Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will use Google’s self-designed “Tensor” processor

The new generation of smart phones generally debut in the fall, but Google unexpectedly had news to share with us today. The company just announced that not only the Pixel 6 will arrive in the fall, but it will also build the first SoC chip “Tensor” designed by Google. It uses Google’s AI technology to achieve stronger and more integrated machine learning capabilities on the device. In a Tensor demo event, the editors of the main site had the opportunity to see the true face of Pixel 6. Although they were not allowed to take pictures and shoot videos, and Google did not share all the hardware specifications, we can already know the new generation of Pixel in advance. A small number of new features have been added.

First of all, the new generation of Pixel will be divided into two series, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Google has not provided the exact size of the two, but the larger Pro is about the same size as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Both are consistent in appearance with the previously leaked renderings, but of course they are more three-dimensional and reflective. At the top of the center of the back, there is a horizontal bar about 2.5 cm wide, in black, lime green or pink, and underneath it is a black camera protrusion. According to Google’s blog post, the improved sensor and lens are too big to fit into the traditional “box”.

Of course, this means that you still can’t lay the Pixel phone flat on the desktop, or it will tilt to one side because the camera protrudes, but at least it will not tilt to a corner like the past Pixel phones, and it will not shake left and right. The rest of the back is in lighter shades of pink green and pink that echo the horizontal bars above, but the black version is still black.

As for the Pro product line, the contrast between the upper and lower parts of the back is not so strong, but the edges have what Osterloh calls “high-gloss metal trim” design, and the edges of the camera protrusions also have high-gloss processing. The colors available for Pixel 6 Pro are black, white and light orange, and all Pixel 6 series seem to have glass back panels. The edge of the front screen has a slight curvature, and the front lens has been moved from the upper left corner to the top center. Google doesn’t seem to have a good name for the color yet, but Osterloh said the marketing team is working on it.

As for the camera itself, Google is not ready to share information about the number of pixels or the size of the photoreceptor, only that they use a larger photoreceptor than the previous generation, and the resolution will also be higher. Osterloh said that the main lens of the Pixel 6 can increase the amount of light by 150% compared to the previous Pixel cameras, and both series also provide an ultra-wide-angle lens outside the main lens. It is only a 4x optical zoom telephoto lens, which is only available in the Pro I can only find it.

In addition to the last upgrade of the camera hardware that has remained unchanged for many years, Pixel 6 will also benefit from Tensor and have better photo processing capabilities. This includes how to make moving objects clearer and more accurate exposure in photos and videos. Google can also apply AI technologies such as HDRNet to videos to make some scenes with great contrast between bright and dark. The best balance can be achieved.

Google has also redesigned its speech recognition software, launching a new platform called SODA (Speech On Device API), allowing apps to use the Tensor processor to bring data center-level speech recognition. Not only that, it only consumes half of the electricity in the past during the processing. Osterloh demonstrated a new real-time subtitle plus real-time translation function on the spot, which not only can directly add subtitles to all sounds on mobile phones, but also translates almost synchronously, without the use of cloud computing power.

The part of listening and playing will also get a lot of upgrades. On the GBoard of Pixel 6, you can press the microphone button to complete the text by speaking, and then directly use voice commands such as “Send” or “Clear” to trigger the phone’s actions. You can also use the touch keyboard to correct typos while the microphone is still listening.

Hardware-related information such as CPU/GPU core and clock, memory size, battery size, and duration of use will not be announced until later, but Osterloh said that Google knows that users expect at least a full day of electricity. He is also working hard in this direction. Osterloh also confirmed that Pixel 6 will support 5G, but did not specify which frequency bands.

Although it is not an official release, Google has let us know a lot about the Pixel 6 series today — this includes a new design, a new camera, a new UI (Android 12), a new chip, and more . Osterloh is extremely excited about the arrival of Pixel 6, and regards it as the “decisive version” of the Google mobile phone, the ultimate goal product Google has been trying to achieve for several years.