May 2nd, 2025

Google Pixel 6: 6 Months Later.

I miss microSD slots :(.

Used Pixel Experiences.

Last year, I bought another used phone due to the issues my Pixel 4 had. I ended up getting a used 256GB Google Pixel 6. I bought that specific phone because it met my criteria for one, and it also happened to be cheaper than the 6 Pro or the Pixel 7, both of which costed more at the time, and both of which I disliked more, the 6 Pro due to its size and the 7 due to looking a bit bland. I’ve been using this phone and there are plenty of things I like and things I don’t like.

What I don't like about my Pixel 6.

The first thing I still dislike is the size of this thing. This thing is still big for me. I’ve gotten used to it, however, unlike my Pixel 4, this is no one-hand phone. I find this to be annoying as I tend to use my phones one handed in whatever hand happens to grab the device. This wasn’t a big deal with the Pixel 4’s smaller 5.7 inch display, but the Pixel 6’s 6.4 inch display happens to be a bit too tall and wide to use with a single hand comfortably.

Pixel 6 next to the Pixel 4 (the black phone).

The large screen does have upsides, and one is that I can fit more on it. Maps are more usable on this phone, as I can see more of the map with this phone without having to squint at it. Web pages are also a bit nicer, due to having more space to fit content I want to read in it. It’s got its advantages, though I would be happier if it was just a bit smaller. My Mom uses a Pixel 6a and the screen seems to still fit a decent amount of stuff in it, and it fits in my hand quite nicely (I did not get the 6a due to the low amount of storage it has, which happens to be 128GB).

Second of all is the poor thermals of the device. Yes, it is a first generation chip (the original Google Tensor, that is), but it does get hot. I’ve found using it inside with a approximate room temperature of 76F causes the phone to be warm to the touch. Using it for longer than 30 minutes of web browsing is enough to get the phone even warmer. Step outside on a 85F day and your hand will sweat due to the heat from the phone. It’s a bit annoying, though I usually do not use my phone enough for this to be a big issue.

The third issue is the one I have had with every phone I’ve had, with the exception of my Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (which I believe to be the most well-thought-out phone I’ve had in my life in terms of hardware, save the Bixby button). This Pixel 6 still does not have enough storage. Despite having double that of my Pixel 4, I used up nearly half the storage of my phone the day I got it due to my 70 gigabytes worth of FLAC audio files. Throw on the 20GB or so Android eats on its own, the 13GB of offline maps, and you have half the storage of the phone gone. Worst of all, there is absolutely no microSD card slot or way to expand the storage, therefore leaving me stuck with not enough storage. Really, Google. Do better. Bring back the microSD slot. I can stand no headphone jack, but having no microSD still bothers me.

Fourth of all, and not the least is the camera’s focus, which gets wonky for no good reason. It hates pointing out car windows at times, requiring me to fiddle with the zoom or point the phone away to get it to focus. And there’s no focus controls as far as I know, so I’m stuck with what the phone coughs up (my Note 9 did have focus controls though. I miss that).

Fun. What a pretty photo.

What I like about this phone.

Despite my issues listed above, I still really like this phone. And there’s lots of things, starting with the most important thing, and the whole reason I consider Pixel phones worthy of my pocket: The Cameras.

Good cameras on a phone are something I care about. I carry my phone when I’m not home, and having the ability to pull it out of my pocket, point it at the object/scene/whatever I want a photo of, push the button, and get a good photo out of it is something I need. My Note 9 did good with this, save for its shutter lag issue (finally, a point against the Note 9). The Pixels that I have had have rarely had shutter lag issues. Save for the focusing issue, around 90% of the photos I’ve taken with this phone have met or exceeded my expectations. The 50 megapixel main 1x camera takes amazing photos, though binned down to 12 megapixels, still look amazing, with natural colors, clear focus (save for those times the Pixel deems I need a out-of-focus photo), and and great quality. Even with the 2x digital zoom, it still looks just as good. Anything over that and it seems to lose the clearness. The 12 megapixel 0.7x wide angle camera is also good, though it looks a little less sharp than the main camera and tends to look more blurry faster if you zoom in on the photo. And, of course, the 8 megapixel selfie camera is good as well, and manages to take selfies I approve of. (see my other Pixel 6 blog post for photos).

The camera app is fairly good. All I have to do is double click the power button and the Pixel Camera launches. From there all I have to do is point, push the button, and the photo is taken. No adjustment needed most of the time. And, as far as I’m concerned, that’s the point with the Pixel cameras. Point and shoot. Sometimes, I do have to tap where I want the phone to focus, or adjust the three settings it allows me to adjust, the contrast, brightness, and white balance (I think that’s what those are), and the picture comes out. But most of the time, it just works. The app has a lot of shooting modes, most of which I never use. I pretty much only use the photo and video modes, of which there is a convenient toggle to switch between them. It’s pretty nice, mostly intuitive, and I have almost no issues. I do wish it had a “pro” mode for more control over the camera. Unfortunately Google didn’t add those, therefore making it a bit annoying at times for someone like me who sometimes wants more control.

Second of all is the fantastic design of this phone. My Pixel 4 seemed to try to copy the iPhone, with its knockoff Face ID (which I do miss), dual camera setup in a square in a corner and swipe gestures that actually work well (a Android 10 feature, mostly ripped off borrowed from iPhone with some improvements like back gestures). The Pixel 6 doesn’t bother with the iPhone copying anymore. Instead, the screen looks fairly normal for a Android phone, with its hole-punch camera, and small bezels.

Pixel 6 front. It took some balancing to get this photo.

The back is completely different though. It is a nice, glossy, glass, curved on the edges to make it nice to hold, and has a big camera bar interrupting it with a smaller piece of what seems to be plastic covering the space above the camera bar. I picked the Sorta Seafoam color, which has a blueish-grey back, and a yellow-green plastic piece above the black camera bar. Amidst a sea of black, white, and gold phones, it stands out and happens to look very nice all at the same time.

Pixel 6 in my hand.

Android’s Material You design is another thing I really like about this phone. It looks really good on it. The rounded design of it, paired with the wallpaper-based color schemes looks great on the screen. Not to mention the fact it is quite clean and does so in a very functional way, with it keeping the useful elements where they need to be and removing the excess.

Software Gripes

I switched to LineageOS on this phone, since I didn’t like the default stock rom because Google was so embedded in it. I quite like LineageOS, but it has its issues. Some Google features aren’t there, like Circle to Search or the feature for tapping the back of the phone to take a screenshot.

The only real issue I see that does annoy me at times is the updates. It’s something that, should you choose to switch to LineageOS, you should be aware of. The major updates seem to take a while to come out. LineageOS 22.1, AKA Android 15, was released December 31st last year. LineageOS 22.2, AKA Androind 15 QPR 2, was released around three weeks or so ago by my estimate. Update lag does happen, but with LineageOS’s way of doing things, I think it’s fine, and a trade off I’m willing to put up with.

Other Notes.

All in all, this phone has proven itself to me to be a good and reliable device. For me, despite my issues with it, I’ve found it does what I need it to do most of the time, and I’m pretty happy with it. It’s reliable, and the battery seems to last most of the day (I used the phone quite a bit on a trip during the day and had around 19% left by the end of the day one of the days. It never fully drained). I would recommend the Pixel 7 over the Pixel 6, as the 7 has gone down in price and is comparable to the 6 (usually within $20 now). Hopefully I will be able to get many more years of life out of this phone, as its unlockable bootloader and LineageOS should allow me to do so.

Godwilling, I've got some photo heavy (at least I think) content for this blog in the weeks to come, and I'm looking forward to sharing it.

Android 15 image on Pixel 6.