The leaked season of Google Pixel 6 has finally arrived. While we expected Google to announce or tease its in-house Whitechapel chipset as the keynote speaker for Google I / O 2021, it did not. From in-house Google chipsets to radical design leaks, the Pixel 6 Series is shaping up to be the company’s biggest flagship release since the days of the Nexus. In this article, we have listed everything we know about the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro before the official announcement.
Google Pixel 6: Everything We Know So Far
Like every year, the leaks and rumors so far indicate that Google will launch two variants of the Pixel 6: Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Interestingly, Google may be looking to replace its XL moniker with a Pro brand starting with the Pixel 6 series. That said. This, let’s look at the details of Google’s flagship Pixel smartphones for 2021.
Google Pixel 6 Release Date
Google has not yet officially announced the release date for the Pixel 6 series. However, given the past history of the Pixel launch, we can expect the company to introduce the Pixel 6 series in early October this year.
Unlike some brands, which announce products months before commercial availability (looking at you, Sony), Google generally brings the announced smartphone to market within two weeks. If all goes according to plan, the Pixel 6 series should be available to pre-order immediately after the launch event. However, there are also rumors that if the chip shortage continues into the second half of 2021, the availability of the device may increase in November.
Google Pixel 6 Price in India
With that, we can expect the Google Pixel 6 to start at $699 (Rs 50,843) and the Pixel 6 Pro model will be priced around $999 (Rs 72,665), beating out Android flagships from Samsung, OnePlus and Xiaomi. If a new price is leaked from a trusted source, we will update this post, so stay tuned with us for more information.
Google Pixel 6 Specifications
Pixel 6 Design
As you may have seen in a recent leak, the Google Pixel 6 lineup will bring a massive change when it comes to the overall hardware design aesthetics. Moving away from the standard design that Google has been using for years, the company will opt for a modern design that includes a curved screen and a thick camera bar. The camera bar, which runs along the entire horizontal length of the rear panel, is reminiscent of the Nexus 6P camera glass housing.
Turning our attention to the front, the Pixel 6 series will feature a full-screen bezel-less display with a focused punch-hole selfie camera. Leaked renders also point to the presence of an under-display fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6. This will be the first time that the Pixel smartphone will have an under-display fingerprint sensor, which will replace the long-running rear-mounted physical sensor. Android 12 now basically supports under-display fingerprint scanners, as demonstrated by XDA’s Mishal Rahman.
Apart from the color combinations we have seen in the leaked renders, the Pixel 6 may also come in a green variant. You can take a look at the alleged renders of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro above, courtesy of reputable tipster Onleaks.
Pixel 6 Display
Google Pixel 6 is rumored to have a flat display, while according to alleged renders for upcoming variants, the Pro variant is likely to have a curved display. While you can expect a 6.4-inch display on the Pixel 6, the Pixel 6 Pro is likely to have a larger 6.67-inch display. In addition, as tipster Max Weinbach stated in the podcast, the Pixel 6 can have a 120Hz full-HD display and the Pixel 6 Pro can have a 120Hz quad-HD display. Both these models will be AMOLED panels, and we’ve already talked about the under-display camera above.
Pixel 6 Processor: Whitechapel Chip
Last year, with the launch of Pixel 5, Google took a break from the premium flagship segment. The Pixel 5 was launched with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset – similar to the Pixel 4a 5G and OnePlus Nord. However, the Mountain View giant is keen to make a comeback in the flagship segment with the Pixel 6 Series.
If we follow the rumors, the Pixel 6 series will be powered by Google’s in-house processor, codenamed Whitechapel. Yes, Google will abandon Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset in favor of its own custom chipset. We have been hearing rumors of this processor since April 2020. To recall, the chipset will use Samsung’s 5nm LPE process and will feature a custom NPU (neural processing unit to handle AI tasks) and ISP (image signal processor).
According to Android Police’s Max Weinbach, Google’s whitechapel processor would sit between the Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 888 in terms of performance. This means that the Snapdragon 870 equivalent of Whitechapel may be the Snapdragon 870. You also get mmwave 5G support here, possibly in select areas. It is also up in the air that the Pixel 6 lineup can support ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity.
Pixel 6 Cameras
The Pixel is already known as one of the best camera phones on the market. And with the Pixel 6 series, Google is finally looking to take the game forward. The company may end its obsession with the 12.2MP Sony IMX363 sensor, which it has been using since the launch of Pixel 3 in 2018. According to OnLeaks, the Pixel 6 Pro will include three rear cameras and the vanilla Pixel 6. Agreement with dual-camera setup.
The Pixel 6 Pro will probably have a primary wide-angle camera, a periscope-cum-telephoto lens, and a third sensor with LED flash. A sketchy rumor indicates that the Pixel 6 Pro may offer a 50MP primary camera (as opposed to the current 12.2MP sensor) with an 8MP periscope lens with 5x optical zoom and an ultra-wide-angle lens. We have no word on the megapixel number of the selfie camera that will remain in the punch-hole cutout on the front.
Google has long been betting on its software progress to deliver a flagship-grade camera experience. While this strategy has worked well for the Pixel series so far, we can see serious improvements in the Pixel 6 series. This is especially true now that the hardware is likely to receive a significant spec bump.
Pixel 6 Software: Android 12 with Material You Design
Needless to say that Google Pixel 6 Series will be one of the first smartphones to be shipped with Android 12 out of the box. Earlier this month, Google unveiled a number of design changes to Android 12, and we’ll see all of them in action on the Pixel 6. Some of these include a new notification shade, privacy dashboard, one-hand mode and wallpaper-based themes. If you missed the system, you can check out our coverage on the best Android 12 features to learn more about Google’s approach to Android.
The wallpaper-based theme system, called Material You Design, will be one of the major attractions of the Pixel 6 series, when it launches later this year in October. By dragging the color from your wallpaper, Google will tap it on almost every UI element in Android 12. It includes a lockscreen clock, quick settings and home screen icons, supported apps, widgets, and more. You will inevitably be able to experience a new theme every time you change your wallpaper.
Will Google Pixel 6 Launch in India?
Come to the most important question – will Google Pixel 6 come to India? When Google dropped the launch of Pixel 4 in India, it was due to the Soli radar chip. On the positive side of things, Google said that it “looks forward to bringing the future Pixel devices to India” at that time. Google still did not launch the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 back then, possibly due to the lack of 5G connectivity in India and the lack of a global chip.
Given the significant changes and brand value for Pixel in India, one would expect Google to bring the Pixel 6 series to India to compete with the OnePlus 9 and Galaxy S21 series in the premium flagship market. However, it remains to be seen if Google officials have any other plans. As of now, there is no official information about the availability of Pixel 6 in India.
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