As we end the 6-month anniversary of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro launches, I’m sitting here holding this cloudy white model in my hand and wondering if Google got it all right. Of course there are indicators that it suggests at least some success, yet I can’t help but feel the frustration that comes from our readers and others in the Pixel community.
If we go back to our reviews about the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, there’s no question that Tim and I both enjoy using each device. I called the Pixel 6 Pro a “great flagship” and the team was not ashamed of the cheap Pixel 6 being the “clear winner”. The few reviews we offer focus on size, small display complaints and, of course, awesome fingerprint readers. Other than that, we’ve generally said that you should buy these phones.
As expected, as Google always does after launching its new phones to the public, the world has received their pre-orders and the tone around both phones has changed rapidly. From network connectivity and heat concerns to software drains, people have had problems with software. Everyone confirmed that the fingerprint reader was awesome.
December to January certainly didn’t help the phone’s reputation, as Google whipped up the first Pixel feature drop for their new phone, leaving owners who had initially upgraded with serious issues. They didn’t acknowledge the problems for about a month, dragged out the update files too late and then took a few more weeks to issue a mega-bug fixer. Things haven’t been great since then, with the March feature drop being delayed for the Pixel 6 line and the update front.
Now we’re sitting here a few days away from getting the April update on time and near that 6-month mark. Complaints of new bugs seem to be limited, so this could be a sign that Google is finding some stable ground. Or maybe people have moved on now that Samsung’s new phone is here? Anyway, the Pixel 6 world is very quiet at the moment, which I can only be a good thing.
After dancing between the Pixel 6 Pro and several review devices over the past few months, my general thought is that this phone is still very good. At one point, after seeing the update delay and seeing the never ending complaints of bugs, I was worried that our initial recommendation was a bad one. I’m not sure I’m feeling that way today.
Since the end of February, I have reviewed the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Motorola Edge + (2022), and OnePlus 10 Pro. I spent a lot of time with the smallest Galaxy S22. Did you know I came back to use the phone? Pixel 6 Pro.
The Pixel 6 Pro still offers a camera that I trust the most, software experience that I like more than others, flashy performance and great heptics and tough battery life. Of course, the phone is still too big and the curved display is stupid, but even the fingerprint reader suggested that it should do so after the 3rd or 4th update of Google. And look, the 899 price for this phone still makes it the best value in Android, at least in my opinion.
How do you feel after 6 months of ownership of Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro? Has the experience always been good? Has this phone grown on you or has it finally stabilized? Are you still working on an endless list of bugs? Or did you jump into the ship for something else?