The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are Google's best-selling phones by a good margin and some of our favorite handsets. Still, if you're happy with your old Pixel phone, you might be on the fence about upgrading. You no longer have to shell out $600 or $900 before tax as the devices have seen more sales recently, especially in the time leading up to the Pixel 7 series.
The Pixel 6 lineup is still great, and even more so if you have a Pixel 3, which doesn't receive updates anymore, making them more insecure every minute you keep using them.
The obvious differences between Pixels
The first and most significant change you'll notice when you pick up the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro is the size and weight. The non-XL Pixel 3 weighs roughly 150g, while the Pixel 6 comes in at about 200g. This is a significant difference you'll feel in your hand. This is because the Pixel 6 grows in every dimension, with a protruding camera bar stretching across the back. You'll love this if you like big phones, but if you prefer a handset that fits comfortably in your hand, you may not like it too much.
The Pixel 6 and the 6 Pro are almost as big as the Pixel 3 XL. The 6 and the 6 Pro are about the same size. Google's latest lineup isn't really about picking the size you like; it's more about which feature set you want. If you'd like your phone to be as small as the regular Pixel 3, the Pixel 6 will likely not be for you.
Despite the similar form factor between the Pixel 3 XL and the Pixel 6, the new phone has a bigger display and battery. The screen comes in at 6.4 inches, with a 90Hz refresh rate, and fills out the whole front almost perfectly. Only a small punch-hole selfie camera breaks up the middle of the status bar at the top. You won't see a notch or a speakable bezel.
The battery is also a significant upgrade from roughly 3,400mAh on the 3 XL (and ~2900mAh on the regular 3) to ~4,600mAh on the Pixel 6. This translates to a battery that comfortably lasts a whole day, which stands in stark contrast to a Pixel 3 that has to be topped off in the afternoon to make it to bedtime without a dead phone.
The Pixel 6 also has a few new features that most likely won't find their way into older Pixels due to its specialized, Google-built Tensor chip. The new phone offers supercharged text-to-speech on Gboard, with better speech comprehension, automatic punctuation, and support for commands like "send" or "delete." There's also Live Translate, which lets you automatically translate text messages and stuff you see in front of your camera.
Performance-wise, the Pixel 6 is an upgrade, but it's not as big a jump as we would have expected. In our experience, the Pixel 3 is still adequate for most everyday tasks (barring hugely taxing activities like surfing the web while on a video call), which is impressive for a three-year-old phone.
Comparing cameras
As with any new Pixel generation, the Pixel 6 brings numerous camera improvements to the table, like Real Tone for a more accurate representation of skin colors. There is also Magic Eraser, which removes unwanted objects and people who pass by from images. Motion Mode lets you pick between Action Pan and Long Exposure, helping you create professional-looking photos of fast-moving objects. Other than Magic Eraser, which is now part of Google One, none of these features have found their way onto older Pixels, so you'll need to upgrade to take advantage of them.
For those upgrading from a Pixel 3, it's also great to have access to more than one lens on the back. We would have preferred a telephoto lens on the regular Pixel 6 in place of the wide-angle lens we got, but the wide-angle still offers a new perspective to play with. The Pixel 3 was the first (and last) in the series to come with two front-facing cameras, with a standard lens in addition to a wide-angle.
The Pixel 3 and 3XL are also among the Pixel phones with grandfathered unlimited Google Photos storage, even if they can only take advantage of it when you upload images in compressed quality. This is missing altogether from the Pixel 6 (and 6 Pro), so it might make sense to keep your old phone and use it as a Google Photos upload machine.
Some degradations
There are some other degradations. The Pixel 6's speakers sound worse than the Pixel 3's. You get used to them, but in direct comparison, they're tinny, lack any semblance of bass, and are less dynamic than the Pixel 3. While we enjoy watching videos on a Pixel 3 without any further peripherals, the Pixel 6 makes us want to connect to Bluetooth hearing aids more often than in the past.
The fingerprint scanner is another point of contention. The Pixel 6 breaks with the Pixel series' traditional back-mounted sensor, opting for an optical under-display solution. Compared to other optical sensors, like the one in the OnePlus 10T, it's slow and prone to error. It doesn't compare to what the Pixel 3 offered, which was much faster and more accurate.
It's also a shame that Google did away with its beautiful fabric cases in favor of a selection of transparent alternatives. They don't hold up nearly as well as the fabric cases and don't compare to other transparent cases. We took a deep dive into the bad decisions that doomed Google's case design. If you want a good case for your Pixel 6, we have a few suggestions.
What about the Pixel 2?
As for the Pixel 2, a lot of the points above also apply. The Pixel 2 hasn't received software updates for a long time now and is still stuck with Android 11. While it's a shame that its owners are left out on all the beautiful new things coming to phones with Android 12 and Android 13, the more pressing problem is the lack of recent security patches.
The Pixel 2 isn't protected from the most recent vulnerabilities found in Android anymore, which makes it more prone to privacy breaches and data thieves. Thanks to Android's modular nature, some of these issues can be mitigated without proper system updates. Still, it's a big issue when you use the Pixel 2 today.
The Pixel 6 will receive a total of five years of security patches, which should make it one of the longest-lasting Android phones currently available. Included in these five years are the usual three years of full Android version upgrades.
Get the Pixel 6!
While we were reluctant to recommend Pixel 3 owners upgrade when the new Pixel 6 came out, the situation has changed. Both the Pixel 3 and 2 have reached end-of-life, meaning they are not receiving further security updates. This makes it dangerous to use them. Even if the Pixel 6 comes with a few regressions compared to the Pixel 3, you'll end up with a modern device that will stay secure for many years to come.
If the size is an issue, consider other options like the Asus Zenfone 9, which offers a flagship-like experience in a small footprint. The Pixel 6a might be another option, as it sits about in the middle between the Pixel 6 and 3.
If you don't care about size, the Pixel 6 is a more than clear recommendation. There are a few regressions, like the lack of a wide-angle selfie camera, worse-sounding speakers, and a slower fingerprint scanner. Still, the Pixel 6 gives you the latest and greatest from Google and should be good to go for at least three years, if not five.
It's the most significant hardware and software change in recent years and comes in at a fair $600, which is cheaper than what the Pixel 3 launched at ($800), and it undercuts many comparable phones on the market today.