AI features enable better performance across a slew of machine-learning-specific tasks. Still, Google’s AI photo magic applied to images from that jumbo camera sensor with artificially large pixels does make for excellent photos across just about every lighting condition. Excessively noisy low-light photos from the primary camera are a rarity, and in good light, a deft photographer could easily get frame-worthy photos out of this thing.The combination of 8GB of RAM and the Tensor chip saw the Pixel 6 achieve an average Geekbench 5 score of 2837 – which is just above the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 at 2801, and below the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus at 3034. Note that the Pixel 6 Pro didn’t score particularly higher at 2895, suggesting the Tensor chipset may not hit the performance levels of Snapdragon 888-powered phones.

Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro colours: Here are all your options Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro colours: Here are all your options

Like last year, the Pixel 6 has a dual rear camera setup, although this now consists of a 50MP main camera that captures 150% more light than before and a 12MP ultrawide camera. Note that the sensor on the main camera is a whopping 1/1.3in in size (bigger than the iPhone 13 Pro Max’s main camera sensor) and has pixels that are 1.2um wide. The OnePlus 9 is slightly older than the Pixel 6, but there's no OnePlus 10 (just a Pro model) so it's the closest OnePlus alternative. It's a similar price and has slightly more power, but its cameras aren't a match for the Pixel's. Boring isn’t bad though – not everyone wants a phone that stands out, and you still get a grey accent above the camera.It worked relatively well on the shot of the river above — the moving water has indeed been blurred. The leaves that overlap the water from the camera’s perspective were even preserved pretty well. But the second photo had people walking through the frame, and it sort of made them look like ghosts. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; real long exposures would behave the same way. But it’s something to look out for.

Pixel 6 Cases – CASETiFY Pixel 6 Cases – CASETiFY

The Full HD Plus 2400 x 1080 resolution here (so not QHD) equates to 441 pixels per inch, which is on a par with other phones around the price (and even with some pricier options such as the Samsung Galaxy S21).It isn’t just the hardware that’s seen a significant overhaul. The Pixel 6 also comes with Android 12, which brings with it a radically updated look and feel, courtesy of Google’s new “Material You” design language. On the other hand, battery life isn’t the Pixel 6’s strong suit. Lasting just a bit longer than the Pixel 6 Pro, the regular model topped out at just 18hrs 34mins in our video-rundown test, which represents a stamina decrease of 19% compared to 2020’s Pixel 5 (22hrs 54mins). You’ll be charging the phone more often, which is a shame.