How the new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro stack up to previous Google phones

Google unveiled its latest Pixel smartphones at its fall hardware event on October 19th. There’s a lot to be excited about with the new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but if you have an older Pixel, you may be wondering if it’s worth the upgrade.

Although we’d need a whole review to answer that question (and trust us, it’s coming!), we also put together this quick comparison to show what you get with a Pixel 6 over the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4.

First things first: the specs. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are much larger than their predecessors, boasting 6.4-inch and 6.71-inch displays respectively. It’s also worth noting that the Pixel 6 continues offering a 90Hz display, while the 6 Pro bumps that up to 120Hz. As for RAM, the Pixel 6 is on par with the Pixel 5 at 8GB, while the Pixel 6 Pro boasts a whopping 12GB. Both the 6 and 6 Pro start at 128GB of storage and offer larger batteries at 4,600mAh and 5,000mAh respectively.

One of the biggest differences, however, is the new Google Tensor system-on-a-chip (SoC). While previous Pixel phones used Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, this time around Google’s Tensor is powering all the new features. It’s arguably the star of the show — during the reveal event, Google showed off how Tensor enables new features like Magic Eraser, live translate and more.

Unfortunately, Tensor is going to be the main reason why many new Pixel 6 features don’t find their way back to older Pixel models. Google says that it designed the chip to power these features to improve efficiency and make them work faster — without Tensor, those features won’t work (or won’t work as well).

It still remains to be seen what performance is like with Tensor, but my guess is it’ll be fine thanks to Google’s optimization magic.

All-new camera

Another area that saw significant improvement was the camera. Google’s Pixel camera hardware hasn’t meaningfully changed in years, but the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro make some huge changes.

The most notable change is the new camera bar that extends across the back of the phone. It’s certainly a unique look, although I’m interested to see how large it is in real life. There’s the new 50-megapixel primary sensor, which is also larger than before. All this should mean we’ll see higher-res photos with more light from the Pixel 6 series.

Both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro also feature 12-megapixel ultrawide cameras, while the 6 Pro sports a 48-megapixel telephoto lens in a ‘periscope’ configuration. The periscope technique involves using a prism to reflect the light at a 90-degree angle, allowing phones to have more extensive lens configurations that extend through the body of the phone.

Couple with Google’s AI and ML magic and several impressive new features like ‘Magic Eraser,’ the new camera hardware looks set to provide some stunning pictures.

Considering all these new things together, it definitely looks like the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will be must-have devices for most Pixel owners. Those with a Pixel 5 likely won’t need to upgrade, but the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro make a compelling case (at least, on paper).

For all of our coverage from Google’s Pixel 6 series event, follow this link.