Whether you love or hate Google's divisive new design direction for its in-house smartphone lineup, you have to admit the search giant has managed to build a lot more buzz around this year's unconventional Pixel 6 and 6 Pro already (without even trying) than 2020's terribly boring Pixel 5.
The three-tone design pretty much etched in stone by more than one reliable tipster is obviously just one piece of an increasingly intriguing puzzle, with a whole bunch of camera upgrades and an entirely new chipset also making a number of headlines lately.
Google + Samsung = a lot of (gaming) power
Although Big G is expected to develop the so-called "Whitechapel" SoC itself in order to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm, which supplies almost every single Android handset vendor with low, mid, and high-end Snapdragon processors nowadays, Samsung will definitely be involved in the chip's manufacturing process.
As such, it makes perfect sense for this frugal and powerful 5nm-based Whitechapel platform (that's only a codename, remember) to pair an unknown CPU with the Mali-G78 GPU, as discovered by the always trustworthy folks over at XDA Developers.
This is purportedly the standard Pixel 6
If that latter part happens to ring a bell, it might be because that's the same exact ARM-based graphics processing unit used on Samsung's Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra outside of the US and a couple of other key markets.
In other words, that's a main component of the Exynos 2100 SoC powering the "international" Galaxy S21 family, which further suggests the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could take on the very best phones available today in terms of everything from camera capabilities to raw speed and graphics performance.
Of course, there's more than one way to skin a cat, and for the time being, we don't know if the Mali-G78 GPU believed to reside under the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro's hood will share the exact same specifications with the GPU on the S21 series.
How expensive could the Pixel 6 Pro with 5G get?
Considering this new reveal and that recent rumor about the Whitechapel processor on the whole slotting somewhere between Qualcomm's Snapdragon 865 and 888 models as far as overall performance is concerned, it's clearly safe to assume we're looking at something with a lot more pizzazz than last year's upper mid-range Pixel 5 here.
We're talking 6.4 and 6.7-inch high-end (or at least high-end-ish) devices set to be made available in a number of eye-catching color combinations at some point in the fall. Naturally, it's essentially impossible to make any sort of educated guesses on pricing until we hear more about Google's first custom (Samsung-made) chipset.
This could be the Pixel 6 Pro's rear camera setup
Some preliminary benchmarks would be nice (Jon Prosser? Max Weinbach? Anyone?), although if the curved Pixel 6 Pro does end up featuring a triple rear-facing camera system including a 50MP primary shooter and some kind of a periscope lens, as well as a 120Hz screen with Quad HD resolution, 5,000mAh battery capacity, in-display fingerprint recognition technology, and mmWave 5G support, we'll count ourselves lucky if Google manages to keep the starting price below, say, $1,200.
The "regular-sized" and flat-screened Pixel 6, meanwhile, is shaping up to be considerably more affordable, purportedly losing the periscope sensor, downgrading the display resolution, and potentially lowering the megapixel count of the main camera as well.
Obviously, the smaller model is expected to pack a smaller battery too, and while 5G speeds are all but guaranteed for the non-Pro Pixel 6, the aforementioned mmWave support for Verizon's blazing fast Ultra Wideband network could also be taken out for cost-saving purposes.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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