This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
It’s been a few months since Google released the Pixel 6 and it sent ripple waves across the industry, offering excellent value for money at just $600.
Despite a problematic fingerprint scanner and few missing features like basic face recognition, it’s hard to find a better deal around. The Pixel 6 has a solid camera, outstanding performance and good battery life.
Despite all of that, there are a few small things Google could have done better, and the first one has got to be the actual design of the Pixel 6.
Google obviously wanted to have a phone that stands out from all the rest and this was achieved not only via a gigantic camera bar on the back of the phone, but also with a different take on the smartphone slab. Instead of the rounded edges we see on practically all phones these days, Google goes with rather sharp corners. This might look good in photos, but makes holding the phone in your hand incredibly uncomfortable as the right edge cuts into the meat of your palm.
This design fail gets even worse if you slap a case on, which makes the phone even bigger and makes getting a proper hold on your gadget harder.
I have been using the severely underrated Pixel 5a as my daily driver in the past couple of months, and despite a nearly identical screen size (the 5a has a 6.34” display, while the 6 comes with a 6.4” screen), the Pixel 5a feels a lot more comfortable to hold and carry in a pocket.
The Pixel 6 is also heavier despite having a smaller battery: it weighs a bulky 207 grams vs 183 grams on the 5a.
All of this makes the Pixel 6 feel unnecessarily burdensome to use and hold in the hand.
The sharp edges of the Pixel 6 cut into your palm
Google has been working on the Pixel 6 for years and it is a hugely important device for the company, and latest rumors point to an upcoming budget Pixel 6a model also adopting the same design.
And don’t misunderstand me: there is merit to having a phone with a personality, and this new Pixel has plenty of that, which I do appreciate. At the same time, looking distinct should not clash with comfort of use, and I sincerely feel like the number one thing stopping me from upgrading to the newer Pixel 6 from a noticeably slower Pixel 5a is… well, the cumbersome design!
Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE is another device I have been testing recently, and while it has exactly the same 6.4” size as the Pixel, it is so much more compact, lightweight and most importantly, comfortable to use and hold. It’s quite incredible how two phones with the same sized screen can feel so different in the hand!
Speaking of design opinions, the Pixel 6 is incredibly slippery to the point that it’s too easy to drop it on your face while watching videos in bed, and that’s another thing I wish wasn’t this way.
Of course, design choices are a subjective thing and I’m really curious to hear your take on them: what do you think about the Pixel 6 design? Do you think a phone should have sharp edges like the Pixel or curved ones like most other smartphones out there?
