Google Pixel 6 5G 256GB (Stormy Black)

I've been an owner of some of the past Google phones including the nexus6p, 4a5g, and now the pixel 6 and I can say that this is my least favorite of them all. The main reason is a failure that has been well documented and has plagued the pixel 6 since its introduction and that is the fingerprint reader. I had gotten so use to the ergonomic position of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the previous phones with their near instantaneous response to this debacle of a fingerprint reader. It is a constant source of frustration and a daily reminder of my dislike of this phone. The other thing I've experienced with both the 4a5g and the pixel 6 is the fragility of the front glass. Even with otterbox covers and screen protectors both phones had radiating breaks from ... MoreI've been an owner of some of the past Google phones including the nexus6p, 4a5g, and now the pixel 6 and I can say that this is my least favorite of them all. The main reason is a failure that has been well documented and has plagued the pixel 6 since its introduction and that is the fingerprint reader. I had gotten so use to the ergonomic position of the fingerprint sensor on the back of the previous phones with their near instantaneous response to this debacle of a fingerprint reader. It is a constant source of frustration and a daily reminder of my dislike of this phone. The other thing I've experienced with both the 4a5g and the pixel 6 is the fragility of the front glass. Even with otterbox covers and screen protectors both phones had radiating breaks from hits on the raised edge of the glass. I know this last issue is nitpicky but it seems that the design of the glass sitting on top of the phone makes it more susceptible to breaks. The rest of the Google Android experience is very good. The performance of the phone, the quality of the camera, and the overall user experience is great and what I've come to to expect from a pure Android Google phone, but the malfunctioning fingerprint sensor and subsequent software updates that have done little to improve it have me looking for a new phone.Update 7/7/22Still no improvement to the fingerprint scanner after all the updates. It is very disappointing. I am currently looking for a replacement phone and have reservations about another pixel phone after my experience with the 6.

The in-screen fingerprint reader makes this phone feel like a downgrade from the 4A every time it doesn't work, which is pretty much every time I try to open my phone. All that "deep learning" we keep hearing about is just marketing bs; Assistant still has the same bugs it's had since Pixel 1: it still keeps asking if I'm comfortable telling it where I live, even though it knows exactly where I live; Smart Lock is still exactly as dysfunctional as it has been since the pixel one; h the greatest flaw which has shown no improvement at any point since the pixel's introduction is a general inability or unwillingness to listen; this increasingly seems to be a character flaw reflects its parent company Google, and Monday just be an inherent and incurable part of its ... MoreThe in-screen fingerprint reader makes this phone feel like a downgrade from the 4A every time it doesn't work, which is pretty much every time I try to open my phone. All that "deep learning" we keep hearing about is just marketing bs; Assistant still has the same bugs it's had since Pixel 1: it still keeps asking if I'm comfortable telling it where I live, even though it knows exactly where I live; Smart Lock is still exactly as dysfunctional as it has been since the pixel one; h the greatest flaw which has shown no improvement at any point since the pixel's introduction is a general inability or unwillingness to listen; this increasingly seems to be a character flaw reflects its parent company Google, and Monday just be an inherent and incurable part of its DNA.This is a pity, because Google Assistant is the smartest of the digital assistants when it bothers to listen to the question; Amazon got this right with generation one of the echo even; even if Alexa is less likely to come up with the correct response, at least she hears you and responds to you every time. And the first generation Echo still works like it's supposed to, every time. None of this "this product is no longer supported"nonsense. And it has, in fact, gotten worse; assistant will now accurately transcribe my words as i speak them on screen , then say, "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear what you just said, could you try again?" while I am looking at the written transcript of what it says it couldn't hear. The impression this leaves is that Google assistant is not only a liar, but a bad one. There's that DNA again.It is probably no coincidence that my opinion about the 6A is consistent with my opinion of Google in general, which is that it has, bit by bit, abandoned the things that it did well (remember when Google search produced amazingly relevant search results?) and instead of acknowledging flaws and correcting them, it has developed an increasingly rigid corporate policy of ignorance (of criticism,) and denial (of flaws.) My hypothesis is thatan unacknowledged flaw becomes an unmitigated flaw, which, when replicated through multiple generations, grows exponentially until it either becomes the dominant trait of the host or kills it-or maybe, in that order, both.And I think that may be where we are right now with Google and the pixel 6a.P.S. a hack I discovered on the 4A for those frequent times that you say something to the phone and the transcription does not appear in whatever app you're using, is to then say one more word; the problem is the phone will then transcribe what you wanted it to transcribe - plus the additional word, which you then have to go to the trouble of deleting. Clearing your throat or coughing, however, Works equally well and produces no unwanted transcriptions. This trick works equally well on the 6A, which, like all of its predecessors, continues to pretend that it did not hear you.

Cheap for a reason

Admittedly, I loved this phone when I first bought it in December 2021, mainly because the battery lasted so much longer than my previous Samsung and Pixel phones. Ironically, it's only negative reviews were for battery life, and it lasts a full day for me without issues, often longer, which is all I really want (don't need it to last 2-3 days).With that said, the amount of times this phone glitches is truly unreasonable. I regularly have to restart my phone for 1) unexplained drops in cell connection, 2) bluetooth going through my watch instead of my car while connected via android auto (this happens a LOT and is extremely annoying), 3) random glitches with apps like Amazon music not wanting to start correctly. And yes, I have all apps set to update ... MoreAdmittedly, I loved this phone when I first bought it in December 2021, mainly because the battery lasted so much longer than my previous Samsung and Pixel phones. Ironically, it's only negative reviews were for battery life, and it lasts a full day for me without issues, often longer, which is all I really want (don't need it to last 2-3 days).With that said, the amount of times this phone glitches is truly unreasonable. I regularly have to restart my phone for 1) unexplained drops in cell connection, 2) bluetooth going through my watch instead of my car while connected via android auto (this happens a LOT and is extremely annoying), 3) random glitches with apps like Amazon music not wanting to start correctly. And yes, I have all apps set to update automatically, same as my previous android phones. And the app developers could be at fault for the apps not working properly, sure, but the bluetooth and cell connection issues are 100% on Google.The only issue I had with the first gen Pixel that I had was the battery life was truly awful. Otherwise, I liked the phone. As for my Samsung S20+ that I had before this Pixel 6 - again, bad battery life but also I much prefer the stock android experience over Samsung's UI. So I rooted my Samsung to get that stock android experience and mostly had little issues with that. But to avoid having to root another Samsung and mainly to avoid the astronomical price of a Samsung phone, I went back to Google. But this Pixel 6 has caused me so much frustration I'm seriously leaning toward overpaying for another Samsung or even switching back to Apple, neither of which I want to do but I may have to to avoid wanting to throw my next phone out the window regularly.Ultimately, I did give this phone two stars instead of one simply because of the price being so much lower than other "high end" phones.

Great advanced features overshadowed by poor basic ones

Overall: disappointed, and wouldn't buy again. Doubtful of all Google phones now.PLUS: --Great signal reception,; I work in an area that has poor Verizon service. On my previous Samsung Galaxy Note 8, I couldn't get any connectivity outside, but this phone can pull down net pages inside my building (with tin roof) no problem.MINUS: --Touch sensitivity of screen is way low. It will take screenshots when tip of finger brushes corner of screen; I have lots of screenshots of Sudoku and other things that are clogging up the files. And it doesn't work well on either the flick -from-corner thing to view and close windows, or swiping up from bottom to get to home page.--Camera is an RPIA to use. I don't like how it takes up to a dozen shots while you compose the ... MoreOverall: disappointed, and wouldn't buy again. Doubtful of all Google phones now.PLUS: --Great signal reception,; I work in an area that has poor Verizon service. On my previous Samsung Galaxy Note 8, I couldn't get any connectivity outside, but this phone can pull down net pages inside my building (with tin roof) no problem.MINUS: --Touch sensitivity of screen is way low. It will take screenshots when tip of finger brushes corner of screen; I have lots of screenshots of Sudoku and other things that are clogging up the files. And it doesn't work well on either the flick -from-corner thing to view and close windows, or swiping up from bottom to get to home page.--Camera is an RPIA to use. I don't like how it takes up to a dozen shots while you compose the photo--just let me take one pic, and that's it. --It takes about 1/2 to 3/4 second to fire the shutter after you punch the button, which is worthless for stop-action shots. --I can't put a time and date stamp on the screen, which is useful for legal purposes. I don't give a rat's hind end if it's in the metadata--I want someone to see it in the photo, especially if I want to print it. --Some of the modes have fixed settings that I can't adjust, like the night mode.--Screen protector (bought online from Verizon; $30; can't remember name) cracked within two months.

I Apple wannabe. Just like Microsoft, Google should focus on software because there hardware is a waste of money.

So to start off with I've been using this phone for about a month now. I switched to the pixel only because I got the 6 for $300 off and my Iphone12 just shattered. My first impressions of it was lack luster. It took me about 3 hours of transferring data before it was usable and even then most my accounts had to be password recoverd, because passwords didn't transfer over accurately. That was just the first of my issues starting day one I noticed the so called quality camera to be WAY worse then my iphone12 a phone a whole gen older, and quite frankly I'd say the iphone 8 had a better camera. The camera quality is ok in perfect lighting but anything less then perfect is abysmal, also if you use Snapchat or Instagram NEVER use the in app cameras they look alot worse. ... MoreSo to start off with I've been using this phone for about a month now. I switched to the pixel only because I got the 6 for $300 off and my Iphone12 just shattered. My first impressions of it was lack luster. It took me about 3 hours of transferring data before it was usable and even then most my accounts had to be password recoverd, because passwords didn't transfer over accurately. That was just the first of my issues starting day one I noticed the so called quality camera to be WAY worse then my iphone12 a phone a whole gen older, and quite frankly I'd say the iphone 8 had a better camera. The camera quality is ok in perfect lighting but anything less then perfect is abysmal, also if you use Snapchat or Instagram NEVER use the in app cameras they look alot worse. I had intentions of buying into the Google Ecosystem but this phone has forever turned me off from that. A example of my frustrations with the "ease of use" is the fact I've been trying to make a Instagram reel for a whole hour because, although this is a android phone, it does not have a gallery app, just Google photos, and it only displays photos saved to your device; so the only way to get the photo you want is to go search for it in your Google photos, save it to your phone, go back to Instagram, scroll through all your photos until you found it.... Let's move on to the Operating system, trash, and I'm not being harsh. Remember how I said there's no Gallery app? Well this problem is consistent, the phone runs on Android but is missing INTEGRAL applications to run android smoothly, they replace these apps with Google's equivalent which in most scenarios does not work properly and is buggy or tedious. Android emojis, I don't even have to say more. "Hey Google" pops up randomly if you have it activated, I had to disable "hey Google" because any word like Google would activate it and in public and it would go off every few mins. I honestly can't give this phone a decent review simple because the things it does right should be expected of a flag ship phone so I'm not giving them goodie points for biometrics/5G/OLED/8gb RAM/128GB Storage, all of that is to be expected of a flagship phone made in the 20's. Infact the same gen flagship galaxy's/Iphones are LEAGES better, and I think the sad part that when you realize how much your loosing it's not worth the $200-$300 you'd save over the iphone or galaxy.

I think I got a dud.

I purchased a Google Pixel phone because my husband had the Google pixel 3 for a long time and it was such a great phone. That has not been my experience with this Google phone. My text messages don't always send out and my calls break out sometimes. I even went to Verizon reset everything and got a new Sim. Still the same thing. My husband is on the same network and has no problem with reception. Also my phone is constantly telling me I have no storage left in my email and other Google files. I deleted it down to only 30 emails and if I get a bunch of emails (like 15 more) it'll pop up with a warning that I have low storage. I've deleted emails, pictures, and files just so I won't have the storage warning but then if I can't save anything it defeats the purpose of ... MoreI purchased a Google Pixel phone because my husband had the Google pixel 3 for a long time and it was such a great phone. That has not been my experience with this Google phone. My text messages don't always send out and my calls break out sometimes. I even went to Verizon reset everything and got a new Sim. Still the same thing. My husband is on the same network and has no problem with reception. Also my phone is constantly telling me I have no storage left in my email and other Google files. I deleted it down to only 30 emails and if I get a bunch of emails (like 15 more) it'll pop up with a warning that I have low storage. I've deleted emails, pictures, and files just so I won't have the storage warning but then if I can't save anything it defeats the purpose of a Google phone. I had a Motorola phone previously and never had to delete any pictures and now I have to delete pictures every week. Speaking of pictures, it's supposed to have great quality. We shared pictures from a family vacation we had. I was the only one that took pictures with something other than an iphone and my pictures were the least appealing for quality. I have just been so disappointed with this phone. It won't do the basic functions that I was used to with other androids and has constant storage problems even after deleting to bare minimum. Also the battery life is terrible. Unfortunately it wasn't cheap so I'm stuck and just waiting to finish paying it off so I can get something that will work without sacrifices.

Pixel sucks. Don't buy it.

One of the worst phones I have ever had. I got this because I thought with it being a Google phone, the android updates and bug fixes would be quick. This phone is so riddled with bugs it's beyond laughable. Regularly when you are in landscape mode and switch to an app in portrait the bottom swipe bar stays on the left side and messes with your swipe commands. The volume on speaker calls is lower than if you just turn a regular phone call to max volume. The auto hold and text dictation are garbage. Google assistant pops up constantly even when in absolutely silence. Removing the ability to long press the power button to turn off the phone was a terrible choice. Privacy settings are a gimmick and not useful in any way. Tlthe Google engineered chip is great at space ... MoreOne of the worst phones I have ever had. I got this because I thought with it being a Google phone, the android updates and bug fixes would be quick. This phone is so riddled with bugs it's beyond laughable. Regularly when you are in landscape mode and switch to an app in portrait the bottom swipe bar stays on the left side and messes with your swipe commands. The volume on speaker calls is lower than if you just turn a regular phone call to max volume. The auto hold and text dictation are garbage. Google assistant pops up constantly even when in absolutely silence. Removing the ability to long press the power button to turn off the phone was a terrible choice. Privacy settings are a gimmick and not useful in any way. Tlthe Google engineered chip is great at space to text dictation but that is where the usefulness ends for 99% of people. The battery life is one of the worst I've ever experienced; it regularly needs at least a half charge by mid day. The build quality is cool when you see the phone but using it everyday is a nightmare w/o a case. The back has almost 0 friction so it falls off of every surface imaginable especially if you get a notification and your phone vibrates. After just 8 months the USB port is loose so most nights it doesn't even charge when plugged in. The only positive I can think of is that the phone doesn't break easily which d go because with how slippery the back is you will drop this A LOT! Bottom line Google has shown their forray into smart phones is a complete failure. I'd buy another Samsung before I ever bought another Pixel

Surprisingly Disappointed

Purchased this phone as my old phone had fallen into water and was no longer operational. To say that I've been disappointed since purchasing this phone would be a gross understatement. Of course there is always the adjustment period from an old phone to a new phone, however, even after continued operation, I've found that this phone falls short on so many expectations.I would like to highlight a couple of the positives, with the top of the list being the camera. The camera quality was a significant upgrade, and while it's still not absolutely perfect (and likely will never be), I can say that it was an upgrade from my old device. Another positive was the integration of password management, which was significantly easier than any other device I've purchased in the ... MorePurchased this phone as my old phone had fallen into water and was no longer operational. To say that I've been disappointed since purchasing this phone would be a gross understatement. Of course there is always the adjustment period from an old phone to a new phone, however, even after continued operation, I've found that this phone falls short on so many expectations.I would like to highlight a couple of the positives, with the top of the list being the camera. The camera quality was a significant upgrade, and while it's still not absolutely perfect (and likely will never be), I can say that it was an upgrade from my old device. Another positive was the integration of password management, which was significantly easier than any other device I've purchased in the past (although this isn't exactly new, but merely improved). On to some of the shortcomings. Most notably, the operating speed and ease operation is comparable to my nearly 4-year-old Samsung a51, which with its age was understandably slow. I continually experience issues when switching windows, when opening new tabs, or when swiping through apps in routine use. I've also found that the battery life is only marginally better than my old phone, which is extremely disappointing considering how new this one is. Overall, while I'm generally fond of Google and the technology associated with them, if I had known the issues that I would encounter with this phone, I would have purchased a different phone.

This is a terrible phone, with terrible battery life and charging capability

I have been eyeing the pixel line for years. Contemplated making the switch from my Samsung many many times and was actually super excited about the pixel line. I almost bit the bullet for the Pixel 5, but a lot of the reviews coming out indicated it fell short in a lot of areas so I held off. Enter the Pixel 6. Initial reviews seem positive, and I was convinced to let go of my Samsung 10 pro and move to The Pixel 6 pro. I have regretted that decision everyday since. This is the worst phone I have owned in at least a decade. All of them needs to do at its core is make calls and be functional or able to turn on while there's many other aspects I could review positive and or negative, the biggest issue I have with this is that they've intentionally designed it so that ... MoreI have been eyeing the pixel line for years. Contemplated making the switch from my Samsung many many times and was actually super excited about the pixel line. I almost bit the bullet for the Pixel 5, but a lot of the reviews coming out indicated it fell short in a lot of areas so I held off. Enter the Pixel 6. Initial reviews seem positive, and I was convinced to let go of my Samsung 10 pro and move to The Pixel 6 pro. I have regretted that decision everyday since. This is the worst phone I have owned in at least a decade. All of them needs to do at its core is make calls and be functional or able to turn on while there's many other aspects I could review positive and or negative, the biggest issue I have with this is that they've intentionally designed it so that the battery is trash. I can plug my phone in leave. It charged for 4 hours overnight, and still wake up in the morning. With it not fully charged. And it therefore takes forever to get a full charge. And it's not like it holds the charge very well, it burns through just like any other smartphone except that you cannot charge it quickly. This is the first one I've had again in at least a decade where I've had it switch off on me many many times. Just because I'm unable to keep it effectively charged. There's nothing special about this phone, otherwise. There are some features that Google puts in like live transcription that are kind of cool or my phone screening, but they in no way shape or form of way. The fact that the battery life on this phone and it's charging capabilities are just abysmal. It's 2022, and there are phones out there that can get 80% charged in 30 minutes. If only with this, but that will not be. I can't give this phone anything more than one star with that in mind and it frustrates me every single day. I hate my pixel 6 pro and I will highly advise everyone and anyone to stay the f away from it

most underwhelming phone offered with so-called 5G service.

These Pixel 6 phones are garbage. The Google Tensor chip is mediocre at best. The 5G antenna on these is laughably bad, except nobody is laughing. Every single person I know (I work for a software development company and we're heavy into Android development) has moved on from the Pixel/Google design house to better things. I have yet to experience 5G where I live, 10 minutes away from Richmond VA despite a big old Verizon 5G tower in line-of-sight from my home (about 1400 yards). I've yet to get 5G. When I am in an area supersaturated with 5G, such as Carytown in Richmond VA, I get 1 bar of 5G. My wife's best friend gets a maxed-out signal on her 5G Galaxy 10. My bro-in-law's iDevice is also maxed out. Utterly baffling Verizon charges so much for such a royal piece ... MoreThese Pixel 6 phones are garbage. The Google Tensor chip is mediocre at best. The 5G antenna on these is laughably bad, except nobody is laughing. Every single person I know (I work for a software development company and we're heavy into Android development) has moved on from the Pixel/Google design house to better things. I have yet to experience 5G where I live, 10 minutes away from Richmond VA despite a big old Verizon 5G tower in line-of-sight from my home (about 1400 yards). I've yet to get 5G. When I am in an area supersaturated with 5G, such as Carytown in Richmond VA, I get 1 bar of 5G. My wife's best friend gets a maxed-out signal on her 5G Galaxy 10. My bro-in-law's iDevice is also maxed out. Utterly baffling Verizon charges so much for such a royal piece of garbage. And yeah, we're all stuck with VXW because no other provide even projects a signal in my neighborhood. The 5G on the Pixel6 is junk. the Bluetooth forgets 90% of devices, the OS is buggy as heck DESPITE Android being a Google project. I had to move to the Android Beta just so I could actually use my phone without constant crashing. The lone redeeming factor on these electronic devices is the ability of the camera software. My old OnePlus phones (6, 7, 8) all took better pictures, had always-functional fingerprint scanners, and even had face recognition- items Google cannot seem to make work properly. Maybe they should hire some actual developers and software engineers, not boot-camp superheroes with tons of certs and absolutely ZERO skill. IF you're on the fence about buying one of these, do yourself a favor and buy a Galaxy or something from a company that makes good phones. The last good Pixel was the 3, and with all the news coming out about defective Pixel 7 camera glass shattering, all I can say is if you buy a Pixel, you deserve whatever headaches they cause.