For years, Google’s ambitious Pixel project has ceased to impress, failing to mark its stamp on the mainstream market, specifically in the flagship space. Rather ironically, Google’s biggest success was the Pixel 3a — Googles’ last-ditch attempt to save the day after the Pixel 3’s epic fail. Of course, at this point, many people would rightfully write them off, with last year’s Pixel 5 resembling the spec sheet and features of a fancy/posh mid-ranger more than a fully-fledged flagship smartphone. This year, however, Google seems to be gearing up to make a comeback with the Pixel 6 series. Here’s how Google could turn the market on its head.
Google’s “Whitechapel” chipset
Starting off with the cornerstone of every spec sheet, the SoC powering the device in question. Normally, it would be taken for granted that Qualcomm’s latest offering would be powering Google’s upcoming flagship. After all, this has been the tradition, barring last year’s Pixel 5 when Google pulled off the flagship game. This year though, numerous rumors and reports suggest that Google might finally break the loop for good, with the upcoming Pixel 6 series powered by Google’s first in-house piece of silicon, codename “Whitechapel.” While there aren’t that many details regarding the performance and efficiency of the SoC, it is rumored that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 still holds a slight advantage when it comes to CPU performance. In fact, it’s been reported that early performance estimates of the Whitechapel SoC suggest it’s closer to the Snapdragon 870 than the cutting-edge Snapdragon 888 chipset. It might be a bit disappointing to know that Google’s much-anticipated custom SoC might already lose the race to Qualcomm’s latest offering. But, as lame and disappointing it may sound to a lot of people, there is more to care about in an SoC than just the CPU Performance.
First, there is the matter of the SoC’s efficiency. As SoCs become more capable and more powerful, efficiency starts to take a worryingly sizeable hit. Quoting Anandtech’s analysis of the Snapdragon 888, while it might beat its predecessor in a lot of aspects, the same cannot be said when comparing the efficiency of both SoCs. The Snapdragon 888’s performance increase comes with a corresponding spike in power consumption. In fact, the Snapdragon 888’s efficiency woes were worrying enough for OnePlus to throttle its flagship OnePlus 9 series almost all the time to counter the SoC’s alarmingly high power consumption. Whether this increase in performance is worth it is quite subjective. But a quick glance at any of the flagships released in the past few years is enough to reach the conclusion that it’s not really worth draining the extra juice. Mid-range smartphones nowadays have been more than capable enough — Google’s Pixel 5 is living proof of that.
AI prowess
With that being said, despite not topping the benchmark charts like its Qualcomm counterpart, the Pixel 6 and 6 XL will most likely leave a lot of its users in awe. While Google’s silicon won’t feature the fastest CPU, Google is reportedly shifting all its focus to machine learning and AI performance. This, in my humble opinion, is a stroke of genius, to say the least. Gone are the days where an entire phone’s performance is only judged by how fast its CPU is. With much of our daily use benefiting from AI-enhanced optimizations, it only makes sense to focus on Machine Learning and AI-related applications.
New sensor wizardry
For years, Google has reigned supreme when it comes to smartphone cameras, particularly taking stills. However, there is no denying the fact that they are no longer the commanding force they once were before. Part of the problem is Google’s decision to stick with the same 12MP Sony sensor. After years, Google finally decided to do away with this aging sensor in favor of a new modern one. In fact, according to the latest leaks, Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 XL will sport a triple camera setup, featuring a 50MP main sensor, a 48MP telephoto shooter, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens, hopping on the bandwagon of quad-bayer high-res sensors and multi-lens camera setups its fellow contenders have been on for years. That, coupled with Google’s expertise, could spell real trouble to its competitors. Of course, there’s the matter of optimizing its proprietary HDR+ algorithm and fine-tuning the color sciences. But, given Google’s proven supremacy, this won’t be a hard nut to crack.
Final thoughts
So far it seems like Google might have finally all the pieces to complete the flagship phone jigsaw it failed to complete for many years. Despite not featuring the latest flagship SoC from Qualcomm, the prospect of having a custom SoC tailored specifically for Google’s own needs couldn’t be more exciting. That, coupled with featuring a new camera setup, Google’s Pixel 6 series could cause some serious disruption to the market.
I still can’t help but think about Google having a habit of shooting themselves in the foot with some questionable decisions. Interestingly, it’s almost always a problem to do with the phone’s aesthetics, especially when it comes to the larger-size variant — the Pixel 3 XL’s inexplicable bathtub notch takes the crown. As for the smaller-sized models, it’s always the battery that bogs it down.
While the Pixel 6 XL’s leaked design remains a bit divisive among its audience, the Pixel 6 XL is tipped to come with a sizeable 5,000 mAh battery. Not entirely ground-breaking news, but given Google’s habit of fitting relatively small batteries inside its phones, a lot will be breathing a huge sigh of relief on hearing such news. Let’s hope Google doesn’t screw it up this time, so far Google is on track to score a banger with the Pixel 6.
Featured-Image: OnLeaks and Digit.in
