There hasn't been a formal Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro launch event yet, but both Android phones are on display in New York City, teasing Google's forthcoming rivals to the newly announced iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro series from Apple. Uncanny timing, right?
Naturally, we decided to snap plenty of photos for you from all angles – at least from all the angles possible for a phone situated behind glass – by traveling to the Google Store Chelsea in Manhattan. The new retailer store was closed, but anyone can take a peak at the backsides of the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
There's still no formal Google Pixel 6 release date, but the window display does state that both phones are 'Coming Fall 2021'. We usually see Google launch its flagship smartphones in October, though the Google Pixel 5 did launch in late September.
The standard Google Pixel 6 is on display in a two-tone orange color, one of three colors for the smaller phone. Each model has a two-tone color scheme: a darker hue on the top above the unique black camera band and a lighter color on the bottom.
The Google Pixel 6 Pro is on display in a yellow/gold color that spans the top and bottom halves. The top portion of the phone is noticeably larger on the Pro model. Other colors not on display: green for the Pixel 6 and silver for the Pixel 6 Pro. Both editions will come in black.
A close-up of that camera bar
Pull up a seat to the camera bar. We got a close-up of the odd-looking Google Pixel 6 camera module, which sports two lenses on the Pixel 6 and three on the Pixel 6 Pro. If you want some zoom, you're going to have to pay for the Pro version.
The Pixel 6 camera specs, while unconfirmed, include a 50MP standard wide camera, 12MP ultrawide camera and the Pro-exclusive 48MP telephoto camera. Apple's iPhone 13 Pro is relying on large sensors and individual pixels for its 12MP triple-lens rear cameras, so we'll have to do some side-by-side testing when we get our hands on both.
The differences between the Google Pixel 6 Pro and regular Pixel 6 won't stop at the extra rear camera lens. The Pro will also include a larger display, bigger battery, more RAM and better front-facing camera, according to the rumors specs.
But at the heart of both phones will be what Google will likely talk about the most: its own in-house chipset, the Tensor chip. Google has made great strides with AI-driven computation photography in the Pixel series since 2016, and it's ditching Qualcomm for its own in-house SoC solution, we're eager to see the results.
Sadly, while we almost got our hands on these two phones and saw the phones in person, the fact that they're behind glass means we haven't checked out the front. Given the 'Fall 2021' release window, it won't be long before we can grab one for real.
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