Google Pixel 6 Release Date: When Will The Next Google Phone Come Out?

The Google Pixel 6 is among the most anticipated phones of 2021, but when is its release date?

Likely to make our list of the best phones in 2021, the Pixel 6 will be Google's second Pixel launch of the year, following rumours of a Pixel 5a release in August.

Here's when to expect the Google Pixel 6 to release.

Google Pixel 6 Release Date

Google has now officially confirmed the Pixel 6 will release 'this fall'. They recently announced the Pixel 6 at an event on the 19th October 2021, with a full release on the 28th October.

This confirms Jon Prosser's initial leaks suggesting a pre-order date of October 19th, with a full release expected to follow on the 28th. This places the Pixel 6 in front of the release of its Android competitor, the Galaxy S22.

Alongside the October release date also comes a leak of the Pixel 6's spec sheet (via Front Page Tech) and Google's own official confirmation of a Pixel 6 Pro (the replacement for the 'XL') which offers up a better camera than the Pixel 6 as well as a bigger screen with a higher refresh rate.

Android 12's final release out of beta is also expected to take place in late 2021, likely coinciding with the launch of the Pixel 6.

Google Pixel 6 Announcement Date

Seemingly out of nowhere, Google officially announced the Pixel 6 on August 2, sharing a plethora of details about the Pixel 6, which we've posted about below.

This comes as a slight surprise as the announcement of the previous Pixel devices came around two weeks before the full release of the phone.

However, there have been a significant number of leaks about the Pixel 6 in the last few months. This could suggest that Google decided to jump in a re-claim the narrative before it span out further.

Google Pixel 6 Pre-Order Date

The Pixel 6 is now officially out, following a week of pre-orders, for reference. We're hoping the same will be true for the Samsung Galaxy S22.

The Google Pixel 5, for example, was made available to pre-order on September 30, the same day as its announcement.

Retailers have been known to publish listings early - often leading to leaks mere days before the official announcement. This is the case more commonly in gaming, but the Pixel 5 also suffered from this.

Eagle-eyed Pixel 6 buyers may want to keep their eyes peeled, just in case.

If you were hoping to buy a Google Pixel phone for less when pre-orders go live, it appears your options may soon be limited.

Google told Digital Trends that it expects to the US Google Store sell out of the Google Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 in the coming weeks, marking the official discontinuation of these two phones.

This means the Pixel 5a and Pixel 6 will soon be the only options available.

Google Pixel 6 Latest News And Rumours

Thanks to Google's Twitter thread, we now have lots of official information about the Pixel 6.

The Pixel 6 and Pixel Pro will come in three different colour variations, while the square rear-camera has been replaced with a thick horizontal bar on the back of the phone.

We also saw confirmation that the Pixel 6 will run on Google's brand-new, bespoke chip.

Previously known as the Whitechapel GS101 chip, the Pixel 6 will feature Google Tensor. Google states this SoC "can process Google’s most powerful AI and ML models directly on the Pixel 6."

GalaxyClub has now reported that the Google Tensor chip could be the same as Samsung's unreleased Exynos 9855 chip.

While the partnership with Samsung had already been known, this allowed the outlet to place the Tensor chip in between the Exynos-9840 and the Exynos-9925 SoCs, suggesting the Tensor's power will be closer to the S21's 9840 rather than the Galaxy S22's rumoured chip.

However, even though Google has officially released information on the Pixel 6, new leaks are still coming out. The most recent Android 12 Beta APK featured a line that included the phrase 'gn1_wide_p21'.

According to XDA Developers, this is a reference to the Samsung GN1 50MP camera. With the 'p21' being the Pixel 6 phone, this suggests the Samsung GN1 could be the wide-angle camera for Google's upcoming phone.

Indeed, one Google employee may have shared an image taken on the new Google Pixel 6. Zaheed Sabur posted an image on Facebook (via NotebookCheck) with a caption that included the following:

Here's a lesson to learn, even with the most common phone on the market, I can take amazing pictures like this. And even with our latest phones that haven't been released yet, I can't take such an amazing picture sitting at home.

As for charging, the Pixel 6 will support 33W fast-charging support out of the box - literally. As reported by 91 Mobiles, Google is testing 33W charging, but won't actually ship the Pixel 6 with the charging brick in the box.

Finally, alongside the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google may have one final trick up its sleeve. Posting on Twitter, modder Cstark27 found that five Google devices feature a modem referenced as ‘g5123b’. These are Oriole, Raven, Passport, and Slider, along with one other device not yet named.

If the codename Passport is, as rumours suggest, a Google Pixel Fold, then this link to the modem could suggest the Fold shares a chipset with the Pixel 6 – and could release pretty soon.

GSM Arena has also reported that the Pixel 6 lineup has passed through the FCC tests, pushing it both closer to launch and essentially confirming support for WiFi 6E and UWB.

On the front of specs, GSM Arena has also published the respective spec sheets for both the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro, so it's possible to get a better understanding of each phone's performance.

It confirms improvements over the previous generation with regards to the camera setup on the Pixel 6 now being a dual set of snappers with the combination of 50MP wide and 12MP ultrawide In the case of the Pro, this adds a 48MP telephoto lens into the mix alongside the existing pair.

For the standard Pixel 6, it offers up a 6.4 inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, whilst the Pro brings with it a 6.71-inch panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. RAM on the standard model sits at 8GB whilst the Pro takes this up to 12GB, offering what looks to be a lot of power.

GSM Arena has noted that Carphone Warehouse has been noted to have published listing data for both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, confirming the already-known specs, as well noting that the phones will support either 21W or 30W charging dependent upon model and wireless charging through a 'Pixel Stand'.

In addition, Arstechnica has noted that Google should allow both handsets to have five years of security updates and 9to5Google have shared details of European pricing with the Pixel 6 clocking in at €649 and the Pixel 6 Pro costing €899. US pricing is expected to be similar.

This Is Tech Today have also shared details of a 'Pixel Pass' subscription service. This would operate by unifying Google's paid services like YouTube Premium and Google One cloud storage. No pricing has been suggested for this yet, but you need to own a Pixel device to be eligible.

Of course, there is bound to be more official - and leaked - information about the Pixel 6 releasing over the coming weeks and months. We'll keep you updated when anything new comes our way.

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