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How to buy the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro

How to buy the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro

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The new Pixels have limited availability from Google, retailers, and carriers

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An image of Google’s Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6 being held in a person’s left and right hands.
You can now buy Google’s newest Pixels, pending availability.
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

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.

What’s new

The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro look mostly nothing like prior iterations, with a metal-and-glass design highlighted by a rear camera bar that is slightly reminiscent of the classic Nexus 6P. The smaller Pixel 6, which cannot truly be considered small by any stretch of the imagination, has a 6.4-inch, 2400 x 1080 OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The larger Pixel 6 Pro stretches its legs with a 6.7-inch, 120Hz LTPO OLED display with 3120 x 1440 resolution.

On the inside, Google’s brand-new Tensor processor powers both, while the Pixel 6 gets 8GB of RAM and the 6 Pro has 12GB. The new chips have a lot to prove for Google, just as the new camera systems do, with the Pixel 6 housing a dual-camera setup and the 6 Pro adding a third camera and lens to its rear bar. The phones match each other with 50MP main cameras and a 12MP ultrawide, but only the Pro counterpart gets a 48MP sensor complete with telephoto 4x optical zoom.

Time will tell if all this hardware and new camera software brings the Pixels back to the top of the pack, but in the meantime, let’s look at how the Pixel 6 phones are configured and made available.

Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro Lineup

ModelStorageColorPriceRetailers
Google Pixel 6128GBstormy black, kinda coral, sorta seafoam$599GoogleBest BuyTargetB&H
Google Pixel 6256GBstormy black, kinda coral, sorta seafoam$699GoogleBest BuyB&H
Google Pixel 6 Pro128GBstormy black, cloudy white, sorta sunny$899GoogleBest BuyTargetB&H
Google Pixel 6 Pro256GBstormy black, cloudy white, sorta sunny$999GoogleBest BuyB&H
Google Pixel 6 Pro512GBstormy black, cloudy white, sorta sunny$1,099Google

Where to buy the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro

Google kicked off orders first on its own store, right as the phone became official. Now we’ve reached the launch date for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, though, like most phone launches these days, there are some shipping delays.

Currently, Google’s store indicates that some models of the Pixel 6 Pro are out of stock or have long delivery times. This seems to affect the unlocked model the most, which is listed as out of stock with only an option to be added to a waitlist for some configurations. There are some Verizon and Google Fi models available in the Google Store, and the current stock shortage is not yet affecting the regular Pixel 6.

We will update this post as more options become available, but we can immediately see how some models are not available everywhere — if a 512GB Pixel 6 Pro is your jam, your only option is to purchase an unlocked one from Google once it’s in stock. As far as general availability at retailers, Best Buy, Target, and B&H all have some Pixel 6 availability, but Pixel 6 Pros are mostly unavailable or sold out. Unlocked models seem to have the greatest scarcity, with better chances of getting a carrier-locked version. The carrier stores seem to have higher stock levels, so if you want to get the phone as soon as possible, it might be your best chance — particularly if you want the Pro.

$399

The Pixel 6 is the base model of Google’s last-gen flagship. It features the Google Tensor CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a rear camera with both 50 megapixels for its main wide-angle and 12 megapixels for its ultrawide.

Pixel 6 phone standing upright with home screen on and greenery in the background
$699

The Google Pixel 6 Pro is the larger sibling of the newest Pixel duo, with a 6.7-inch screen, 12GB of RAM, and a third camera featuring a 4x telephoto lens and 48 megapixels of resolution.

Carrier deals

If you’re not shopping for an unlocked phone and prefer to utilize promos and payment plans from your carrier, there are some offers from the likes of AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Google’s own Fi service. Bear in mind that carriers give discounts as bill credits over time, attempting to rope you into service for 36 months or more. The Pixel 6 models offered from AT&T and Verizon (including Verizon models bought on Google’s store) have radios for mmWave 5G, which cost upward of $100 more and still may not give you faster speeds depending on where you live and use the phone. Pixel 6 Pro phones, unlocked or bought through a carrier, work with mmWave 5G.

AT&T

AT&T is offering up to $700 off the Pixel 6 Pro with a qualifying trade-in for new and existing customers, and 50 percent off of any Google-branded accessories purchased simultaneously. The base Pixel 6 128GB model costs $15 per month over 36 months without a trade-in, but keep in mind that the mmWave-equipped model AT&T is selling is fully priced at $740 and not the base $599 of unlocked models using only Sub-6 5G. The $15 per month over 36 months will result in a total price of $540, reflecting the $200 AT&T will discount over time via bill credits.

Verizon

Verizon’s offers are similar promo, with up to $700 off a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro with a trade-in— though this is limited to new customers switching over. Existing customers can get up to $350 off when trading in a phone and upgrading a line. If you’re shopping for more than one Pixel device, you can buy one and get a second Pixel 6 or 6 Pro for up to $700 off (given to you in billing credits over time; you’ll pay in full upfront) with eligible unlimited plans. The base Pixel 6 on a payment plan from Verizon will run $23.33 per month for 30 months, totaling $700 and a one-time $35 activation fee.

If you want to buy a Pixel 6 for Verizon’s network direct from Google, you’ll also receive up to $100 in Google store credit.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile is advertising the base Pixel 6 as free with a trade-in on its Magenta Max plan and the Pixel 6 Pro up to $900 off under the same terms. Once again, these promotions involve buying the device as a Magenta Max subscriber or purchasing that service, paying the sales tax, trading in a qualifying phone that T-Mobile will offer a value on, and then receiving the allotted money back as monthly bill credits over 24 months.

Note that T-Mobile’s offerings for the Pixel 6 does not have a mmWave radio, only Sub-6 5G, and is thus the respective $599 base price as Google advertised. T-Mobile’s price for the Pixel 6 Pro also matches Google’s $899.


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