Google Unveils 'Pixel 6' with In-House Chip... Smartphone Competition Heats Up by Year-End

Google 'Pixel 6'

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Eun-mo] Google has unveiled its new smartphone series 'Pixel 6' equipped with a self-developed chipset, aiming to expand its market share. With Google launching new products following Samsung Electronics and Apple, the competition for smartphone market share toward the end of the year is expected to intensify.

On the 19th (local time), Google held an online event called ‘PIXEL FALL LAUNCH’ and introduced the new smartphones ‘Pixel 6’ and ‘Pixel 6 Pro’. However, the anticipated foldable phone ‘Pixel Fold’ was not revealed.

The most notable feature of the Pixel 6 series is that Google used its self-developed SoC (System on Chip) called the ‘Tensor’ chipset as the application processor (AP) for the first time. Google stated that the Pixel 6 series using Tensor improved the central processing unit (CPU) performance by more than 80% compared to the previous generation model, the ‘Pixel 5’. Google described Tensor as “the biggest mobile hardware innovation in Google’s history.”

The exterior has also been improved. The Pixel 6 is made with glossy aluminum, while the Pixel 6 Pro uses matte aluminum, and both models feature a horizontal lens arrangement on a bar-shaped camera bump at the top rear. The center of the back has a pastel-toned ‘G’ logo. The Pixel 6 is available in three colors: ‘Cloudy White,’ ‘Sorta Sunny,’ and ‘Stormy Black,’ while the Pro model comes in ‘Sorta Seafoam,’ ‘Kinda Coral,’ and ‘Stormy Black.’

The display on the Pixel 6 Pro model features a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED with a variable refresh rate of 10 to 120 Hertz (Hz) for smoother visuals. The Pixel 6 is equipped with a 6.4-inch OLED display supporting a 90Hz refresh rate. Both models use Gorilla Glass Victus for enhanced durability. Additionally, an optical fingerprint sensor is embedded under the display, and both models offer IP68 water and dust resistance.

The high-resolution main camera is also a strong point. Both models include a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. The Pro model additionally features a 48-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom. New features such as ‘Magic Eraser,’ which can remove unwanted objects from photos, and ‘Face Unblur,’ which uses algorithms to sharpen subjects when the face is out of focus, are also noteworthy.

Memory configurations for the Pixel 6 include 8GB RAM with storage options of 128GB and 256GB, while the Pixel 6 Pro offers 12GB RAM with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. The battery capacity is 4600mAh for the Pixel 6 and a larger 5000mAh for the Pro model. Both models support wired fast charging up to 30 watts (W) and wireless charging at 21W and 23W speeds respectively using Google’s new ‘Pixel Stand.’

The pricing is set as previously estimated, starting at $599 (approximately 706,000 KRW) for the Pixel 6 and $899 (approximately 1,059,000 KRW) for the Pixel 6 Pro. This is lower than Apple’s ‘iPhone 13 mini’ ($699) and Samsung Electronics’ ‘Galaxy S21’ ($799), and the premium Pro model is also cheaper than the ‘iPhone 13 Pro Max’ ($1,099) and ‘Galaxy S21 Ultra’ ($1,199). The Pixel 6 series will go on sale in the United States starting on the 28th, with the domestic release in Korea yet to be determined.

Additionally, the operating system (OS) comes pre-installed with Android 12, and Google announced that the Pixel 6 series will receive major OS updates for three years (until the end of October 2024) and security updates for five years from the launch date.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.