Google Pixel 6 event: rumors, news, and announcements

Google’s new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have been announced, reviewed, and are now up for order. These Pixels promise new designs, new cameras, a uniquely designed Google Tensor CPU, and more.

This year’s Pixel phones come in two sizes: the standard Pixel 6 and the larger, triple-camera equipped Pixel 6 Pro. The base Pixel 6, with 128GB of storage, starts at $599, while the Pixel 6 Pro runs $899 and up if you prefer to go above the base 128GB.

Assuming you managed to order a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, then you should know that once the phone is in your possession, you’ll need a little extra time to get everything set up and working. That’s because, as a post on the Google support forums points out (via 9to5Google), there is a software update to install.

The post indicates you’ll need it to get all of the features, although it’s unclear what would be missing if you simply started using the phone without it other than the November security update. According to Google, the build number is the same for both phones, and it should display SD1A.210817.036 or SD1A.210817.036.A8 for Verizon customers. If your phone arrives early, then the update might not available at first.

During the “Pixel Fall Launch” event, Google formally launched the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro as well as its Pixel Pass. Beyond that, however, the tech giant didn’t divulge much more about other new products — like Google’s first folding phone. Google previously confirmed in 2019 it’s working on prototyping foldable device technology, has applied for patents on foldable screens, and we’ve since reported on a number of leaks suggesting the Pixel Fold might arrive as soon as this year.

For example, Korean industry site TheElec suggested Samsung was going to produce folding OLED panels for the device this very month — and that’s just one of many recent leaks. Here’s a catch-up on everything else we think we know about the Pixel Fold.

For the first time ever, Google’s new phones are powered by a Google-designed chip, giving the company an Apple-like level of control over the inner workings of the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. But if you were hoping that meant they’d also get an Apple-like level of new OS updates, the company is throwing a bit of cold water on that. Google’s support page shows it’s only promising to offer Android updates through October 2024 (via Android Police), a total of three years after release.

“Users will still get at least 3 years of OS updates, after which we’re committing to ensure that Pixels will stay up-to-date and secure,” Google tells The Verge. “The frequency and categories of updates will depend on the capabilities and needs of the hardware.”

Pre-orders for Google’s new line of phones started at the same time as their launch event, but for most of us, trying to buy a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro has meant seeing nothing but error screens. Some unsteadiness is to be expected given the sudden demand, but at 1PM ET, the doors opened, and Google’s store seemed to fall flat.

As of 5:40PM ET, Google says the store is operational again, and many of us have been able to put orders through. According to a spokesperson, “The Google Store was temporarily down but is now back up. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

At today’s Pixel event, Google dove into the details about the Pixel 6 series devices and outlined a brand new feature that will make sending Snaps even faster. The new feature, called Quick Tap to Snap, adds a camera-only version of Snapchat directly to the lock screen of the Pixel.

To access it, all you have to do is tap the back of your phone twice, and the Snapchat camera will open. From there, you can snap a picture all without unlocking your device — you’ll only have to authenticate your identity when you go to send the Snap.

Google just wrapped up its Pixel 6 Fall Launch event, where it announced two new phones as well as a wealth of features that are supported by its new Tensor processor. Here are the biggest things Google announced during its live stream.

After months of leaks, we got the full details on Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones — the Pixel 6 will sell for $599 and the Pixel 6 Pro for $899. Both will feature Google’s Tensor processor and a 50-megapixel camera (which bins images down to 12.5-megapixels during processing). The phones also feature an ultra-wide camera, and the Pro adds a telephoto camera and gives the selfie camera an upgrade with a wider lens and higher-resolution sensor. The Pro model is also physically larger, but it’s not a massive difference.

There’s a lot that we already knew about the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro ahead of their debut at Google’s October 2021 event. Some of the key specs, including the Tensor processor and the camera details, were made publicly available by Google itself. But of course, we know a lot more now than we did before.

Check out my colleague Dan Seifert’s big hands-on with both phones right here. It dives into the design, features, and he talks about how this is a big moment both for Google to prove that its Tensor processor is as good as it claims to be and that it knows how to make flagship phones that people want.

The Pixel 6 is Google’s first phone with a custom-designed SoC, and the appeal of the Tensor chip isn’t in raw power, it’s what the combination of hardware and software can do. Speech and image processing that happens on device are great for Google Assistant or improving photographs, but a feature many owners will appreciate at launch is an improved Phone app that’s built to manage annoying calls to customer service lines.

According to Google, the app can tell you the current hold time for a business’s 1-800 number before you even dial, as well as the projected wait times for later in the day or week. These projections are “inferred from call length data that is not linked to user identifier.” Google didn’t get more specific, but it sounds similar to Google Maps monitoring traffic flow.

Google revealed a new second-generation Pixel Stand wireless charger on Tuesday. The new charger offers charging speeds of up to 23W with “compatible Pixel phones” and up to 15W with other Qi-certified devices. To keep the stand cool while it’s charging at those higher speeds, the new Pixel Stand has a “nearly silent built-in fan,” which could be similar to the fans inside recent OnePlus chargers. We haven’t used the stand ourselves, though, so we’ll have to wait and see if the fan is as quiet as Google claims it will be.

Like Google’s first Pixel Stand, the second-generation version is designed to let your phone sit in portrait mode. That could make it easier to keep up with texts and notifications as they come in.

Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are officially here, and with them, the debut of Google’s new Tensor chip. Google has finally revealed more information on what the new SoC can actually do, for the fastest Pixel phones ever.

The initial reveal of the Pixel 6 and the Tensor chip was largely centered on its AI-focused TPU (Tensor processing unit) and how the custom hardware would help Google differentiate itself from competitors.

The final version of Android 12 has been available to developers and eager fans for a few weeks on AOSP, but today, it officially launched for people who want to easily pick up the update over the air. It’s available to install right now on Pixel 3 and up, including the Pixel 3A, Pixel 4, Pixel 4A, Pixel 4A 5G, the Pixel 5, and the Pixel 5A. It’ll launch on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, as well. Android 12 will be coming later this year to Samsung Galaxy, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices. 

The most noticeable feature in Android 12 is the new Material You design, which lets you go a little deeper to tweak the look of the homescreen to your liking. It’s more expressive than previous versions of Android, with tools to let you coordinate colors that can extend across app icons, pull-down menus, widgets, and more. Speaking of widgets, many of those have been updated to match the new look, and Google shared today that by the end of October, it plans to have over a dozen new or refreshed widgets available for its first-party apps.

Today at its Pixel Fall Launch event, after many pre-announcements and leaks, Google finally announced all the details of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Some of the biggest changes to these new flagship phones from Google are updated camera modules. Pixel phones were long the champions of smartphone photography, but Google has been resting on its laurels for a while, using the same 12.2-megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor from Pixel 3 through Pixels 5 and 5A.

Now, the main cameras of the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro house a 50-megapixel sensor that is larger than its predecessors and bins the images down to a 12.5-megapixel output. Google claims it can capture 150 percent more light than the Pixel 5 now with its 1/1.31” size image sensor and f/1.85 aperture. Following the iPhone playbook, both Pixels feature ultrawide lenses with 12-megapixel sensors, while the 6 Pro adds a third telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom coupled to 48 megapixels of resolution. On the front, the Pixel 6’s selfie cam is 8 megapixels with an 84-degree field of view, while the 6 Pro is 11.1 megapixels and 94 degrees for easier group selfies.

After many leaks, official teases, and months of waiting, Google has finally given its latest Pixel phones a formal launch. The new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are the latest high-end phones from the company that hasn’t traditionally been able to make much of a dent in the high-end phone market. Both are available for preorder starting today, October 19th, and will begin shipping on October 28th. Google says all the major US carriers, plus retailers such as the Google Store, Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Costco, and others, will be selling the phones.

There are a lot of things to cover with the new Pixels, but the most important place to start is this: $599 and $899. Those are the starting prices for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, respectively. That pricing is aggressive compared to similar iPhones, Samsungs, or even OnePlus phones, especially when you consider that Google is providing 128GB of storage in both base models. (The 6 can be equipped with up to 256GB, the 6 Pro has options up to 512GB.)

Google Pixel Pass is a new subscription bundle designed to let US customers pay for a Pixel phone in monthly installments while also getting access to Google’s premium subscription services like 200GB of Google One cloud storage, YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium, and Google Play Pass.

Prices start at $45 a month for Pixel 6 or $55 for a Pixel 6 Pro, and Google says they’re available unlocked and should work with all major carriers. Pixel Pass subscribers are eligible for an upgrade after two years, Google says, and the subscription also includes an extra year of warranty coverage over the standard one-year manufacturer warranty (aka Preferred Care).

After leaks and pre-annoucements, ads and yet more leaks, the time has come for Google to officially launch the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. We already know many details: the custom Tensor processor that powers it, the colors and many of the specs, and even some of the software features have all been officially announced. And rumors have filled in more details.

But there will be more to hear from Google. This is easily the most important Pixel the company has launched in years, it’s a launch where the company says it is taking on flagships from Apple and Samsung at the high end. Google hasn’t really talked big game about its phones before, so even if we’ve seen a lot of rumors, how Google goes about making this launch happen will be interesting.

With the number of leaks and pre-announcements for the Google Pixel 6, it may seem like the phones should already be here by now. Thanks to Google, we already know the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro exist, what they will look like, and that they will use a Google-designed CPU. We also have an idea what the camera specs will be, what the new wireless charging stand probably looks like, and even what’s inside, courtesy of a teardown video that has since been removed.

The only thing left is for Google to fill out the remaining details we don’t know and launch the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Google has one of the worst track records for keeping things secret, so perhaps hoping for a surprise or two might be a stretch, but the long-rumored, folding Pixel could still materialize alongside other surprises. The only way to know for sure is to tune in to the company’s Pixel Fall Launch event.

Google’s upcoming phones have made early appearances in leaks over, and over, and over, and over, and over again, so it’s really no surprise that someone seems to have obtained a retail-boxed Pixel 6 unit ahead of the fall launch event tomorrow.

In a video posted initially to TikTok, then deleted but still available on Twitter for a few hours, @CristianDimboiu took a literal approach to unboxing by removing the “Sorta Seafoam” green device from its carrier without going any further. We didn’t see the screen turn on or see the screen at all.

We’ve seen the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Google’s decision to announce and thoroughly tease its new high-end flagship was revealing and confusing but, given all the leaks that followed, ultimately not that consequential.

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro feature an all-new, in some cases, quite colorful design, with an in-display fingerprint sensor, Google’s new Tensor SoC, and the Titan M2 security chip. The standard Pixel 6 has a 90Hz 6.4-inch screen, while the Pro gets a 120Hz 6.7-inch, but the big difference might end up being the cameras. Both devices have new wide and ultrawide cameras, but the Pro comes with an additional 4x optical zoom periscope lens. You can see what they look like in the hands of real people in this Twitter thread of leaked images from Evan Blass:

The Pixel 6’s price could start at $599 with 128GB of storage, while the 128GB Pixel 6 Pro could start at $898, according to early US pricing at Target stores spotted by M. Brandon Lee and Evan Lei. Lei posted a photo of pricing already displayed on Target’s shelves, while Lee has images of the retailer’s inventory system showing the same prices. A “street date” for both phones (aka their release dates) is listed as October 28th.

Lee has previously reported that the European starting prices of the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro will be €649 and €899 respectively, while WinFuture’s Roland Quandt has discovered Amazon UK listings that show the 128GB Pixel 6 Pro priced at £849, with a shipping date of November 1st. The Pixel 6 Pro with 256GB of storage could cost £100 more at £949.

Google seems poised to announce a new subscription bundle called “Pixel Pass,” which would combine a new Pixel device with an extended warranty and premium subscriptions for several Google services. The unconfirmed bundle has been detailed in a leaked image published by Brandon Lee. It’s unclear how much Pixel Pass would cost, but the documents suggest it will be sold via Google Fi and the Google Store alongside the purchase of a Pixel device.

As Lee notes, Pixel Pass appears to combine elements of Apple’s iPhone Upgrade program (which offers an iPhone via monthly subscription payments alongside an extended warranty) and its Apple One subscription services bundle. Pixel Pass could be pitched as a way to simplify access to all these services as well as offering the peace of mind of an extended warranty. Pixel Pass might also offer a discount compared to paying for the services individually, though there’s currently no indication of how much Pixel Pass might cost.

New leaks from a marketing site appear to confirm that the camera for the Pixel 6 will have a new Magic Eraser feature, and the devices will apparently get five years of Android security updates (h/t 9to5 Google)

According to reliable leaker Evan Blass, the Carphone Warehouse website was showing images of Google marketing materials for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro (the images have since been taken down, but you can view the earlier versions of the Carphone Warehouse pages on the Wayback Machine here and here). Screenshots show the description for the previously leaked Magic Eraser, which will apparently be linked to Google Photos:

While Google has already shared a lot about its upcoming Pixel 6 Pro flagship, including its bold exterior design, two new videos posted to YouTube reveal what Google will probably never show us: what it looks like on the inside, how to put it together, and how to take it apart.

The two videos, which appear to be used for training purposes of some kind, show how to assemble and disassemble the Pixel 6 Pro. It seems unlikely that these were intended to be released publicly, as they are extremely focused on showing specific steps for how to put together and take apart the phone, don’t include any voiceover, and have a mishmash of low-quality graphics, text, and music. That being said, the videos are still worth checking out, as they are a fascinating step-by-step look at how a smartphone actually gets put together.

Leaked images of Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 have given us our best look yet at new features coming to the search giant’s next flagship smartphone. The images, which were leaked by Evan Blass, reveal shots of a second generation Pixel Stand wireless charger, user interface details, and camera specs, and include a mention of face unlock biometric security. They’ve arrived a little under two weeks before the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are due to be officially announced on October 19th.

There’s not much in these pictures that hasn’t already leaked, but what they offer is a better look at the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro’s rumored features. The beefy new Pixel Stand, for example, is believed to support 23W fast charging according to an August leak, which is more than double what was offered by Google’s first-generation 10w wireless charger introduced with the Pixel 3.