What’s the difference between the HP Spectre x360 13, Spectre x360 14, and Spectre x360 15?

The HP Spectre x360 is one of the most well-known families of devices in the Windows space. These convertible laptops have stunning premium designs, great displays, and of course, the versatility of being convertible. All this makes them an easy recommendation, which is why you’ll find Spectre laptops not only among HP’s best laptops, but the best laptops in general. However, HP makes a few different versions of the Spectre x360, including the 13, 14, 15, and 16-inch models.

If you’re looking to buy one of these laptops, it’s good to know the differences between each size. Of course, the screen size is the most obvious difference, but there’s a bit more to it. First off, if you want a quick comparison of each model, you can check out all the specs for each laptop in the table below. Keep in mind that the HP Spectre x360 16 isn’t available to buy yet, so information is somewhat limited. However, there are plenty of comparison points already.

Specs

HP Spectre x360 Specs

	HP Spectre x360 13	HP Spectre x360 14	HP Spectre x360 15	HP Spectre x360 16
Processor	Intel Core i5-1135G7 (up to 4.2GHz, 4-core) Intel Core i7-1165G7 (up to 4.6GHz, 4-core)	Intel Core i5-1135G7 (up to 4.2GHz, 4-core) Intel Core i7-1165G7 (up to 4.6GHz, 4-core) Intel Core i7-1195G7 (up to 5GHz, 4-core)	Intel Core i7-1165G7 (up to 4.6GHz, 4-core)	Up to Intel Core i7-11390H (up to 5GHz, 4-core)
Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050
RAM	8GB 16GB	8GB 16GB	16GB	TBD
Storage	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB	TBD
Display	13.3 inch IPS, Full HD (1920 x 1080), HP Sure View, touch 13.3 inch OLED, 4K (3840 x 2160), 400 nits	13.5 inch IPS, Full HD+ (1920 x 1280), touch, 400 nits 13.5 inch IPS, Full HD+ (1920 x 1280), HP Sure View, touch, 1000 nits 13.5 inch OLED, 3K2K (3000 x 2000), touch, 400 nits	15.6 inch AMOLED, 4K (3840 x 2160), touch, 400 nits	16 inch IPS, 3072 x 1920, touch 16 inch AMOLED, 4K, touch
Audio	Dual stereo speakers Audio by Bang & Olufsen	Quad stereo speakers Audio by Bang & Olufsen	Quad stereo speakers Audio by Bang & Olufsen	TBD
Webcam	720p webcam	720p webcam	720p webcam	5MP/1080p GlamCam webcam Auto Frame, Lighting correction, beauty mode
Biometric security	Windows Hello IR camera Fingerprint reader	Windows Hello IR camera Fingerprint reader	Windows Hello IR camera Fingerprint reader	Windows Hello IR camera Fingerprint reader
Battery	60Wh battery	66Wh battery	72.9Wh battery	TBD
Ports	2 Thunderbolt 4 ports 1 USB Type-A port 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader	2 Thunderbolt 4 ports 1 USB Type-A port 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader	2 Thunderbolt 4 ports 1 USB Type-A port HDMI 2.0b 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader	2 Thunderbolt 4 ports 1 USB Type-A port HDMI 2.0b 3.5mm headphone jack microSD card reader
Connectivity	Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2×2), Bluetooth 5	Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2×2), Bluetooth 5	Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (2×2), Bluetooth 5	TBD
Colors	Nightfall Black Poseidon Blue Natural Silver	Nightfall Black Poseidon Blue Natural Silver	Nightfall Black Poseidon Blue	Nightfall Black Nocturne Blue
Size (WxDxH)	12.08 x 7.66 x 0.67 in (306.8 x 194.6 x 17 mm)	11.75 x 8.67 x 0.67 in (298.5 x 220.2 x 17mm)	14.17 x 8.91 x 0.79 in (359.9 x 226.3 x 20mm)	TBD
Weight	Starting at 2.8lbs	Starting at 2.95lbs	Starting at 4.23lbs	TBD
Starting price	$900.99	$999.99	$1,399.99	$1,639

With the basic specs out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the biggest differences between these four models.

HP Spectre x360 display and sound

Let’s start with the most obvious difference between these models, which are indicated in the name. Each model of the Spectre x360 comes with different display size, but there’s more to it than that. The lineup initially consisted of the Spectre x360 13 and Spectre x360 15, with 13.3-inch and 15.6-inch display sizes, respectively. Both of these models have the same 16:9 aspect ratio, which is still the most common display format. Both can also be configured with up to an AMOLED 4K (3840 x 2160) display.

The Spectre x360 14, however, comes with a 13.5-inch display and a 3:2 aspect ratio. This is a taller screen compared to the other two, and that means you have more surface area on the screen. Screen sizes are measured diagonally, but with a four-sided shape, the closer you get to a square, the bigger the surface area is relative to that diagonal size. Because of that, even though the Spectre x360 14 is only slightly larger than the Spectre x360 13, it’s going to feel significantly bigger when you’re using it.

HP Spectre x360 13, 14, and 15

Because of its uncommon aspect ratio, instead of aiming for 4K resolution, the top configuration of the Spectre x360 14 has a 3K2K (3000 x 2000) display. That’s technically worse, but in a display of this size, it’s already sharper than you need.

Finally, there’s the most recent Spectre x360 16, which takes some lessons from the x360 14. This one comes with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is somewhere between 16:9 and 3:2 in terms of shape. It’s still taller than your average screen, and that means more surface area, on top f already being a large display in the first place. In terms of resolution, HP initially announced a model with 3072 x 1920 resolution, and the company’s website also mentions a 4K OLED display without a specific resolution. Until the laptop is fully available, it’s unclear what that resolution will be.

As for sound, the Spectre x360 13 comes with dual stereo speakers, while both the Spectre x360 14 and 15 have four speakers for stereo sound. With more power behind them these speakers are likely going to get you a more immersive sound experience compared to the smallest model. We don’t know what speaker setup the Spectre x360 16 will use, but it’s likely going to be on par with the two smaller models.

CPU and GPU

Another big difference between these models, specifically for the new Spectre x360 16, has to do with the processors inside. The Spectre x360 13, 14, and 15 all have 15W Intel processors inside and they use the integrated Iris Xe graphics. These processors are ideal for thin and light laptops and mobile users, so it makes sense to see them in smaller laptops. However, that does mean performance isn’t going to be as good, especially sustained performance.

There are some minor differences between these models, such as the Spectre x360 14 featuring an Intel Core i7-1195G7 in a specific model at Best Buy, which the other sizes don’t have. Also, there’s no Intel Core i5 version available for the Spectre x360 15 at writing time. However, these are all still in the same ballpark. The HP Spectre x360 used to come with optional 45W processors, but those models were never updated with 11th-generation processors and have been discontinued.

With the Spectre x360 16, HP is introducing a model with Intel’s H35-series processors, which have a base power rating of 35W. These processors are still quad-core, but they can boost higher and keep those speeds up for longer thanks to the higher power rating. They also still keep Intel Iris Xe graphics. However, the HP Spectre x360 16 will also include optional discrete NVIDIA graphics, specifically a GeForce RTX 3050. If you want to play some games on the side or do creative work, that makes the 16-inch model easily the best of the bunch.

HP Spectre x360 webcam

Another aspect that’s worth highlighting is the webcam. With the Spectre x360 13, 14, and 15, HP decided to shrink the bezels as much as possible and to do that, it uses a tiny webcam above the screen. That camera has 720p resolution, but most importantly, it’s very small, so it doesn’t take in a lot of light and images can look grainy, even with good lighting.

But for the new Spectre x360 16, the webcam is a big focus, and it’s actually very promising. HP is using a 5MP camera, which is a much higher resolution than the other ones. Not only that, but this one is packing some smart features like lighting correction, auto framing, and a beauty mode. If you want to look your best during meetings, this is definitely the better option, unless you plan on buying an external webcam.

Video call on the HP Spectre x360 16

One thing that all these webcams have is Windows Hello support, so you’re good to go with any of them.

Design and connectivity

The last big aspect to go over is the overall design and appearance of these laptops, as well as their ports. Obviously, the size of each model also depends on the screen size, so the models with bigger screens are bigger and heavier. But there’s a bit more beyond the obvious.

The three smallest sizes of the Spectre x360 all come in striking dual-tone designs. One is Nightfall Black, which combines black surfaces with copper accents around the edges, and the other is Poseidon Blue, combining dark blue surfaces with gold accents. The Spectre x360 13 and 14 also come in a single-tone Natural Silver option.

The Spectre x360 16, on the other hand, only comes in single color versions. The Nightfall Black variant is black all around, and there’s a Nocturne Blue version that’s also completely blue with no accents. Aside from the color, the Spectre x360 also seems to use more rounded edges and corners compared to the sharp angular designs of the smaller models.

As for ports, the Spectre x360 lineup is split halfway. The Spectre x360 13 and 14 both have two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one USB Type-A port, a headphone jack, and a microSD card reader, while the Spectre x360 15 and 16 have all of those ports plus an HDMI 2.0b port for display output. Some differences exist in the placement of the ports, specifically with the 15-inch model being the only one to have the USB Type-A port on the right side.

On the matter of connectivity, it’s also worth pointing out that the HP Spectre x360 13 is the only model that comes with cellular network support. HP officially announced the laptop with 5G support; However, there doesn’t seem to be a configuration option that actually includes 5G as of yet. You may want to check out our list of the best 5G laptops if that’s a feature you need.

Something else that’s worth mentioning is that the position of the fingerprint reader, which is also available on all models. In the Spectre x360 13 and 15, the fingerprint reader is below the keyboard on the base of the laptop. With the newer Spectre x360 14 and 16, the fingerprint reader is on the keyboard, next to the right Ctrl key.

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And those are all the main differences between the HP Spectre x360 13, 14, 15 and 16. These are all great laptops in their own right, but there may be things you appreciate in a specific size more than others. For performance, the newly-announced Spectre x360 16 is easily the best of the bunch thanks to 35W CPUs and dedicated graphics. Design-wise, though, you might prefer the dual-tone aesthetic of the smaller models. There are good arguments either way, and a lot of it comes down to personal taste.

If you’ve made your decision, you can buy your favorite model using the links below.

HP Spectre x360 13

The HP Spectre x360 13 is the smallest and the most compact notebook from the series offering a premium design and the latest 11th-gen Intel processor options.

See at HP

The post What’s the difference between the HP Spectre x360 13, Spectre x360 14, and Spectre x360 15? appeared first on xda-developers.

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Microsoft Teams gets improved meeting captions and camera content in November

We’re nearing the end of yet another month, and that means it’s time for Microsoft to highlight what’s new in its Teams communication service for the month of November. This month, the biggest improvements have to do with real-time captions in meetings and a new to share content from the camera. As per usual, though, there are a lot of little things to go over.

For real-time captions during meetings, Microsoft is now rolling out the ability for captions to be displayed in the same window as the meeting is on. This way, instead of having to adjust two windows to see the meeting and locations at the same time, it’s much easier to keep with what’s being said while still seeing the people on the meeting.

The “content from camera” feature is far more interesting, though. This allows you to use any camera connected to your PC and select a specific portion of the image to share with others. For example, you can capture a whiteboard or document that’s in the camera’s view. Teams also applies image enhancements to this content so it’s more readable to other participants.

Rounding out the features for meetings, there’s a new word cloud feature for Teams polls. When you ask a question in Teams, you can easily see what the most popular words were in the replies.

Moving on to chat and collaboration features, Microsoft is now rolling out the first examples of Loop components in Teams chats. With Loop (formerly Fluid) components, you can share things like tables, lists, and so on, and everyone in the chat can collaborate on that item in real-time directly within Teams. Loop components will also be available in more places, so you can access and edit this information more easily from anywhere.

Microsoft has also improved the search feature in Teams in November. There’s a new section in the search suggestions dropdown box called “Top Hits”, which surfaces the most relevant results for your search terms – whether that’s people, groups, files, and so on. There’s also an update search results page that offers more context for each result. For example, you can search for “design” and see messages from people or documents including that word.

There are some new features for calling, specifically related to PSTN calls. IT admins can now set custom music to play for PSTN callers that are on hold. It’s also possible for IT admins to set custom rules for call parking, such as how long a call needs to be on hold before ringing again. It’s also now possible to route PSTN calls to unassigned numbers to other users or channels so callers can get some kind of response.

There’s also some news for Teams devices. There’s a new AudioCodes IP phone from AudioCodes featuring a 5-inch touchscreen and HD call quality. Meanwhile, Yealink has launched the UVC86, a 4K dual-eye camera with tracking support for medium and large meeting rooms, and it’s also launched a bundle including this new camera, a mini-PC, a touch panel, and a speakerphone, providing a complete setup for medium-sized meeting rooms.

For education users, Microsoft is making it possible to include content from third-party apps in assignments. There’s also integration with Microsoft Whiteboard so educators can include content from a whiteboard in the description or as reference material in an assignment. Microsoft has a separate blog post detailing new features for Teams education in November, including support for video recordings in assigments.

For frontline workers, tag management settings will be set to “Team owners and members” instead of just “Team owners”, though this can be changed. It’s also now possible to edit published tasks instead of having to recall an entire list of tasks to make edits to it.

On the management side of things, Microsoft has added the Surface Hub as a new type of device that can be managed from the Teams Admin Center, and there are also new filtering options to make it easier for admins to find the devices they want to take action on. Microsoft has also made it possible to remotely sign out of a Teams Android device from the Admin Center, so admins can provision a device and then log out from it more easily. For meetings, it’s now possible to set rules for certain users to be able to join meetings anonymously using a new policy.

There are new features for Power Platform apps and custom development, such as being able to share specific parts of an app to the meeting stage (where the video feeds appear). Microsoft Teams Connect is improving support for apps to be designed for channels shared with other organizations. Finally, tab actions for these apps are moving to a separate menu to help declutter the interface.

Finally, for government organizations, Teams is adding new features including the aforementioned caption improvements and anonymous user join policy for meetings. There are also features that were already available to other users before, including Presenter mode for sharing a presentation alongside your own video feed, a new assignment experience for users in breakout rooms, the ability to download attendance reports, and isolated audio feed capabilities. Additionally, teams of up to 25,000 members are now supported in GCC-High.

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Google Search now shows Effiel Tower, Tokyo Tower, Big Ben, and other monuments in 3D

Last year, Google brought a new augmented reality (AR) experience to Search that allowed users to view an interactive 3D avatar of Baby Yoda on their smartphones. At the time, this was the only 3D object that Google Search had to offer. However, over time, Google has vastly expanded its 3D and AR model library with interactive models of animals, iconic anime characters, birds, and more. And now 3D monuments are joining the list.

When you search for a famous monument — the Eiffel tower, for example — Google Search on mobile now shows an interactive 3D model of the monument in search results (via 9to5Google). You’ll see a 3D model card with a View in 3D button. Tapping on the button loads up the 3D model which you can rotate and zoom into. Google Search has added 3D models for 98 monuments including the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Tower of London, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty National Monument, Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple, Leaning Tower of Pisa, and more.

The new 3D monuments are available on all devices running Android 7.0 Nougat and above and iOS 11 or later. When you search for an animal, place, or object, lookout for a “3D Model” card in search results.

You can find the full list of available 3D monuments below (courtesy 9to5Google).

Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel	Conservatory of Flowers	Neuschwanstein Castle	St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Alcatraz Island	Eiffel Tower	Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum	St. Paul’s Cathedral
Alhambra	Empire State Building	One World Trade Center	St. Peter’s Basilica
Amazon Theatre	Ferry Building	Palace of Versailles	Statue of Liberty National Monument
Arasaka Imperia Residence	Flatiron Building	Palace of Westminster	Stonehenge
Arc de Triomphe	Giotto’s Bell Tower	Palais Garnier	The Angel of Independence
Aztec Stadium	Golden Gate Bridge	Palazzo Vecchio	The British Museum
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe	Japan National Stadium	Pantheon	The Centre Pompidou
Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence	Kaminarimon Gate	Panthéon	The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella	Kensington Palace	Parthenon	The Painted Ladies
Big Ben	La Sagrada Familia	Piazza della Signoria	The Palace of Fine Arts
Brooklyn Bridge	Leaning Tower of Pisa	Piazza Navona	Tokyo National Museum
Buckingham Palace	Les Invalides	PIER 39	Tokyo Skytree
Campidoglio square	London Eye	Pitti Palace	Tokyo Tower
Capela Curial de São Francisco de Assis	Louvre Museum	Placa de Catalunya	Tower of London
Castel Sant’Angelo	Magic Fountain of Montjuic	Ponte Vecchio	Trafalgar Square
Castle of Good Hope	Meiji Jingu	Rhodes Memorial	Trevi Fountain
Cathedral of Barcelona	Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral	Rockefeller Center	Union Buildings
Cathedral of Brasilia	Monument of the Ninos Heroes	Roman Forum	Ushiku Building
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore	Monument to the Revolution	Sacré-Cœur	Voortrekker Monument
Cathedrale Norte-Dame de Paris	Moses Mabhida Stadium	San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge	Westminster Abbey
Chapultepec Castle	Mount Rushmore National Memorial	São Paulo Cathedral	Yoyogi National Stadium
Christ the Redeemer	Musée d’Orsay	Sensō-Ji	Zojoji
Coit Tower	National Museum of Nature and Science	Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Columbus Monument	National Palace	Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

The post Google Search now shows Effiel Tower, Tokyo Tower, Big Ben, and other monuments in 3D appeared first on xda-developers.

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Google Search now shows Effiel Tower, Tokyo Tower, Big Ben, and other monuments in 3D

Last year, Google brought a new augmented reality (AR) experience to Search that allowed users to view an interactive 3D avatar of Baby Yoda on their smartphones. At the time, this was the only 3D object that Google Search had to offer. However, over time, Google has vastly expanded its 3D and AR model library with interactive models of animals, iconic anime characters, birds, and more. And now 3D monuments are joining the list.

When you search for a famous monument — the Eiffel tower, for example — Google Search on mobile now shows an interactive 3D model of the monument in search results (via 9to5Google). You’ll see a 3D model card with a View in 3D button. Tapping on the button loads up the 3D model which you can rotate and zoom into. Google Search has added 3D models for 98 monuments including the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Tower of London, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty National Monument, Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple, Leaning Tower of Pisa, and more.

The new 3D monuments are available on all devices running Android 7.0 Nougat and above and iOS 11 or later. When you search for an animal, place, or object, lookout for a “3D Model” card in search results.

You can find the full list of available 3D monuments below (courtesy 9to5Google).

Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel	Conservatory of Flowers	Neuschwanstein Castle	St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Alcatraz Island	Eiffel Tower	Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum	St. Paul’s Cathedral
Alhambra	Empire State Building	One World Trade Center	St. Peter’s Basilica
Amazon Theatre	Ferry Building	Palace of Versailles	Statue of Liberty National Monument
Arasaka Imperia Residence	Flatiron Building	Palace of Westminster	Stonehenge
Arc de Triomphe	Giotto’s Bell Tower	Palais Garnier	The Angel of Independence
Aztec Stadium	Golden Gate Bridge	Palazzo Vecchio	The British Museum
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe	Japan National Stadium	Pantheon	The Centre Pompidou
Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence	Kaminarimon Gate	Panthéon	The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella	Kensington Palace	Parthenon	The Painted Ladies
Big Ben	La Sagrada Familia	Piazza della Signoria	The Palace of Fine Arts
Brooklyn Bridge	Leaning Tower of Pisa	Piazza Navona	Tokyo National Museum
Buckingham Palace	Les Invalides	PIER 39	Tokyo Skytree
Campidoglio square	London Eye	Pitti Palace	Tokyo Tower
Capela Curial de São Francisco de Assis	Louvre Museum	Placa de Catalunya	Tower of London
Castel Sant’Angelo	Magic Fountain of Montjuic	Ponte Vecchio	Trafalgar Square
Castle of Good Hope	Meiji Jingu	Rhodes Memorial	Trevi Fountain
Cathedral of Barcelona	Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral	Rockefeller Center	Union Buildings
Cathedral of Brasilia	Monument of the Ninos Heroes	Roman Forum	Ushiku Building
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore	Monument to the Revolution	Sacré-Cœur	Voortrekker Monument
Cathedrale Norte-Dame de Paris	Moses Mabhida Stadium	San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge	Westminster Abbey
Chapultepec Castle	Mount Rushmore National Memorial	São Paulo Cathedral	Yoyogi National Stadium
Christ the Redeemer	Musée d’Orsay	Sensō-Ji	Zojoji
Coit Tower	National Museum of Nature and Science	Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Columbus Monument	National Palace	Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple

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Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: The best of Android vs the best of iOS

The Google Pixel has always been designed to be the “iPhone of Android,” and the Pixel 6 Pro comes the closest to living up to that goal yet. In addition to sporting its own silicon for the first time, the Pixel 6 Pro also sees further software tweaks on top of Android 12 that make it feel different from typical Android devices — and dare we say it, more like an iOS. The iPhone 13 Pro, meanwhile, is a somewhat iterative update over last year’s iPhone 12 Pro, with most of the big upgrades coming in hardware components that Android phones have offered for years, like larger camera sensors and a high refresh display.

The iPhone vs Pixel debate is a fun one to have for tech geeks every year, but this is probably the first year where this debate matters (just slightly, but still) to the average consumer.

My colleague Adam Conway has already reviewed the Pixel 6 Pro thoroughly, while I also reviewed the iPhone 13 Pro last month. I also tested the two cameras against each other in a Pixel 6 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro camera shootout. This piece will focus on comparing the two flagships with a broader overview.

Pixel 6 Pro (left); iPhone 13 Pro (right).

Google Pixel 6 Pro

The Pixel 6 Pro is the larger sibling that comes with Google's new Tensor chip, a modern design, and an extra telephoto camera.

Order from Amazon

Order from AT&T

The iPhone 13 Pro has Apple's most capable camera system ever, with a larger image sensor and an improved 3x telephoto zoom.

View at Best Buy

View at AT&T

Click to expand: Google Pixel 6 Pro and Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Specifications

Google Pixel 6 Pro and Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Specifications

Specifications	Google Pixel 6 Pro	Apple iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Build	Aluminum mid-frame Gorilla Glass Victus back Gorilla Glass Victus front	Stainless steel mid-frame Glass front and back “Ceramic Shield” for front glass
Dimensions & Weight	163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm 210 grams	iPhone 13 Pro: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm 204g
Display	6.71″ AMOLED 3120 x 1440 pixels variable 120Hz variable refresh rate	Super Retina XDR OLED: iPhone 13 Pro: 6.1″ iPhone 13 Pro Max: 6.7″ ProMotion 120Hz variable refresh rate
SoC	Google Tensor	Apple A15 Bionic
RAM & Storage	12GB RAM 128/256GB	RAM not disclosed 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh Wired fast charging up to 30W Wireless charging up to 23W	Battery size not disclosed; Approximate size from regulatory filings: iPhone 13 Pro: 3,125 mAh Wired charging up to 20W Wireless charging up to 7.5W MagSafe charging up to 15W
Security	Optical in-display fingerprint reader	Face ID
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP wide, Samsung GN1, f/1.57, 1/1.31″ Secondary: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 Tertiary: 48MP Periscope, f/3.5	Primary: 12MP wide, f/1.5 aperture, 1.9μm Secondary: 12MP ultra-wide, f/1.8 aperture Tertiary: 12MP telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.8 LiDAR camera
Front Camera(s)	11MP	12MP TrueDepth camera system
Port(s)	USB-C	Lightning
Audio	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G (mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 NFC	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 NFC
Software	Android 12	iOS 15
Other Features	Dual physical SIM	Dual physical SIM or Dual eSIM support

About this review: This comparison was written after testing a Google Pixel 6 Pro that XDA purchased and an iPhone 13 Pro provided by Apple, for several weeks. Google Ireland did provide my colleague Adam Conway with a Pixel 6 Pro review unit, but it was not used in this piece. Neither company had any input in this article.

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Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Hardware

Design, looks, in-hand feel

While the Pixel is beginning to increasingly feel like an iPhone software-wise, on the hardware front, it is as opposite as it gets. While the iPhone 13 Pro is mostly hard corners and flat sides, with a professional, yet cold and mechanical vibe — it would resemble the rectangular monolith in 2001: Space Odyssey if it came in an all-black colorway — the Pixel 6 Pro is curvy, colorful, playful (unless you got the very dull deep grey color which I got).

Despite the Pixel 6 Pro bringing a bigger 6.7-inches screen to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 6.1-inches, the Pixel 6 Pro is easier to hold for me, because of the aforementioned curves, and also because the Pixel 6 Pro, like almost all Android phones, use a more elongated aspect ratio than the iPhone. So while the Pixel 6 Pro is taller, it’s less wide horizontally at 75.9mm to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 78.1mm.

Both phones offer OLED screens with a refresh rate up to 120Hz, but the Pixel’s display is more pixel-dense, the iPhone 13 Pro’s screen gets noticeably brighter — and it’s the latter that will matter in real world use. However, the iPhone’s screen is also interrupted by a giant notch, while the Pixel has a small hole-punch, so you’re getting a lot more screen on the Pixel 6 Pro than iPhone 13 Pro.

Cameras

The Pixel 6 Pro is better at capturing still wide and zoom images, while the iPhone is better at ultra-wide photos and overall video performance

After years of using pedestrian camera hardware (at least relative to what Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi offer), both Apple and Google finally stepped up this year with newer, better hardware. The Pixel 6 Pro sees the bigger jump, upgrading its sensors to a 50MP GN1 sensor with a large 1/1.31-inch sensor, along with a 48MP Periscope zoom lens and 12MP ultra-wide. The iPhone 13 Pro, meanwhile, brings back a familiar feeling triple 12MP main system, but every lens gets a larger sensor, including a relatively big bump up for the main camera (still smaller than the Pixel’s 1/1.31-inch though), and an improved 3x telephoto zoom (which, also, is inferior to the Pixel’s 4x Periscope zoom). Selfie camera hardware remains mostly unchanged for both phones: 11MP for the Pixel 6 Pro, 12MP for the iPhone 13 Pro.

I’ve covered the camera systems of both phones in an in-depth camera shootout, so please check that out if you want to know more. But the long story short is that I find the Pixel is a bit better at capturing still images with the main and zoom cameras, while the iPhone is better at ultra-wide photos and video performance.

As for which phone looks better? Judging the back of the phone is a subjective exercise, and I like both backs equally. I love the unique visor and two-tone finish in the “Sorta Sunny” colorway of the Pixel 6 Pro, but the iPhone 13 Pro, with its stainless steel flat railings and hard corners, looks like a professional, polished machine.

You can argue either way — for the backside. If we’re talking about the front, I think the Pixel objectively wins because the hole-punch takes up so much less space than the notch.

Either way, these are still ultimately glass phones, so you’re going to want to get a case and/or screen protector for either of these phones for added protection. Check out our roundup of best Pixel 6 Pro cases and best iPhone 13 Pro cases, as well as best screen protectors for the Pixel 6 Pro.

Internals

Generally speaking, iPhones have historically been more powerful and with better battery efficiency than Android counterparts even if the latter phones pack more RAM or a larger battery. The main reason for that is because Apple designs its own SoC and software, giving it total control over hardware and software, creating better synergy between the two. No Android phone has achieved this total level of control until the Pixel 6 series, because this is the first device to run on Google’s own SoC, the Tensor.

The iPhone 13 Pro’s 4498 multi-core score trumps the Pixel 6 Pro’s 2749.

While Tensor isn’t as powerful as the iPhone 13 Pro’s A15 Bionic, it does allow the Pixel 6 Pro to do a lot of on-device computing in terms of image and language processing the way other Android phones cannot.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Software

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and Google Pixel 6 Pro were released with the newest version of their respective software: iOS 15 and Android 12. We’ll start with the latter since Android 12 is the biggest visual overhaul to Android in years.

Android 12

Google coined this big overhaul  “Material You,” an evolution of the “Material Design” first introduced way back in Android 5. Material You, as the name implies, is a more customizable aesthetic that aims to provide a different aesthetic that suits each individual user. To do so, the Pixel 6 Pro utilizes a theme engine codenamed “monet” that identifies the colors being used in the wallpaper, and then builds a pastel-colored theme around which your Pixel 6 Pro’s UI revolves.

For my Pixel 6 Pro, the monet engine came up with a light pink tone that can be seen throughout the phone’s interface, and I really like it. Particularly, in the camera app, such a playful color really makes the interface pop, because I’ve spent a decade-plus seeing smartphone camera apps that almost always come in a black-and-white color scheme. In terms of looks, I love almost everything about the Pixel version of Android 12, except for one nitpick which I’ll come back to later because it ties into a bigger rant.

Moving beyond just looks, Android 12 also brings new privacy features, such as Privacy Dashboard, an all-in-one page that shows you exactly what data each app has accessed in the past 24 hours. The information is presented in a linear timeline, so you get a clear idea of, for example, just how many times Instagram accessed your locations in one afternoon.

There are also new indicators, in the form of a green oval icon or dot, that will let you know anytime an app is using the Pixel 6 Pro’s camera or microphone. This feature is great, but it’s also lifted wholesale from iOS. In fact, Android 12 borrows quite a lot from iOS, including a new one-hand mode that behaves exactly like iOS’s take, which is distinctly different from every other one-hand mode on other Android phones. Basically, brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo have long offered a one-hand mode that shrinks the display both in height and width. The Pixel’s take, only brings down the top of the screen (meaning the screen is just as wide as before), just like how iPhone has been doing it for over five years.

The Pixel 6 Pro’s one-hand mode (left) and iPhone 13 Pro’s “reachability” (right).

I don’t like this move at all, not just because it’s such a blatant copy of what Apple has been doing (even the action to trigger it is exactly the same), but other Android brands’ one-hand mode is just better because it shrinks the screen’s width as well. Many people with smaller hands have trouble one-hand typing on modern smartphones because their thumb can’t reach all the way across horizontally.

Now, before Android fans grab their pitchforks, I am well aware iOS has also lifted features from Android, like widgets on homescreen. I am not against brands copying, and I think every phone brand at this point has lifted ideas. My gripe is that Google is lifting elements of iOS that make Android less customizable than before. For example, the bar at the bottom of the screen (to show users where to swipe) can be hidden in almost every other Android skin for a cleaner look, but the Pixel launcher must show that bar at all times — just like iOS.

Another example: there are two widgets on a Pixel launcher’s homescreen — the Google search bar and Date/Weather widget — that cannot be removed. This drives me crazy because one of the biggest appeals of Android to me is I can (or used to) customize the homescreen entirely as I saw fit. If I want, I could have just one app on the entire homescreen. You can’t do that with the Pixel launcher anymore, because the Google search bar must sit at the bottom, and the Date/Weather widget must sit at the top. This sounds a bit draconian, like iOS.

As my colleague Adam Conway wrote in his in-depth review of Android 12: “the Pixel launcher is very much the iOS launcher of the Android world.”

iOS 15

Aesthetically speaking, iOS 15 doesn’t change much from iOS 14 — the biggest visual overhaul comes in Safari, where the address bar has been moved to the bottom of the screen — but Apple introduces features that improve usability, like the ability to share FaceTime links with Android phone users, and SharePlay, which allows iPhone users to watch videos or listen to music together during FaceTime calls. These are likely big upgrades for many who live in North America, and perhaps the UK, where FaceTime is apparently quite popular among Apple users. But I live in Hong Kong, where like the rest of the world excluding the aforementioned North America and UK, we mostly rely on third-party chat apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, etc.

iOS 15 also brings slightly improved notifications (which still sucks, by the way — it just sucks a bit less), and the ability for Siri to handle some tasks offline (this, to be fair, has been available on Google Assistant for years). For the most part, iOS 15 is a minor upgrade, because last year’s iOS 14 was the one that brought big changes, like the addition of widgets. Still, if you use other Apple products, iOS’s integration with those devices works great. A lot of existing features, like AirDrop, or Private Relay, still work very well.

As for which OS I prefer? I have always preferred Android over iOS and this remains true. I like Android’s more conventional file system, notification management, and completely free home-screen grid that lets me place apps almost anywhere on the screen. However, the Pixel launcher slowly “locking things” on the homescreen has taken away from that a bit.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Performance

We’ve already established that Apple’s A15 Bionic has more raw power than the Google Tensor, but this doesn’t show itself in the real world much — both phones will zip around and launch apps fine. The only time I notice the A15 Bionic’s superiority is when I’m exporting videos, whether they’re 360 videos via Insta360’s app, or just rendering short clips I’ve shot for Instagram Stories, the A15 Bionic renders videos at lightning speed, while the Tensor (or any Snapdragon 888 device) take noticeably longer. I’m not talking about twice as long, but like three to four times as long.

With that said, the Tensor can do some amazing things, because Google designed it to prioritize the things Google is very skilled at, such as machine learning. To that end, the Tensor has allowed the Pixel 6 series to achieve the best-in-class real-time text-to-speech transcription and real-time language translation I’ve ever seen on any computing device. The voice-to-text transcription, in particular, works so well that it has changed the way I use WhatsApp: I now prefer to use my voice to dictate responses instead of typing out the words with my hands.

Apple, of course, also made a major push towards machine learning with the A15 Bionic, and it, too, is capable of some groundbreaking computational tasks, like creating somewhat realistic-looking artificial bokeh in videos (better known as “Cinematic Mode”).

Either way, neither phone will leave you disappointed whether you’re using it for work or play — for the latter, however, I prefer the Pixel 6 Pro’s less interrupted screen, but then the iPhone 13 Pro has louder, fuller stereo speakers.

Battery life

The Pixel 6 Pro has a much larger 5,000 mAh battery than the iPhone 13 Pro’s 3,125 mAh, but I find the iPhone 13 Pro’s battery life to be a bit better. I have been using both phones heavily over the past few weeks, and the iPhone 13 Pro has almost always lasted me a full day easily — even a heavy use 15-hour day out and about. The Pixel 6 Pro, however, has ran dangerously close to 0% a few times. If I have to give a rough estimate, I’d say the iPhone 13 Pro can go an extra two to three hours on a single charge for my usage. I attribute this to a couple of reasons: the Pixel 6 Pro is probably using high refresh more often, and since this is the first time Google is using its own bespoke SoC (which isn’t entirely 100% designed by Google anyway, as it has roots in Samsung’s Exynos 2100), Google hasn’t mastered the hardware/software synergy as efficiently as Apple.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: Conclusion

Usually, when I do these iPhone vs Android comparisons, I always conclude that the Android phone may have better cameras or more immersive screens, but it can’t match the iPhone’s uniqueness, because Apple is the only one making iOS products, while there are several brand making Android phones. For example, as much as I really like the OnePlus 9 Pro, does it really feel that much different from the OPPO Find X3 Pro?

And so I think what Google has done with the Pixel 6 Pro — giving it several exclusive features and a distinctive UI that’s different from vanilla Android — is the right move. It gives the Pixel personality and individuality. Google has clearly been trying to make the Pixel the iPhone of the Android world, and with the Pixel 6 Pro, Google has come the closest yet.

Google has clearly been trying to make the Pixel the iPhone of the Android world, and with the Pixel 6 Pro, Google has come the closest yet

For me personally, I have chosen to carry the Pixel 6 Pro over the iPhone 13 Pro (and anything else I have) right now as my daily driver, because the Pixel 6 Pro’s voice dictation is a game changer,  I love the whimsical aesthetics of Pixel UI (dare I say … MIUI-like?) and I think the Pixel 6 Pro has the second best camera system on the market right now (behind the Vivo X70 Pro Plus).

But let’s face it, the iPhone 13 Pro is still going to outsell the Pixel 6 Pro several hundred times over because it’s so much more widely available, and it has a wide ecosystem of companion products like earbuds, headphones, tablets, computers. This here, is the endgame for Google. Making the Pixel 6 Pro close to the iPhone in personality and exclusivity is just the first step. Google needs to work on having a wider retail presence and eco-system of products.

As it is right now, the Pixel 6 Pro remains a niche device for techies and Android fans. The majority of average consumers across the world are still choosing Apple or Samsung.

Google Pixel 6 Pro

The Pixel 6 Pro is the larger sibling that comes with Google's new Tensor chip, a modern design, and an extra telephoto camera.

Order from Amazon

Order from AT&T

The iPhone 13 Pro has Apple's most capable camera system ever, with a larger image sensor and an improved 3x telephoto zoom.

View at Best Buy

View at AT&T

The post Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: The best of Android vs the best of iOS appeared first on xda-developers.

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Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: The best of Android vs the best of iOS

The Google Pixel has always been designed to be the “iPhone of Android,” and the Pixel 6 Pro comes the closest to living up to that goal yet. In addition to sporting its own silicon for the first time, the Pixel 6 Pro also sees further software tweaks on top of Android 12 that make it feel different from typical Android devices — and dare we say it, more like an iOS. The iPhone 13 Pro, meanwhile, is a somewhat iterative update over last year’s iPhone 12 Pro, with most of the big upgrades coming in hardware components that Android phones have offered for years, like larger camera sensors and a high refresh display.

The iPhone vs Pixel debate is a fun one to have for tech geeks every year, but this is probably the first year where this debate matters (just slightly, but still) to the average consumer.

My colleague Adam Conway has already reviewed the Pixel 6 Pro thoroughly, while I also reviewed the iPhone 13 Pro last month. I also tested the two cameras against each other in a Pixel 6 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro camera shootout. This piece will focus on comparing the two flagships with a broader overview.

Pixel 6 Pro (left); iPhone 13 Pro (right).

Google Pixel 6 Pro

The Pixel 6 Pro is the larger sibling that comes with Google's new Tensor chip, a modern design, and an extra telephoto camera.

Order from Amazon

Order from AT&T

The iPhone 13 Pro has Apple's most capable camera system ever, with a larger image sensor and an improved 3x telephoto zoom.

View at Best Buy

View at AT&T

Click to expand: Google Pixel 6 Pro and Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Specifications

Google Pixel 6 Pro and Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Specifications

Specifications	Google Pixel 6 Pro	Apple iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
Build	Aluminum mid-frame Gorilla Glass Victus back Gorilla Glass Victus front	Stainless steel mid-frame Glass front and back “Ceramic Shield” for front glass
Dimensions & Weight	163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm 210 grams	iPhone 13 Pro: 146.7mm x 71.5mm x 7.65mm 204g
Display	6.71″ AMOLED 3120 x 1440 pixels variable 120Hz variable refresh rate	Super Retina XDR OLED: iPhone 13 Pro: 6.1″ iPhone 13 Pro Max: 6.7″ ProMotion 120Hz variable refresh rate
SoC	Google Tensor	Apple A15 Bionic
RAM & Storage	12GB RAM 128/256GB	RAM not disclosed 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh Wired fast charging up to 30W Wireless charging up to 23W	Battery size not disclosed; Approximate size from regulatory filings: iPhone 13 Pro: 3,125 mAh Wired charging up to 20W Wireless charging up to 7.5W MagSafe charging up to 15W
Security	Optical in-display fingerprint reader	Face ID
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 50MP wide, Samsung GN1, f/1.57, 1/1.31″ Secondary: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 Tertiary: 48MP Periscope, f/3.5	Primary: 12MP wide, f/1.5 aperture, 1.9μm Secondary: 12MP ultra-wide, f/1.8 aperture Tertiary: 12MP telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.8 LiDAR camera
Front Camera(s)	11MP	12MP TrueDepth camera system
Port(s)	USB-C	Lightning
Audio	Stereo speakers	Stereo speakers
Connectivity	5G (mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 NFC	5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 NFC
Software	Android 12	iOS 15
Other Features	Dual physical SIM	Dual physical SIM or Dual eSIM support

About this review: This comparison was written after testing a Google Pixel 6 Pro that XDA purchased and an iPhone 13 Pro provided by Apple, for several weeks. Google Ireland did provide my colleague Adam Conway with a Pixel 6 Pro review unit, but it was not used in this piece. Neither company had any input in this article.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Hardware

Design, looks, in-hand feel

While the Pixel is beginning to increasingly feel like an iPhone software-wise, on the hardware front, it is as opposite as it gets. While the iPhone 13 Pro is mostly hard corners and flat sides, with a professional, yet cold and mechanical vibe — it would resemble the rectangular monolith in 2001: Space Odyssey if it came in an all-black colorway — the Pixel 6 Pro is curvy, colorful, playful (unless you got the very dull deep grey color which I got).

Despite the Pixel 6 Pro bringing a bigger 6.7-inches screen to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 6.1-inches, the Pixel 6 Pro is easier to hold for me, because of the aforementioned curves, and also because the Pixel 6 Pro, like almost all Android phones, use a more elongated aspect ratio than the iPhone. So while the Pixel 6 Pro is taller, it’s less wide horizontally at 75.9mm to the iPhone 13 Pro’s 78.1mm.

Both phones offer OLED screens with a refresh rate up to 120Hz, but the Pixel’s display is more pixel-dense, the iPhone 13 Pro’s screen gets noticeably brighter — and it’s the latter that will matter in real world use. However, the iPhone’s screen is also interrupted by a giant notch, while the Pixel has a small hole-punch, so you’re getting a lot more screen on the Pixel 6 Pro than iPhone 13 Pro.

Cameras

The Pixel 6 Pro is better at capturing still wide and zoom images, while the iPhone is better at ultra-wide photos and overall video performance

After years of using pedestrian camera hardware (at least relative to what Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi offer), both Apple and Google finally stepped up this year with newer, better hardware. The Pixel 6 Pro sees the bigger jump, upgrading its sensors to a 50MP GN1 sensor with a large 1/1.31-inch sensor, along with a 48MP Periscope zoom lens and 12MP ultra-wide. The iPhone 13 Pro, meanwhile, brings back a familiar feeling triple 12MP main system, but every lens gets a larger sensor, including a relatively big bump up for the main camera (still smaller than the Pixel’s 1/1.31-inch though), and an improved 3x telephoto zoom (which, also, is inferior to the Pixel’s 4x Periscope zoom). Selfie camera hardware remains mostly unchanged for both phones: 11MP for the Pixel 6 Pro, 12MP for the iPhone 13 Pro.

I’ve covered the camera systems of both phones in an in-depth camera shootout, so please check that out if you want to know more. But the long story short is that I find the Pixel is a bit better at capturing still images with the main and zoom cameras, while the iPhone is better at ultra-wide photos and video performance.

As for which phone looks better? Judging the back of the phone is a subjective exercise, and I like both backs equally. I love the unique visor and two-tone finish in the “Sorta Sunny” colorway of the Pixel 6 Pro, but the iPhone 13 Pro, with its stainless steel flat railings and hard corners, looks like a professional, polished machine.

You can argue either way — for the backside. If we’re talking about the front, I think the Pixel objectively wins because the hole-punch takes up so much less space than the notch.

Either way, these are still ultimately glass phones, so you’re going to want to get a case and/or screen protector for either of these phones for added protection. Check out our roundup of best Pixel 6 Pro cases and best iPhone 13 Pro cases, as well as best screen protectors for the Pixel 6 Pro.

Internals

Generally speaking, iPhones have historically been more powerful and with better battery efficiency than Android counterparts even if the latter phones pack more RAM or a larger battery. The main reason for that is because Apple designs its own SoC and software, giving it total control over hardware and software, creating better synergy between the two. No Android phone has achieved this total level of control until the Pixel 6 series, because this is the first device to run on Google’s own SoC, the Tensor.

The iPhone 13 Pro’s 4498 multi-core score trumps the Pixel 6 Pro’s 2749.

While Tensor isn’t as powerful as the iPhone 13 Pro’s A15 Bionic, it does allow the Pixel 6 Pro to do a lot of on-device computing in terms of image and language processing the way other Android phones cannot.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Software

Both the iPhone 13 Pro and Google Pixel 6 Pro were released with the newest version of their respective software: iOS 15 and Android 12. We’ll start with the latter since Android 12 is the biggest visual overhaul to Android in years.

Android 12

Google coined this big overhaul  “Material You,” an evolution of the “Material Design” first introduced way back in Android 5. Material You, as the name implies, is a more customizable aesthetic that aims to provide a different aesthetic that suits each individual user. To do so, the Pixel 6 Pro utilizes a theme engine codenamed “monet” that identifies the colors being used in the wallpaper, and then builds a pastel-colored theme around which your Pixel 6 Pro’s UI revolves.

For my Pixel 6 Pro, the monet engine came up with a light pink tone that can be seen throughout the phone’s interface, and I really like it. Particularly, in the camera app, such a playful color really makes the interface pop, because I’ve spent a decade-plus seeing smartphone camera apps that almost always come in a black-and-white color scheme. In terms of looks, I love almost everything about the Pixel version of Android 12, except for one nitpick which I’ll come back to later because it ties into a bigger rant.

Moving beyond just looks, Android 12 also brings new privacy features, such as Privacy Dashboard, an all-in-one page that shows you exactly what data each app has accessed in the past 24 hours. The information is presented in a linear timeline, so you get a clear idea of, for example, just how many times Instagram accessed your locations in one afternoon.

There are also new indicators, in the form of a green oval icon or dot, that will let you know anytime an app is using the Pixel 6 Pro’s camera or microphone. This feature is great, but it’s also lifted wholesale from iOS. In fact, Android 12 borrows quite a lot from iOS, including a new one-hand mode that behaves exactly like iOS’s take, which is distinctly different from every other one-hand mode on other Android phones. Basically, brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo have long offered a one-hand mode that shrinks the display both in height and width. The Pixel’s take, only brings down the top of the screen (meaning the screen is just as wide as before), just like how iPhone has been doing it for over five years.

The Pixel 6 Pro’s one-hand mode (left) and iPhone 13 Pro’s “reachability” (right).

I don’t like this move at all, not just because it’s such a blatant copy of what Apple has been doing (even the action to trigger it is exactly the same), but other Android brands’ one-hand mode is just better because it shrinks the screen’s width as well. Many people with smaller hands have trouble one-hand typing on modern smartphones because their thumb can’t reach all the way across horizontally.

Now, before Android fans grab their pitchforks, I am well aware iOS has also lifted features from Android, like widgets on homescreen. I am not against brands copying, and I think every phone brand at this point has lifted ideas. My gripe is that Google is lifting elements of iOS that make Android less customizable than before. For example, the bar at the bottom of the screen (to show users where to swipe) can be hidden in almost every other Android skin for a cleaner look, but the Pixel launcher must show that bar at all times — just like iOS.

Another example: there are two widgets on a Pixel launcher’s homescreen — the Google search bar and Date/Weather widget — that cannot be removed. This drives me crazy because one of the biggest appeals of Android to me is I can (or used to) customize the homescreen entirely as I saw fit. If I want, I could have just one app on the entire homescreen. You can’t do that with the Pixel launcher anymore, because the Google search bar must sit at the bottom, and the Date/Weather widget must sit at the top. This sounds a bit draconian, like iOS.

As my colleague Adam Conway wrote in his in-depth review of Android 12: “the Pixel launcher is very much the iOS launcher of the Android world.”

iOS 15

Aesthetically speaking, iOS 15 doesn’t change much from iOS 14 — the biggest visual overhaul comes in Safari, where the address bar has been moved to the bottom of the screen — but Apple introduces features that improve usability, like the ability to share FaceTime links with Android phone users, and SharePlay, which allows iPhone users to watch videos or listen to music together during FaceTime calls. These are likely big upgrades for many who live in North America, and perhaps the UK, where FaceTime is apparently quite popular among Apple users. But I live in Hong Kong, where like the rest of the world excluding the aforementioned North America and UK, we mostly rely on third-party chat apps like WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, etc.

iOS 15 also brings slightly improved notifications (which still sucks, by the way — it just sucks a bit less), and the ability for Siri to handle some tasks offline (this, to be fair, has been available on Google Assistant for years). For the most part, iOS 15 is a minor upgrade, because last year’s iOS 14 was the one that brought big changes, like the addition of widgets. Still, if you use other Apple products, iOS’s integration with those devices works great. A lot of existing features, like AirDrop, or Private Relay, still work very well.

As for which OS I prefer? I have always preferred Android over iOS and this remains true. I like Android’s more conventional file system, notification management, and completely free home-screen grid that lets me place apps almost anywhere on the screen. However, the Pixel launcher slowly “locking things” on the homescreen has taken away from that a bit.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Performance

We’ve already established that Apple’s A15 Bionic has more raw power than the Google Tensor, but this doesn’t show itself in the real world much — both phones will zip around and launch apps fine. The only time I notice the A15 Bionic’s superiority is when I’m exporting videos, whether they’re 360 videos via Insta360’s app, or just rendering short clips I’ve shot for Instagram Stories, the A15 Bionic renders videos at lightning speed, while the Tensor (or any Snapdragon 888 device) take noticeably longer. I’m not talking about twice as long, but like three to four times as long.

With that said, the Tensor can do some amazing things, because Google designed it to prioritize the things Google is very skilled at, such as machine learning. To that end, the Tensor has allowed the Pixel 6 series to achieve the best-in-class real-time text-to-speech transcription and real-time language translation I’ve ever seen on any computing device. The voice-to-text transcription, in particular, works so well that it has changed the way I use WhatsApp: I now prefer to use my voice to dictate responses instead of typing out the words with my hands.

Apple, of course, also made a major push towards machine learning with the A15 Bionic, and it, too, is capable of some groundbreaking computational tasks, like creating somewhat realistic-looking artificial bokeh in videos (better known as “Cinematic Mode”).

Either way, neither phone will leave you disappointed whether you’re using it for work or play — for the latter, however, I prefer the Pixel 6 Pro’s less interrupted screen, but then the iPhone 13 Pro has louder, fuller stereo speakers.

Battery life

The Pixel 6 Pro has a much larger 5,000 mAh battery than the iPhone 13 Pro’s 3,125 mAh, but I find the iPhone 13 Pro’s battery life to be a bit better. I have been using both phones heavily over the past few weeks, and the iPhone 13 Pro has almost always lasted me a full day easily — even a heavy use 15-hour day out and about. The Pixel 6 Pro, however, has ran dangerously close to 0% a few times. If I have to give a rough estimate, I’d say the iPhone 13 Pro can go an extra two to three hours on a single charge for my usage. I attribute this to a couple of reasons: the Pixel 6 Pro is probably using high refresh more often, and since this is the first time Google is using its own bespoke SoC (which isn’t entirely 100% designed by Google anyway, as it has roots in Samsung’s Exynos 2100), Google hasn’t mastered the hardware/software synergy as efficiently as Apple.

---

Google Pixel 6 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro: Conclusion

Usually, when I do these iPhone vs Android comparisons, I always conclude that the Android phone may have better cameras or more immersive screens, but it can’t match the iPhone’s uniqueness, because Apple is the only one making iOS products, while there are several brand making Android phones. For example, as much as I really like the OnePlus 9 Pro, does it really feel that much different from the OPPO Find X3 Pro?

And so I think what Google has done with the Pixel 6 Pro — giving it several exclusive features and a distinctive UI that’s different from vanilla Android — is the right move. It gives the Pixel personality and individuality. Google has clearly been trying to make the Pixel the iPhone of the Android world, and with the Pixel 6 Pro, Google has come the closest yet.

Google has clearly been trying to make the Pixel the iPhone of the Android world, and with the Pixel 6 Pro, Google has come the closest yet

For me personally, I have chosen to carry the Pixel 6 Pro over the iPhone 13 Pro (and anything else I have) right now as my daily driver, because the Pixel 6 Pro’s voice dictation is a game changer,  I love the whimsical aesthetics of Pixel UI (dare I say … MIUI-like?) and I think the Pixel 6 Pro has the second best camera system on the market right now (behind the Vivo X70 Pro Plus).

But let’s face it, the iPhone 13 Pro is still going to outsell the Pixel 6 Pro several hundred times over because it’s so much more widely available, and it has a wide ecosystem of companion products like earbuds, headphones, tablets, computers. This here, is the endgame for Google. Making the Pixel 6 Pro close to the iPhone in personality and exclusivity is just the first step. Google needs to work on having a wider retail presence and eco-system of products.

As it is right now, the Pixel 6 Pro remains a niche device for techies and Android fans. The majority of average consumers across the world are still choosing Apple or Samsung.

Google Pixel 6 Pro

The Pixel 6 Pro is the larger sibling that comes with Google's new Tensor chip, a modern design, and an extra telephoto camera.

Order from Amazon

Order from AT&T

The iPhone 13 Pro has Apple's most capable camera system ever, with a larger image sensor and an improved 3x telephoto zoom.

View at Best Buy

View at AT&T

The post Google Pixel 6 Pro vs Apple iPhone 13 Pro: The best of Android vs the best of iOS appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/3off6nT
via IFTTT