Seeing the Google Pixel 6 in its new video has made up my mind

The Google Pixel 6 looks different from other phones, at least it does in the pictures we’ve seen so far. The pastel colors and that unmistakable camera bump make it instantly recognizable. But our knowledge comes from a series of press shots and before that, some renders.

All this makes it difficult to imagine in scale and in use. Many cars look stunning in their billboard ads but when you see them in real life, you’d barely notice them in a traffic jam. While we still haven’t got our hands on the Google Pixel 6, we now have a little more insight into what it will really look like.

This is thanks to another teaser video from Google. The video poses the question, ‘what if smart phones weren’t smart? What if your phone saw you for who you are?’ It’s talking of course about the Material You design, which lets you customize the look and feel of the user interface.

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Google Pixel 6 video

What we also see in the video though are people interacting with the phone. In an extremely brief section that lasts less than two seconds, four people are shown holding the phone, giving a clearer idea of how it looks in the hand.

It’s hardly a hands-on but after stop-starting the video and screen-shotting the life out of it, I have come to the following conclusions. Firstly, the design still looks special. It’s the kind of phone that you will be able to spot someone using across the room – thanks of course to those colors and that bump. Second is that it’s big. Unless Google has intentionally picked actors with very small hands, the device looks massive and long. Suddenly my iPhone 12 Pro Max won’t feel like the giant.

The final decision I’ve come to is that I want one. Yes, the camera bump is big and we still don’t know much about what’s inside it other than the custom chip, but this is an iconic design. Who wouldn’t want to be seen with one?

The ad finishes with 'coming fall 2021', so hopefully, it won't be long before you can try it for yourself.