This year with Google’s new phones – the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro – I’m finding myself in a strange and unforeseen dilemma: I can’t decide which one to buy. Look, I get it. I’m in a privileged position of having both of these new phones in my hand and have spent the last week or so getting to know both of them in preparation for a full review. I know that in the grand scheme of things, this is a good problem to have and I’ve made that exact statement – “that’s a good problem to have” – a bunch of times over the years. But good or bad, a problem is still a problem, and problems need to be solved. And right now, I’m struggling to decide which of these great phones will be the one I ultimately buy.
Like I said, this isn’t our review and I’m not going to get into the weeds with specs and all that sort of stuff unless it helps to make my point in this video. We’re working towards a full review of these phones and I can tell you right off the bat that these are the best Pixel phones to date. Period. This isn’t about whether or not I’m going with a Pixel this year. Not at all. No, this is all about the surprising tug-of-war I’m having in my head about the very different experience of using Google’s two newest phones.
Starting out with the larger Pro
I started with the Pixel 6 Pro on day one because that’s just what I’ve always done. With every Pixel, I’ve used the XL without question every time. Honeslty, there’s never been a moment where I even considered buying a Pixel without XL appended to the end of the name. It’s what kept me from considering the Pixel 5 as my daily phone and what made me completely disinterested in even really testing the Pixel 4a at all – even though lots of people love both of those phones.
For me, a large phone is great for the stuff I do on a phone: reading, watching video, and gaming. A small screen inhibits all of those things in my opinion, so I’ve always gone for the larger screened version of any phone I’ve ever used if there was the option. So, without question, when the larger Pixel 6 Pro looked set to get an even larger 6.7-inch screen, I was all in. The bigger, the better, right?
Then I held this big boy and after a few hours with it, I wasn’t so sold on the whole ‘bigger is better’ thing any longer. I compared it to my trusty OnePlus 8T, my wife’s Pixel 4XL, and Gabriel’s OnePlus 9 Pro and realized it is taller and wider than every one of those already-big phones. This thing is a unit.
Now, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel amazing in the hand. That doesn’t mean it isn’t gorgeous and none of that means the experience of using it is bad. I just wasn’t ready for a phone so big that it made me reconsider what the my limit is on the max size of a phone. I’d have to say that – after using the Pixel 6 Pro for a few days – 6.7-inches might just be past the limit for me.
What makes a Pixel, a Pixel?
Then there’s the aesthetic. For me, Pixel phones have had a certain quality to them over the years. Industrial. Simple. Elegant? Not showy, gaudy or super high-end, that’s for sure. And though I’ve long told myself that I’d love to see something like a Samsung Galaxy or OnePlus Pixel, now that a phone in that class is here, I’m not totally convinced I wanted that at all.
It’s a strange thing, but the Pixel 6 Pro doesn’t feel like a Pixel at all to me. It feels far too…nice? Luxury? I don’t know how to explain it, but it doesn’t put off the standard Pixel vibes to me at all. Again, it is gorgeous and feels amazing in the hand, but there’s something that feels almost detached from the Google brand with it and, again, my initial reaction shocked me.
On to the smaller Pixel 6
After using the Pro for a few days, I made the move to the Pixel 6 and as soon as I picked it up, I felt the Google-y vibes I’m used to in a Pixel. It is still nice, well constructed, and attractive, but there’s just something a bit more Google-esque about that phone. The size is far more manageble, too, at 6.4-inches and there was just an immediate feeling of comfort to the entire experience.
The screen on the standard Pixel 6 is good, not exceptional, the speakers are good but not as good as the Pro, and the flat edges on the screen just feel more usable and utilitarian. Picking up the Pixel 6 felt like sliding into a pair of well-worn jeans. It was comfortable and it made me feel comfortable.
Sure, the camera system is not quite as good with the missing 4x telephoto lens and slightly degraded selfie shooter, but those things aren’t that big of a deal to me. After all, I like the $599 price tag and the feeling of walking around with a deal in my pocket is once again part of the overall Pixel experience. Part of the charm. After a weekend with the Pixel 6, it didn’t feel like I was even using a new phone at all. It felt broken in and safe. I was ready to declare that I was skipping the Pro, but I knew I had to give it one more shot to be fair.
Then, the return to Pro
So, I put my SIM back into the Pixel 6 Pro and was immediately melted by the screen. This screen is just…so…good you all. Then I started typing and realized how much I love the haptic motor on the Pro. Then I watched a video and remembered how much better the speakers are. Then I took a featured image photo for a post here on the website with the 4X telephoto lens to take advantage of that natural bokeh. Then I played some games on it. And I was right back to being confused all over again.
The Pixel 6 Pro is a stellar departure for Pixel phones. It’s not really Google-y at all, and now I’m starting to think that might be OK. New directions mean discomfort sometimes, and discomfort isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes it just means you get the chance to change, to adapt. And while I still haven’t come down on which phone I’ll end up with, I feel more comfortable looking at the Pixel 6 Pro in this sort of light.
It’s not trying to be like the Pixels that came before, and that’s OK. It’s a big, bombastic phone, and that’s OK, too. But with it’s stellar screen, great speakers, thumpy haptics, and pristine build quality, I’m starting to feel like maybe it’s time for me to change my mindset on what makes a Pixel a Pixel. If that’s you and you want the best hardware to enjoy Google’s Android experience on, the Pro is for you: assuming you can deal with the size.
But that’s the beauty of it this year. If those things aren’t that important to you and you really love the Google Pixel feel from year’s past, the Pixel 6 is there to meet you with open arms. Sure, it compromises a little here and there, but I can definitively tell you it is a fantastic phone and will be the right fit for a lot of people, especially at $599 starting price.
But I can’t make that decision for you. I can barely make it for myself at this point, but I hope that this video has helped you perhaps sort through the real-world differences I’ve come across in these phones that simply weren’t clear from spec sheets and press photos. These are two very different takes on the Pixel experience, and lucky for all us Pixel fans this year, both of them are pretty great.
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