The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will launch this fall with new Tensor chip

Google gives us our first teaser of the Pixel 6.

What you need to know

• Google teases its upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
• The teaser includes official images and information about the upcoming flagships.
• The Pixel 6 smartphones will come equipped with Google’s new Tensor chip.

The Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are official, as the company has taken to its official blog to tease its upcoming flagship smartphones.

Despite some conflicting rumors that Google was sticking with the “XL” moniker for its larger Pixel, the company has now made the “Pixel 6 Pro” name official for its beefier model.

The company also provided some details about the build and design of the devices, with a matte aluminum finish on the Pixel 6 and a polished aluminum frame on the 6 Pro. Both devices will also come with “improved sensors and lenses” to help compete with some of the best Android phones on the market. The cameras come with a new design that will better accommodate the upgraded system.

Google did not provide many specifics on the cameras, but the Pixel 6 Pro will be equipped with a triple camera setup that includes a 4x telephoto sensor, while the dual-camera setup on the Pixel 6 will miss out on the telephoto lens. Both devices are expected to feature an ultra-wide sensor as well.

The new smartphones will run the new Android 12 upgrade with Material You and are powered by Google’s new Tensor chip, previously known as “Whitechapel.” The company says the chip was designed with a focus on AI and machine learning “to unlock specific experiences for our Pixel users” and will enable many new features and experiences.

Google says Tensor will build on its previous experience with computational photography and speech recognition to run its “most powerful AI and ML models” for imaging, speech, and more. The company hints at improvements with voice commands, translation, captioning, and dictation, which will be processed on-device thanks to the new chip.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed his excitement for the massive advancements that Tensor will enable for the upcoming Pixel 6 smartphones, saying that it’s the “biggest innovation in Pixel” that the company has made to date:

Our custom Google Tensor chip, which has been four years in the making and builds off of two decades of Google’s computing experience, does exactly that.

Starting with Pixel 6 phones launching this fall, it will help make more helpful experiences possible, from better speech recognition that uses half the power consumption to the best face detection to improve blurry photos in low lighting.

The new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will launch this fall, where the company will provide additional details like new features, technical specifications, pricing, and availability.

It’s coming

Google Pixel 6

See at Google

The power of AI in your hands

The upcoming Google Pixel 6 will mark an important milestone for Google with its new custom-built SoC that will power the phone’s AI and machine learning on-device, enabling better photography, speech recognition, and tons of new experiences.