GoKawiilStephen Radochia / Android Authority
I have a complicated relationship with the Google Pixel 6, but I still find news of its demise to be bittersweet. I appreciate that Google extended support for another couple of years beyond the original expiration and that it has done an excellent job optimizing new software updates for aging hardware.
Beyond the nuts and bolts, the Pixel 6 represents a seismic shift in the history of Google’s smartphones. For better or worse, it ushered in the Tensor era and gave Pixels the identity they still have today. The Pixel 6 was a complicated beast, and it’s the perfect encapsulation of Google’s hardware adventures.
What are your memories of the Google Pixel 6? 20 votes It was a disaster with all kinds of bugs. 10 % I had plenty of problems, but I still liked it. 45 % My Pixel 6 was perfect. 30 % I never had a Pixel 6. 15 %
The Pixel 6 was supposed to be the future
Stephen Radochia / Android Authority
Prior to the Pixel 6, Google appeared lost in the woods with its devices. It felt like a company closer to the end of its phone journey than the beginning. The Nexus phones were a loose confederation of manufacturers and Google, but they still hold a special place in many hearts and laid the foundation for what Pixel would become.
The original Pixel and Pixel 2 were formative. I remember the first time I saw a portrait image shot on the Pixel 2 XL. It was like seeing a movie in HD for the first time, and it was head and shoulders above what any other company was doing. I power up my panda Pixel 2 XL often, longing for the days when the phones were different and special.
Excellent cameras and a stock Android experience carried early Pixels, but the hardware always felt awkward, a step behind what Samsung and others offered. I loved the Pixel 4 XL, but its small battery and 6GB of RAM were limiting.
David Imel / Android Authority
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