Google Pixel 6 event: rumors, news, and announcements – The Verge

How to buy the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro

2021-10-28T12:02:33-04:00

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 smalle …

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The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will arrive with a day-one update

2021-10-26T22:15:41-04:00

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 …

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Where is Google’s foldable phone? Everything we know so far

2021-10-21T06:00:00-04:00

Leaks indicate the Pixel Fold may resemble the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. | Image: Dan Seifert / The Verge

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 m …

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Google’s Pixel 6 doesn’t come with five years of Android updates — only three

2021-10-19T18:47:06-04:00

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 Ve …

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The Google Store is open again, and Pixel 6 delivery dates are all over the place

2021-10-19T17:55:56-04:00

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."

However, as 9to5Google points out, being able to submit an order is only part of …

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Snapchat says the Pixel 6 is ‘the fastest phone to make a Snap’

2021-10-19T14:43:42-04:00

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.

Us ðŸ¤ @Snapchat #Pixel6 is the fastest phone to make a Snap thanks to Quick Tap to Snap!

And check out Pixel lenses and other exclusive features too!#Pixel6Launch pic.twitter.com/94trIxzHzk
- Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 19, 2021

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 c …

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Here’s how the Pixel 6 compares to the Pixel 6 Pro

2021-10-19T14:30:00-04:00

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.

If all that you're curious abou …

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The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro can make calling customer service less nightmarish

2021-10-19T13:53:43-04:00

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 ca …

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Google’s new Pixel Stand supports up to 23W wireless charging

2021-10-19T13:46:12-04:00

Google’s new Pixel Stand wireless charger. | Image: Google

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 …

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The Pixel 6’s Tensor processor promises to put Google’s machine learning smarts in your pocket

2021-10-19T13:44:59-04:00

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.

That's still the big focus of Google's announcement today: the company calls Tensor a "milestone for machine learning" that was co-designed alongside Google Research to allow it to easily translate AI and machine le …

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