Google Pixel 6 launch: meet the new smartphone to battle Apple and Samsung in 5G, cameras, price

In a show of how successful Google’s Pixel 6 phones could be, one version of the device sold out within hours of launching online.

Google will launch the first supercharged 5G smartphone in Australia next week in a move that could land a serious blow against tech rivals Apple and Samsung.

The internet giant unveiled its much anticipated Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones in a worldwide event early on Wednesday morning, showing off the most advanced hardware released by the company to date.

And, in a show of how successful the device could be, all three versions of the top model Pixel phone sold out on Google’s Australian online store within hours.

Google's Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones will feature advanced cameras in a large block across their back panel.

In addition to next-generation 5G, Google’s new phones will feature big screens, 50-megapixel cameras, advanced photo tools to delete unwanted subjects and, taking a page from Apple’s book, they will run on the company’s own chips.

Mobile industry analysts said the new models were likely to shake up the market during the busiest buying season of the year, and could prove a serious threat to Samsung in particular.

The tech giant revealed all the details of its new smartphones in a livestreamed event at 4am AEDT, after showing off its looks and the Google Tensor chip that runs them in August.

Unlike Google’s previous efforts, the new Pixel 6 smartphones will feature bigger screens, at 6.4 and 6.7 inches, bigger batteries, more RAM, and much more powerful cameras laid out in a black strip across the back of the device.

The top model Pixel 6 Pro smartphone will come with three rear cameras, made up of a 50-megapixel main camera alongside a 48-megapixel telephoto option with 4X optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultra wide camera.

The smaller Pixel will come with 50-megapixel and 12-megapixel cameras.

Google will use its own Tensor chip inside its two Pixel 6 smartphones in a move one analyst says takes a “cue from Apple”.

Both smartphones will use Google’s new Tensor chip to unlock new artificially intelligent photo modes, including Magic Eraser that can be used to delete bystanders or photobombers from a scene, Motion mode to give waterfalls a smooth look, and Face Unblur to rescue images captured in challenging conditions.

Google’s Pro model will also be the first handset able to connect to Australia’s next-generation 5G network, known as mmWave, that offers download speeds of up to 16 time faster than a standard 5G connection.

Optus 5G head Harvey Wright said the device would be able to use the supercharged network in “select areas of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane” with more areas to follow.

Telstra currently offers mmWave 5G in sites across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Goulburn and the Gold Coast.

GlobalData senior analyst Anisha Bhatia said the smartphone’s speedy connection would help Google “ride the growing wave of 5G adoption,” and the company’s decision to use its own chips was a smart move “taking a cue from Apple”.

The Google Pixel 6 smartphone will feature advanced cameras in a strip across its rear panel.

“Industry interest in this phone is high, as Tensor will focus on artificial intelligence and machine-learning, providing a foundation for future innovations,” she said.

“It’s a significant move by Google because making a chip is a complex and expensive process. It would allow Google to better compete in the smartphone marketplace.”

Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi said Google’s new smartphones could prove the biggest threat to existing Android phone makers, the biggest of which was Samsung.

“Google is proving that it’s a consistent threat now rather than a one-off threat (in smartphones),” he said.

“In the past, it might have been okay for Samsung to ignore the impact of Pixel devices on its flagship sales but as the Pixel devices have gotten better, competition has really heated up.”

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will also significantly undercut its competitors on price, at $999 and $1299 respectively — perhaps another reason why pre-orders for the Pixel 6 Pro sold out in Google’s online store in less than a day. The phones will arrive in stores on October 28.

But Samsung could still have the last laugh: the company is due to hold its own event, Galaxy Unpacked Part 2, at 2am AEDT on Thursday.