(Pocket-lint) – Rumours surrounding the next Google phones have really picked up pace in the last few months. The company is said to be working on the Google Pixel 5a 5G, which it has confirmed itself, as well as the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
You can read all the rumours surrounding the Pixel 5a 5G in our separate feature and we also have a feature for the Pixel 6, but here we are focusing on the Pixel 6 Pro.
Release date and price
- October 2021
- Likely flagship price
Google typically reveals its Pixel device in the latter half of the year, normally in October. During its I/O Developer Conference, Google said “fall” for the Pixels reveal so we’d pencil in October for this year too, for now.
In terms of price, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL and the Pixel 4 and 4 XL all sat in the same price bracket as flagship smartphones. The Pixel 5 meanwhile, was targeted at the mid-range in terms of price.
It’s not currently clear what Google will do in terms of price this year, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Pixel 6 around the same price as the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 6 Pro more expensive.
Design
- Prominent horizontal camera housing
- Triple camera
- Punch hole front camera
- Bold colour options
Several renders have appeared online of the Google Pixel 6 Pro, all showing quite a big departure from previous Pixel devices. It looks like it will follow a similar design to the Pixel 6 but feature three lenses on the rear compared to two.
There appears to be a punch hole front camera centralised at the top of the display, and the screen is said to be slightly curved at the edges and feature an under display fingerprint sensor.
On the back, it looks like there will be a large, narrow protruding camera housing that spans the width of the phone, separating two colours. It also looks like Google is opting for bright and bold colour options, which can be seen in the latest Android 12 software too.
Some rumours suggested an under-display front camera, but we don’t think that will happen for this year’s model.
Display
- 6.67-inch display
- Curved screen
- Quad HD+, 120Hz?
- Under-display fingerprint sensor
According to rumours, the Google Pixel 6 Pro will have a 6.67-inch display, making it slightly larger than the Pixel 5’s screen. It’s also larger than the Pixel 4 XL, which had a 6.3-inch display.
We’d expect to see a Quad HD+ resolution on the Pixel 6 Pro, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate, enabling it to compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21+, and the OnePlus 9 Pro, though nothing is confirmed as yet.
As mentioned above, an under-display fingerprint sensor is claimed for the Pixel 6 Pro and it is claimed the display will be slightly curved at the edges.
Hardware and specs
- Google own chip or Qualcomm Snapdragon
- UWB technology
- 5G connectivity
It’s been claimed Google is working on its own system-on-chip, known internally as Whitechapel. Apparently the company is working with Samsung on the chip and it will offer a similar performance to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 700 series.
It’s not clear if the chip will go into the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, or if the Pro model may return to Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon hardware, which would currently be the 888.
There’s currently no rumours surrounding battery capacity, RAM or storage options, though it’s expected that the Pixel 6 Pro will be a 5G device and feature ultra-wideband technology.
Cameras
- Triple camera
- 4K front camera?
- Night Sight
Based on the renders, the Pixel 6 Pro will have a triple rear camera. No specifics on what the makeup of the cameras have been revealed yet, but it could be that the Pro model adds a periscope telephoto lens to the main and ultra wide-angle lenses of the Pixel 5.
Other rumours have suggested the front camera could off 4K video recording and it’s likely we will continue to see features like Night Sight.
Google Pixel 6 Pro rumours: What’s happened so far?
Here’s everything we have heard about the Pixel 6 so far.
21 May 2021: Google Pixel 6 Pro’s radical design rendered once again
Serial leaker OnLeaks shared some Pixel 6 Pro renders, following on the renders published by Jon Prosser. They show a similar design but offer some more details, including rhe 6 Pro’s screens size and a few more angles.
19 May 2021: Pixel 6 model numbers discovered in Android 12 Beta
Details about unreleased devices have been uncovered in the Android 12 Beta.
18 May 2021: Google announced Android 12 at Google I/O
Google announced Android 12 during its I/O developer conference, revealing a huge redesign. The company also referenced “fall” for the Pixels launch, as well as hinting that we’d see UWB in a future Pixel handset.
14 May 2021: Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro renders show radical change in design
Jon Prosser published some renders of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, in collaboration with with @RendersbyIan. According to Prosser, the renders have been created based on actual photographs of the real product, not from schematics.
6 May 2021: Pixel 6 to feature custom ‘Whitechapel’ chip?
Further evidence suggests Google is working on custom Whitechapel chip that will go into the Pixel 6.
4 May 2021: Pixel 6 might rival iPhone 12 by offering UWB connectivity
XDA’s Mishaal Rahman shared on Twitter that Google is experimenting with UWB support on an upcoming device codenamed Raven, which could be the Pixel 6.
30 April 2021: Google is working on UWB connectivity, possibly for Pixel 6 family
9to5Google reported that Google was experimenting with putting UWB technology into its Android hardware, speculating this would be found in the Pixel 6 phones.
5 April 2021: Pixel 6 might be powered by a Google-designed ‘GS101’ processor
9to5Google claimed Google is developing two phones with an Arm-based “GS101” processor, codenamed “Whitechapel”.
2 April 2021: Pixel 6 may use Google-made chip instead of Qualcomm processor
XDA Developers reported Google is working on new GS101 silicon for its 2021 Pixel phones. It said: “The SoC will feature a 3 cluster setup with a TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). Google also refers to its next Pixel devices as “dauntless-equipped phones”, which we believe refers to them having an integrated Titan M security chip (code-named Citadel).”
17 March 2021: Android 12 DP2 hints at a future Pixel device with an under-display fingerprint scanner
XDA Developers reported spotting evidence in Android 12 code that suggests the Pixel 6 could come with an under-display fingerprint scanner.
9 March 2021: Google Pixel 6 likely to adopt centered hole punch camera, 4K selfie video
9to5Google dug into an update to the Google Pixel camera app that suggests the Pixel 6 could adopt centralised punch hole camera and support 4K video recording.
18 February 2021: Android 12 code might give away some Pixel 6 features
XDA Developer’s Mishaal Rahman tweeted some features he found in the Android 12 developer code suggesting UI changes make it more one-handed friendly and there was some talk of under-display fingerprint scanner support alongside facial recognition too.
Now that the embargo has lifted, here’s my running thread of changes I’ve found in Android 12 Developer Preview 1.
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 18, 2021
1 December 2020: Patent suggests under-display front camera on future Pixel phone
A patent for a future Pixel phone was spotted by Patently Apple showing no visible front camera.
Writing by Britta O’Boyle.
