Without a doubt, the Pixel 6 family is the most premium line of phones that Google has ever created. With a unique design – a feat that’s getting harder and harder to accomplish these days – a lightning – fast proprietary processor, incredible cameras with meaningful new features, and a much-needed visual overhaul of Android, the Pixel 6 was almost everything we’ve ever wanted from a Google branded phone.
But it was not perfect, especially if you are one of the many customers who have been plagued by the constant barrage of insects that seem to show up every time. It’s without a doubt Pixel 6’s biggest flaw, but there are a few other things we can think of that would improve a Pixel 7 when it finally debuts. Here’s what we think the Pixel 7 will need to regain the top spot on the list of best Android phones.
Stable as a rock
Right now, the Pixel 6 family feels a bit like it had its foundation built on sand. The launch looked very strong, and former AC writer Ara Wagoner and I gave it high marks, calling them the best flagship phones of the year. But the foundation was washed away pretty quickly, and in December, the inadequacies of Google’s own Pixel software began to erode the goodwill given at launch.
Since then, we have seen a significant number of errors and issues plaguing users. Some users have been able to overlook these issues because the camera is just so damn good, but we would be unhappy not to mention the bugs as the number one issue Google has to solve in Pixel 6, much less an actual successor. the company expects consumers to spend money on later this year.
To put it mildly, the number of Pixel 6 errors is higher than any flagship in recent memory. While most of these errors are just annoying, some, like the recent error rejecting some calls without ever notifying the Pixel owner, are huge issues. In the past, we saw issues where people could not connect to their home Wi-Fi network and, worse, some people who could not connect to mobile masts.
Needless to say, Google will have to do better next time unless it enjoys user anger that it is trying to keep on its platform.
Better fingerprint sensor
Originally, one of the only issues I had with the Pixel 6 hardware was the fingerprint sensor. Alone it was a nuisance and only worked for me half the time. Compared to almost any other smartphone with the same fingerprint sensor method, the Pixel 6 felt generations behind. This is something that absolutely needs to be fixed with Pixel 7.
To be fair, Google has improved the fingerprint sensor a lot since its launch via software updates. Whether it’s because they made it less secure to do it faster, or whether they actually did firm something is someone’s best guess, but the end result is a daily experience that is much more bearable.
Recently, we saw the re-face lock in Pixel 6’s settings, which could help alleviate some of the frustration of the fingerprint sensor for people who do not mind a less secure biometric authentication method. For anyone who wants to buy a Pixel 7 when it finally debuts, however, Google should just use a better fingerprint sensor like the one found in the Galaxy S21 or S22 series, or one of the sensors OnePlus has used in their phones for years.
More customization options
With Pixel 6, it was clear that Google had finally come up with a design language that it could really get behind. For the first time since Android introduced Material Design almost ten years ago, Android had a clear and unique design that felt fresh and modern. In many ways, it felt as if Android had finally got its soul back after years of acting as if iOS UX design was the only way to go.
Not everyone liked it, but there’s no doubt that it’s stylish and unique looking – again, like the phone’s hardware design, this is hard to do these days without feeling intuitive. With Pixel 7, I would love to see Google embrace its unique design further by offering even more customization to the users. People who want more than four quick shifts should be able to cram some more in there. Likewise, I would love to see Google offer more quality of life features like those found in Samsung’s One UI.
After all, if Google wants to advertise its phones as being as unique as its users, then does not it make sense to give them more choices besides changing the color palette? Google has made great strides with customization in Android 12, and even though it’s a stretch, I would love to see Pixel 7’s debut of Android 13 as a completely customizable affair.
Wider compatibility with wireless charging
Almost everyone who owns a Pixel 6 who has tried using the wireless charging feature has probably realized how smart the phone is around wireless charging. You can put the Pixel 6 on any wireless charger and usually see it detect the presence of the charger, but more often than not the phone will reject the charger and simply refuse to push up.
I have several different brands of wireless chargers at home, all of which have wide compatibility with most modern smartphones. That, of course, excludes the Pixel 6, which only charges on one or two types of wireless chargers that I have. It’s annoying and I know I’m not alone in this request as I’ve seen it show up regularly since the release of the phone. The Pixel 7 should work with multiple wireless chargers, just like Google’s competitors do.
Release the curved screen
This may be more of a preference thing, but I will still make the request. While the Pixel 6 came with a completely flat screen, the Pixel 6 Pro stuck to the waterfall screen that marked the look of a premium Android phone for so many years. Yes, a screen with curved edges looks nice, but in reality it is a pain in the butt to deal with.
First, it’s harder to find a decent tempered glass screen protector than it should be. While a 3-pack of them costs around $ 10 for the flat Pixel 6, a curved glass protector of similar quality to the Pixel 6 Pro is at least three times the price, and you get one protector smaller in the box. If you do not want to pay $ 50 for something like a White Dome screen protector, you will probably be stuck with an inferior product that will make these curves ugly instead of beautiful.
I know the curved edges look nice and are a boon for gesture control, but unfortunately the reality of the situation is that curved screens make phone care more difficult. It’s time to flatten that curve all the way across the line for any Pixel 7 model that makes its debut this year.
Smaller grains in the frame
The Pixel 6’s camera quality is almost unmatched – especially if you’re a parent – but its low light video quality can sometimes leave something to be desired. Namely, video with very low light recorded from Pixel 6 tends to look quite grainy compared to the competitors. In some cases, this creates a more detailed video, but otherwise the Pixel 6’s low light video does not look as good as what you can get from a Samsung phone like the Galaxy S22.
Similarly, zooming in and out while recording video is not as smooth as you would find on a Samsung phone or iPhone. More specifically, when you cross the threshold where the Pixel 6 switches between the camera lenses on the back – it’s less than 1x on both models or over 4x on the Pixel 6 Pro – there’s a very noticeable notch that occurs.
Some of this strain is at least partially unavoidable, as each camera lens is in a different physical position and each has a different focal length, but software magic can go a long way to creating a more cohesive experience. If Samsung can do that, then the master of amazing AI processing – it’s Google, if you were wondering – can certainly achieve similar results.
Zoom zoom
The Pixel 6 Pro delivered the first periscope lens on a Pixel phone, and I would love to see this concept taken even further on the Pixel 7. While the Galaxy S22 Ultra can zoom in up to 100x away with its camera, the Pixel 6 Pro stops at 20x . You can certainly crop the image digitally to help “enlarge” the subject in the image, but it’s just not the same as capturing it directly from the viewfinder.
In addition to being simpler for the user, zooming in through the camera’s viewfinder provides results in superior quality due to a combination of hardware and software tricks. Google will use the results of handshakes to capture small variations in detail in distant objects and combine these images into one, creating a more detailed end result.
Google came up with this concept way back in the Pixel 3 days, and it helped the phone meet – or even surpass – the quality of images taken from other phones at the time, even though those phones had an optical zoom lens. Google is already doing this with the Pixel 6 Pro’s periscope 4x lens, and I can not imagine how good the details could be with a lens that looks even further.
A better Google
The Pixel 7 has every chance of being named the best value flagship phone of 2022. So far, everything tells us that the Pixel 7 will simply be a refined version of the Pixel 6 instead of a revolutionary design change that we saw last year. This is great as Google has already made all the major changes and just needs to smooth out some bumps in the experience.
When will we see Pixel 7? So far, our best guess is that we will see the new flagship sometime in September, which is a month earlier than the Pixel 6 came in 2021. This is good news for anyone wanting to upgrade this year, and it may also describe some important information. also software updates and fixes for Pixel 6.