Photo By: Google
By: Nick Gambino
Not 24 hours after Apple’s Unleashed event where they debuted the newest MacBook and AirPods, Google held their Pixel Fall Launch event. As the name of the event denotes, they launched the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
Like all major new smartphones, the Pixel 6 has endured months of leaks with no official sightings, so the Fall keynote was the first time we laid our eyes on the newest offering from Google.
The Pixel 6 and its Pro counterpart feature the company’s very own Tensor processor which got a lot of attention at the event. The powerful chip goes to work, using machine learning to perform all kinds of neat tasks from increasing clarity in your photos by removing blur and unwanted background people, and translating messages and videos on the fly.
From all accounts (courtesy of the Google team at least) the Tensor processor is on par with the latest and greatest Snapdragon processors, turning in a performance that would make even some laptops blush.
Both the 6 and 6 Pro sports sensors on their cameras that capture 150% more light than the Pixel 5. The 50-megapixel camera on the 6 is a dual-camera set-up with a wide and an ultrawide lens for real-time zoom-out. The Pixel 6 Pro was designed by its very name to offer a bit more which is why this is the option if you want to use telephoto with a 4x zoom.
Now, let me clear up one thing on the 50-megapixel camera. This doesn’t mean your photos are going to be 50 megapixels. They’ll be more on the order of 12.5 megapixels for easier output. But the phones do have 50mp sensors to capture the most detail possible before the standard process of whittling it down for storage and export.
In an effort to be more inclusive, Google showed off their new Real Tone tech, intended to more accurately capture the tone of anyone’s skin. Cameras have in the past tried to “correct” colors from a captured photo. When you’re snapping photos of inanimate objects or nature, that’s one thing. When you’re talking about people’s skin color, that’s another thing entirely.
The new smartphones are available in three different colors – Sorta Seafoam, Kinda Coral, and Stormy Black.
You can get your hands on the Pixel 6 starting at $599 and the Pixel 6 Pro starting at $899. You can pre-order them both now with the 6 set to ship on October 25 and the 6 Pro on October 28.
