Your Next Phone Needs To Be The Google Pixel 6 Pro–Here’s Why

Streaming and phones go together like peanut butter and jelly, or Oreos and milk–and finding the best phone to stream can be confusing with the influx of phones in the market. Stop all your searching and head straight over to Best Buy to pick up the latest flagship phone from Google. The Pixel 6 Pro is one of the best phones on the market right now, and it’s the best for streaming. Read on to find out why.

Price and Availability: The Google Pixel 6 Pro comes in two different models: the 128GB and the 256GB. Both are available at Amazon for $899 and $999. While the 256GB model is sold out at Best Buy, you can pick up the 128GB model at Best Buy for $899.

Why We Chose It: I’ve had this phone since it shipped to me in early December, shortly after its release on October 28. The Google Pixel 6 Pro checks off all my boxes for what I needed in a phone without costing an exorbitant amount of money compared with its market competitors. For $999, you get the speediest house-built Google Tensor chip with 12GB of RAM for speedy touchscreen responses.

Processing aside, let’s talk about that camera that comes with it, because it’s the real MVP on this phone. I specifically opted for the Google Pixel 6 Pro because it came with three different camera lenses, so there is one for every occasion you’ll need for your impromptu photo shoots.

Photo: Rebecca Isaacs

You’ll get a 50MP wide lens, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 48MP telephoto camera lens that comes with 4x optical zoom for taking portrait shots. My experience with these cameras is that they’re beyond amazing for taking portraiture shots. You could opt for a Google Pixel 6 if you’re looking for a device with a basic camera, but the Pro model is the only one that provides that telephoto lens, and it really does make a difference in shooting beautiful portraiture. Case in point: Hobbes, the ideal model since when zoomed in, you can see every single one of his fine hairs and whiskers with the 48MP telephoto lens.

Photo: Rebecca Isaacs

And if you’re into night shots, the camera comes with a special night optical to enhance these images. So long are the days of too-dark night images with the Pixel 6 Pro’s cameras. In my experience shooting some fun pieces during Christmastime, my local park’s snowflakes display came off looking and feeling like a professional photograph.

Photo: Rebecca Isaacs

Speaking of portraits, the camera also has Real Tone technology built into it to enhance every skin type for closeups, group shots, and more. And, you can erase items and random people from your photos with Magic Eraser. Life pro tip: if you’re into taking lots of photos and video, spare yourself the hassle of storage and opt straight for the 256GB model.

The only downside we found on this phone wasn’t in the specs but the design itself. It’s a slippery beast. When you pick it up, snag a case that can help keep it in your hands and not on the ground. I dropped it (multiple times) and didn’t have any issues with cracking the screen or anything, but all it takes is one angry swamp witch to curse you with bad luck for the phone to crack. The good news is you can add device insurance on the phone for a small extra fee, so if you choose not to add a case, you’ll have device coverage in case of any curse-related mishaps.

Why You Need It: So you want a phone that can stream for long periods of time. The good news is that Google has you covered. When I’m in the city and on the subway, I’m streaming the latest episodes of Peacemaker and it doesn’t destroy my battery life. In fact, by the end of the day, when I’m streaming Spotify at my desk and texting about what’s for dinner (spoiler–it’s tacos), there’s still plenty of juice left. And, on the rare occasion it gets low, I can plug it into my portable charger and it quickly charges so I can power through the rest of my day.

So when I’m streaming with all this leftover battery life, I want to stream TV shows and movies–and the OLED, 6.7-inch LTPO Smooth Display touchscreen is a beautiful experience on it. It’s Google’s largest mobile device to date, and it’s an added benefit. On top of this OLED screen, the patented gorilla glass comes with IP68 water resistance so you can stream rain or shine.

The only issue, going back to the camera, is that the 11MP front lens camera lands directly on the touchscreen, similar to the Samsung S22+ which opted for a similar design. This makes sense though, especially considering the razor-thin bezel on the device. That being said, I didn’t find the front lens to be a detraction upon hours of playing Roller Coaster Tycoon and Stardew Valley.

In terms of its refresh rate, you can expect 120Hz for the display, so you’ll have high quality, fast streaming no matter if you’re watching movies or simply playing another round of Roller Coaster Tycoon on your way home.

What Others Are Saying: CNET found itself enamored with the camera lenses, specifically the 48MP telephoto zoom lens: “The 4x zoom lens is amazing too, providing tons of detail thanks to its high resolution sensor. I think 4x is a great zoom level for a phone as well; it allows you to find compositions that would be beyond the reach of lesser zoom levels, but it’s not quite as restrictive as the 10x zoom you’ll find on the Galaxy S21. It’s a zoom level I feel I’d use a lot on my travels and have already taken a few 4x shots with the phone that I’m really pleased with as artistic images.”

The Verge felt that the battery life passed their benchmark testing procedures to make it a solid contender against other market competitors. “There also wasn’t an appreciable difference in battery life between the two phones. Both are easily able to cruise through a full day of use with plenty of juice left in the tank — most nights I went to bed with 35-40 percent battery remaining, even while using the camera a lot and enabling the always-on display feature. Light users can probably stretch this to two days without much effort. A big reason for this stamina is the fact that the batteries are just big — big phones bring big batteries and big battery life.”

Final Conclusion: The Google Pixel 6 Pro is one of the best phones that provides true value for its price point. With three professional-grade cameras and a gorgeous 6.7-inch screen with OLED technology and a 120HZ refresh rate, you can enjoy hours of mobile gaming, talking, streaming, and anything else you’ll need for a phone. This phone should be your go-to device for your streaming needs.