Here is a detailed review after about 10 days with the phone.
BATTERY LIFE: Very good! You need to let the adaptive battery smarts learn how you use the phone and start adjusting power use as needed. I was worried on day one but now, very satisfied. This is my experience but give it a 2-3 days and see if yours is the same.
FINGERPRINT SENSOR: This is a complicated one. I hated it at first. I thought Google made a huge mistake. First, you need to stay out of developer options and don’t change the animation scales. Once you do this, the lock screen will consistently show you the fingerprint symbol. Turn on the extra touch sensitivity in the phone’s options. Enroll your finger(s) twice (advice given to many different branded phones). From there, you need to learn how to use it. It takes a little pressure. I kept missing the center but with time, muscle memory developed and now I am satisfied with the FPS. It isn’t the greatest but it’s also not “terrible” or “unusable.” I don’t think this should stop you. I am getting close to not even noticing anything unusual with the FPS. Time heals all… FPS issues – well, most.
CHARGING: This is one that I don’t have a fix for and I think Google mislead people on the phone’s ability to fast charge. It does use high-speed charging to get to 50% and that’s what they promised. Unfortunately, 51% to 100% is closer to regular rapid charging. You won’t get super-fast charging from 50% to 100%. I can live with it since the phone easily makes it through my day. I just charge my phone overnight. It has a nice adaptive charging feature to protect your battery when overnight charging.
THE CAMERA BAR: Before I got the phone, I thought it was going to be problematic, easy to scratch. Well, the opposite. I love it. It looks cool and no rocking when you have it on a table (unlike S21 and Apple iPhone). My case has a lip around it. I am trying out a camera lens protector because they came in the box with my screen protectors. Not sure I need it – I just put it on last night. My case seems to protect it on its own.
SCREEN PROTECTOR: Unfortunately, on the Pixel 6 Pro, you are mostly stuck with TPU film protectors. They get dirty easily and wear out much sooner than tempered glass. There’s also all this talk about how they affect fingerprint performance. My film does not have a fingerprint sensor problem but it does have the typical dirty and wear issues. Since I am picky about the screen, I will probably end up replacing the film soon. This isn’t a Pixel problem per se, it’s TPU film protectors. Also, note that the regular Pixel 6 screen does not have the rolled edges, it’s squared off so you can get tempered glass for it.
CAMERA: This is obvious. It’s fantastic. The 4x optical Zoom is so cool. Magic Eraser is neat but doesn’t always work well. I’m not a pro photographer. I am probably like you, someone who enjoys everyday photos. The Pixel is doing a GREAT job with my everyday photo experience. It does a whole heck of a lot more that I still need to explore.
MATERIAL YOU THEMING: I thought this was going to be silly. It’s not. It’s kinda neat the way it pulls colors out of your wallpaper and uses them throughout the phone. I like it!
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER: No way around it, this is a big phone. Check it out in person if you are concerned. And it’s slippery! Buy a case when you buy the phone. Look at what the regular Pixel 6 has to offer and if the Pro is worth it for you
I came from a Galaxy S21+ and I am really enjoying all of the Pixel features. I love the call screen and “hold for me.” The high resolution, adaptive high refresh rate make for a beautiful screen experience. This is the phone to get if you want Google’s latest tech. They just added “Adaptive Sound” today! Yes, an update… a quiet little update.
When you read other reviews, which you should, make sure the reviewer isn’t expressing only first day, gut reactions. Make sure they have used the phone for at least several days.
After using the phone for a week and admittedly being a Pixel/Android person, I give it 4.5 stars. The half star off is for that charging discrepancy. It’s a great phone that you will enjoy. You are probably going to be married to your phone for at least a year so read other reviews.
Photos: My Pixel 6 Pro in the Spigen Thin Fit case. Phone is in the “light mode” theme. Photos taken with a cheap, old phone.