Google Pixel 6 review

Android 12 and Tensor-exclusive features

Android 12 has been out for some time now and we have a full review of Google's latest OS running on a previous-gen Pixel. The Pixel 6 we have here, however, has some exclusive features enabled by the custom Tensor chipset that are worth some extra words - Voice Typing, Live Translate, and Calling Assist.

It was always possible to input text using voice with Gboard, but the Tensor chip brings Assistant Voice Typing: a far better way to type by voice. This will work without an internet connection since the language model is on-device and processes language near-instantaneously.

To initiate typing with voice, you can press the microphone button or say "Hey Google, type" and start yapping away. You'll be able to reply with your voice far more naturally since the Assistant will take care of punctuation, so you don't even have to say things like "period" or "question mark".

If you tap on a dictated word, suggestions will now show alternatives that are phonetically close to what you are saying, versus suggestion words that are meant for text Input. You can also say "Clear" to delete the last thing you entered with voice, "Send" (in supported apps), "Clear all" to wipe the entire text field, or "Stop" to discontinue voice input.

You can tap on a word and re-speak it to correct it, or you can move the cursor prior to inserting more text, all without having to press the voice button again. Some emojis can be inserted by voice too, like "smile with teeth emoji," and you can spell out words that Assistant may not understand.

Voice Typing

The new language model enables the much quicker and more reliable transcription of voice to text, thus speeding up Google Assistant's turnaround times for voice queries. The translation is added to the mix as well, which improves Google's Interpreter mode when you need help speaking to someone in their native language, or if you are using a supported messaging app. If you wanted to carry on a text conversation with someone in another language, you could do so, and Google will translate both directions on the fly.

Live Translate worked well enough, except for a couple of bugs. This feature is hidden away in the System Settings, and you have to manually download the language that's to be translated from. The translations were okay, and the results will depend on whether the other person writes in complete sentences. Even still, after setting everything up, the feature works as advertised and beats having to manually translate each message you send and receive.

Live Translate via Instagram DM

Live Translate for messaging is currently only supported on a dozen or so messaging apps, and in the following languages: English, French, Japanese, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Hindi, Polish, and Russian.

Live Translate also works to translate spoken-word content, so long as it's in English, French, German, Italian, or Japanese (Beta) - not in Finnish, for example. Sound coming from a video or audio source can be transcribed and translated in real-time.

Live Caption with translation

The downside to using this feature is that the actual translation is still a bit slow and clunky. Since the words begin to appear as they are said in their native language, the text you read in the translated language morphs the whole duration of its recital until the sentence is completed and the punctuation is added. This can make reading Live Translated subtitles disorienting and difficult to understand. But if you don't understand the original language, what are your options anyway?

Live Captions translated from French and Japanese content

You may not be able to use Live Translate for apps with copyrighted content. For example, Live Translate wouldn't work for captioning a Japanese TV show on the Netflix app as the feature was disabled for the app. While the feature works as advertised and the concept is quite useful, it seems like it needs another few years before it's fully fleshed out.

As a general taste of Android 12 on a Pixel 6, here are a few screenshots of basic UI elements. You'll note the rounded corners of rectangles, the large quick toggles, the oversized labeling, the creamy accent colors - it's overall a very cozy place to be in.

Android 12 on a Pixel 6

Performance and benchmarks

The Pixel 6 is powered by the proprietary Tensor chipset, a joint effort between Google and Samsung. It enables advancements in machine learning and computational photography that Google wouldn't have been able to achieve by using a Qualcomm chip.

The CPU is in a different setup than competing designs, offering a 2+2+4 core configuration, as opposed to the prevailing 1+3+4 arrangements. You get two powerful Cortex-X1 cores going all the way up to 2.8GHz, a pair of Cortex-A76 cores at 2.25Ghz, and a low-power quad-core cluster of Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. Google's Tensor is optimized for the dual X1 cores to handle medium-level tasks by using a portion of the workload more efficiently rather than maxing out the mid-cores. For graphics, there's a 20-core Mali G78 MP20.

The TPU (Tensor Processing Unit, after which the whole chip is named) has a machine learning engine that is built for "where ML engines are heading, not where they are today." This component of the Tensor chip handles new camera features, including the new HDRnet algorithm for shooting video and an updated language model used by Google Assistant that enables improved translation speed and accuracy.

This model also enables the new Live Translate features built into Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. There's also a "Context Hub" which handles background tasks or "ambient experiences" like the always-on display and Now Playing features without draining power.

Quoted from Google's press event: "As software applications on mobile phones become more complex, they run on multiple parts of the chip. This is heterogeneous computing." Google's aim with the Tensor chip is that all the components inside work together efficiently rather than optimizing for peak speed.

With that premise, we weren't expecting chart-topping benchmark results, and, indeed, we got rather meh numbers in GeekBench for both single-core and multi-core performance.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  3673
• OnePlus 9
  3629
• Asus Zenfone 8
  3604
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  3521
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  3515
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  3489
• vivo X70 Pro+
  3469
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  3316
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  3244
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  3239
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  3238
• Google Pixel 6
  2899
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  2831

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Sony Xperia 1 III
  1130
• OnePlus 9
  1129
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  1126
• Asus Zenfone 8
  1118
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  1117
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  1109
• vivo X70 Pro+
  1106
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  1095
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  1085
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  1042
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  1032
• Google Pixel 6
  1030
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  926

The Pixel 6 did manage to inch ahead of an Exynos powered Galaxy S21 in Antutu, but that's about it.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

• vivo X70 Pro+
  837833
• Asus Zenfone 8
  799738
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  797484
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  752218
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  749132
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  735588
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  719815
• Google Pixel 6
  676831
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  650829

The Pixel 6 is a lot happier when faced with graphics benchmarks, however, and in these it did manage to record some victories against fellow Androids. It was also, understandably, way ahead of the 6 Pro in onscreen benchmarks - it's the same GPU having to drive a lot fewer... pixels here.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  120
• OnePlus 9
  119
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  118
• Google Pixel 6
  117
• Asus Zenfone 8
  117
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  113
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  111
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  111
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  110
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  109
• vivo X70 Pro+
  105
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  97
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  71

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Asus Zenfone 8
  105
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  104
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  103
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  95
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  91
• Google Pixel 6
  90
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  65
• OnePlus 9
  60
• vivo X70 Pro+
  58
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  58
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  57
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  55
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  40

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  70
• OnePlus 9
  70
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  70
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  70
• Asus Zenfone 8
  69
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  69
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  68
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  67
• Google Pixel 6
  66
• vivo X70 Pro+
  66
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  66
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  60
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  55

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  62
• Asus Zenfone 8
  61
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  59
• OnePlus 9
  58
• Google Pixel 6
  57
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  54
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  54
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  39
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  38
• vivo X70 Pro+
  33
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  33
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  33
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  33

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Asus Zenfone 8
  45
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  45
• Google Pixel 6
  43
• OnePlus 9
  43
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  42
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  29
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  26
• vivo X70 Pro+
  26
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  25
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  24
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  24
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  18

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6
  46
• Asus Zenfone 8
  41
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  41
• OnePlus 9
  40
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  40
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  38
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  36
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  28
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  25
• vivo X70 Pro+
  25
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  23
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  22

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

• Google Pixel 6
  6832
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
  6602
• Sony Xperia 1 III
  5807
• Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
  5677
• Xiaomi Mi 11
  5673
• OnePlus 9
  5667
• Asus Zenfone 8
  5666
• Oppo Find X3 Pro
  5653
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
  5635
• Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
  5556
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
  5547
• Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
  5412
• vivo X70 Pro+
  5332

This peak performance proved difficult to sustain, and in the 3DMark Wild Life stress test, the Pixel 6's result dropped from a class-leading first run to less than half that at the very last loop. CPU stability wasn't stellar either, with a drop to 61% of peak performance in the CPU throttling test. Naturally, these are synthetic loads and very extremes ones at that, so they shouldn't be taken as a representation of real-world usage.

CPU Throttling test • 3DMark Wild Life stress test