Detailed Pixel 6 Pro leak corroborates Tensor configuration claims; reveals camera and display specs
It looks like the Pixel 6 Pro benchmark listing that surfaced some days back was real. Google has already revealed that its upcoming flagships will feature the in-house Tensor chip but no concrete details have been shared. XDA Developers' Mishaal Rahman's latest report sheds some light on that, as well as some other specs.
Pixel 6 Pro Tensor chip 2+2+4 configuration seems confirmed
Rahman says he got the information from a leaker who wants to remain anonymous. Per the aforementioned Geekbench listing, the Tensor processor has two primary Arm cores -- possibly Cortex X1 -- running at 2.8Ghz, two middle cores clocked at 2.25Ghz, and four little cores operating at 1.8GHz.
Although the latest information mentions nothing about the exact microarchitecture of the CPU cores, it does corroborate the 2+2+4 configuration.
That might be a little hard to believe for some people, given the current and likely even the next flagship chips from Qualcomm and Samsung have a 1+3+4 configuration. Either way, nothing is sure until the official announcement, which is expected sometime in October.
According to earlier reports, the chip will be made using Samsung's 5nm process.
Moving on, today's report is also in line with rumors that said at least one model will have 12GB of (LPDDR5) RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone will have an 848MHz Mali-G78 GPU and will presumably be equipped with the Samsung Exynos 5123 5G modem (g5123b). Wi-Fi 6E will also be supported.
Pixel 6 Pro rumored to offer 120Hz display, Battery Share, and UWB
The rest of the report largely backs up what we have heard already, but also provides some new information. The display is allegedly 120Hz and has a resolution of 3120 x 1440, but it's not clear yet if the refresh rate changes dynamically in response to the content being shown. The phone can support both 120Hz and 1440p simultaneously. The rate can go as low as 10Hz when low power modes like Always on Display are activated.
A report today said that the Pixel 6 will support Active Edge, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead, Android 12's Quick Tap feature will let you summon the Google Assistant with a double tap on the back. The Battery Share feature appears to be present. The phone purportedly packs a 5000mAh battery.
The Pixel 6 Pro also supposedly has Qorvo-made ultra-wideband (UWB) hardware. This will help the phone locate UWB-equipped trackers. The device likely will also have an in-display fingerprint reader.
Finally, new camera sensors: 50MP, 12MP, and 48MP
In addition to the Tensor chip, the new camera setup is also a highlight of the forthcoming devices. Per the latest leak, Pixel 6 Pro's rear camera setup will employ the Samsung 50MP GN1 sensor for the main unit, Sony’s 12MP IMX386 sensor for the wide-angle shooter, and Sony’s 48MP IMX586 sensor for the telephoto snapper, which Google has said supports 4X optical zoom. The front camera is allegedly 12MP.
New camera features including a 'baby mode' and motion deblur are also on the cards.
The Pixel 6 Pro firmware is apparently based on Linux kernel version 5.10, and since this version will be supported until the end of 2026, it appears that rumors about 5 years of software support were right on the money.
The only mystery left now is the phone's price. Google has already hinted that it will be at the higher end of the price spectrum. Whether that potential high price tag will impact demand and be a deterrent to the Pixel 6 becoming one of the best phones of the year remains to be seen.
The new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will reportedly formally be announced on October 19. In related news, Google may release Android 12 on October 4.
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