What is it about my Pixel 6 Pro that made me put down my iPhone 15 Pro Max?
The Pixel 6 Pro might be losing Google support later this year, but until then it is my daily driver.
My Pixel 6 Pro has replaced my iPhone 15 Pro Max as my daily driver. | Image by PhoneArena
I was so stoked when my Pixel 6 Pro arrived 2 weeks late (thanks for screwing up my address, Verizon). This was my second Pixel after the Pixel 2 XL and after watching the unveiling over my iPhone 11 Pro Max, I was hooked on the AI-powered features like the Magic Eraser and Hold for Me. The phone was the first Pixel to sport a periscope lens (delivering 4x optical zoom), and it was equipped with a 5,003 mAh battery, which I thought would give me all-day battery life. It did not and battery life was poor to say the least.
Soon, it became apparent that the Pixel 6 Pro had some problems, and not the kind that could be fixed with a software update. Google's decision to use the Samsung Exynos Modem 5123b turned out to be a huge mistake as users complained about their phone losing connectivity and unable to make a call at various times. A couple of other terrible decisions by Google
also made the phone a struggle to use.
An important feature for the Pixel 6 Pro was scrapped at the last minute
All through the specs sheet there are some examples of Google being cheap. The Pixel 6 Pro allegedly was going to include a facial recognition system, but that supposedly was rejected at the last minute. And to make matters worse, instead of using a superior Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, Google opted for the less expensive Optical sensor that was laggy, slow, and had me typing in my passcode too many times to remember.
My iPhone 15 Pro Max takes a backseat to my Pixel 6 Pro. | Image by PhoneArena
Things got so bad that I benched my Pixel 6 Pro and returned to my iPhone 11 Pro Max, which I replaced with an iPhone 15 Pro Max. But sometime during the last two years, I fell in love with my Pixel 6 Pro again. I'd like to tell you why. Replacing Google Assistant with Gemini allows me to get more in-depth responses to my queries. Now you might say that this can't be that important that I would replace my iPhone 15 Pro Max with the Pixel 6 Pro. That might be true for most, but I'm a bit strange when it comes to certain things.
Google uses AI to make Android users' lives better while Apple sees it as a parlor trick
For example, I searched for a long time to find iOS and Android browsers that not only show a Desktop Version of The New York Times, but show the actual version of the website that you see on your PC or Mac. Because today's phones have thinner displays, the Desktop version of the Times on most smartphones consolidates the right sidebar turning it into a separate row. For those as odd as I am, the Opera Browser for iOS and the Desktop FullScreen Web Browser for Android renders the newspaper the way I want it.
I also feel that Google is embracing AI as a way to make Android users' lives better. So far, Apple has used AI and Apple Intelligence as parlor tricks. For example, the Pixel 10 series has the Magic Cue, which is supposed to understand what you are doing with your device and show relevant data from Gmail, Calendar, Keep, and more, right when you need it. Siri will supposedly add this feature soon, but Apple has put off the release of Siri 2.0 more than once. We could see this feature appear in the iOS 26.5 Beta which could be released at any time.
Most of you would simply stick with the iPhone for the more powerful processor and the better battery life. But the Pixel 6 Pro feels better in the hand (in my hand at least) and while the Tensor application processor (AP) is not Apple's A-series AP, it is capable of doing the things I want my Pixel to do.
Originally, the Pixel 6 Pro was supposed to lose support after the release of Android 15. But after Google announced 8 years of Android updates for the Pixel 8 series, it extended support to the Pixel 6 Pro through the release of Android 17 and into October. This means that I will be looking to pick up the Pixel 11 Pro XL later this summer.
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