Update: Google Pixel 7 Pro just fixed the biggest Pixel 6 Pro problem.
There's been a fair bit of chatter regarding the bugginess of the Google Pixel 6 Pro. Popular tech YouTuber MKBHD has even gone so far as to say that it’s "so buggy" that he can no longer recommend it.
I am a big fan of the Pixel 6 Pro, noting how it was the Android phone I’ve been waiting for, but I started to notice it was feeling less than slick over the past few weeks. While I’ve been using an iPhone 13 Pro as my main phone, I have my Pixel 6 Pro close to hand and started to notice its display refresh rate dropping from 120Hz on a regular basis.
This is odd as I have the screen set to use 120Hz when it’s required, which leaves the feature activated on the home screen and app drawer at least. While I couldn’t measure this, I’ve used enough 120Hz phones to now notice the difference between that refresh rate and the likes of a 60Hz display. I've found that flicking between my Pixel 6 Pro’s various home screens and apps to be a jarring experience when once it was super smooth.
My Pixel 6 Pro has slowly gotten so buggy since launch in October that I can no longer recommend it at $900. Combined with the latest botched update it's just been a bad experience. My SIM is back in an S21 Ultra til the next review.January 12, 2022
I’ve already griped about the slow speed of the Pixel 6 fingerprint scanner, which also feels less reliable than those other phones.
Other bugs include a fiddly lock screen, auto brightness and the camera app being slow; I've not had too much trouble with the latter two, but have felt less smooth since launch, nonetheless.
As such, I started to come round to MKBHD’s thinking. And I was far from alone, with YouTuber SuperSaf noting he’s switched back to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra from the Pixel 6 Pro. Chatter from others on Twitter have also flagged a feeling of annoyance at the Pixel 6 Pro bugs.
I switched back to my S21 Ultra in December after getting fed up of the Pixel bugs, shame they've gotten worse 😑January 12, 2022
But over the weekend, Google pushed out a hefty 215MB update for the Pixel 6 phones, and that appears to have fixed things somewhat.
Once applied by going through the settings, it seems that these problems have gone. Now the display feels much smoother as my finer swipes open the display, with the fingerprint scanner feeling a little more responsive, though still not as speed as those on the likes of the Oppo Find X3 Pro.
With that in mind, I’d be reticent to suggest you avoid the Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, as both are still stellar phones. However, with the Samsung Galaxy S22 on the way, likely in February, you now might want to hold back on throwing in all your tinder and see what that range of phones has to offer.
If you already have a Pixel 6, do make sure you get this new update downloaded as soon as possible.
If it’s not applied automatically, then head into the phones’ settings, scroll down to the System section, then tap on the System Update option where you’ll have the option to check for updates or download and install the latest ones; just make sure your phone has enough battery or is on charge. Let the phone do its thing and your Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro should be back up and running as one would expect.
