Summary
SpecsDesignScreenSoftwarePhotoPerformanceBatteryAudioNetwork and communicationConclusionPrice and availabilityCommentsTwo champions come up against each other in this comparison: the Google Pixel 6 and the Apple iPhone 13. If they do not have the same prices, they are undeniably the two essential gateways into the premium segment of the two manufacturers. Here is our versus to help you make a choice.
Left: Pixel 6. Right: iPhone 13. // Source: Frandroid
Often considered the iPhone of Android, what is the Pixel 6 worth when put in front of the iPhone 13? Is he the expected Messiah to slow the flight of Android users to the sometimes calmer waters of iOS 15?
For its part, has Apple been able to renew its range sufficiently to stand up to the new Android champion? This versus tries to answer all these questions.
Data sheets for Google Pixel 6 and Apple iPhone 13
| Model | Apple iPhone 13 | Google Pixel 6 |
|---|---|---|
| OS Version | iOS 15 | Android 12 |
| Manufacturer interface | N/C | Android Stock |
| Screen size | 6.1 inches | 6.4 inches |
| Definition | 2340 x 1080 pixels | 2400 x 1080 pixels |
| Pixel density | 460 dpi | 411 dpi |
| Technology | OLED | OLED |
| SoC | A15 Bionic | Tensor |
| Graphics Chip (GPU) | Apple GPU | Google GPU |
| Memory (RAM) | 4 GB | 8 GB |
| Internal memory (flash) | 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB | 128 GB |
| Camera (back) | Sensor 1: 12 MPSensor 2: 12 MP | Sensor 1: 50 MPSensor 2: 12 MP |
| Camera (front) | 12 MP | 11.1MP |
| Video recording | 4K@60 FPS | 4K@60 FPS |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (ax) |
| 5.0 | 5.2 | |
| Supported bands | 2100 MHz (B1), 800 MHz (B20), 1800MHz (B3), 2600MHz (B7), 700MHz (B28) | 2100MHz (B1), 800MHz (B20), 1800MHz (B3), 2600MHz (B7) ), 700 MHz (B28) |
| 5G | Yes | Yes |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Fingerprint sensor | No | < td>Yes|
| Ports (in/out) | Lightning | USB Type-C |
| Battery | 3240 mAh | 4614 mAh |
| Dimensions | 71.5 x 146.7 x 7.65mm | 74.8 x 158.6 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 173 grams | 207 grams |
| Colors | Black, White, Red, Blue, Pink | Black , Grey |
| Repairability Index? | N/C | 6.4/10 |
| Price | €899 | €649 |
| Product sheetSee the test | Product sheetSee the test |
Apple master of sensations
Without judging the beauty of the product, criterion for the less subjective, if there were to be a match for originality, it goes without saying that the Pixel 6 would have the advantage with its module design never seen before. The iPhone 13 sports a more classic design, with a square photo module housed at the top left.
This gives the Pixel 6 a slight advantage on the balance placed on a table, but enough to overtake its opponent.
Google Pixel 6 // Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid Source: Frandroid – Brandon LopesThe iPhone 13 has slightly narrower borders than the Pixel 6, but the presence of a notch offsets this. On the other hand, the finishes are to the advantage of the iPhone 13 in our opinion. The aluminum frame and overall feel of the back (even though both smartphones have glass) are to the advantage of Apple's phone.
When comparing the weight between the two, the iPhone 13 clearly has the advantage with its 174 grams, which makes it a rather light smartphone. The Pixel 6 looks a brick next to it, weighing in at 207 grams. The dimensions are also more reasonable on the iPhone 13 which is a slightly thinner and less bulky smartphone.
In short, the iPhone 13 is slightly more pleasant in the hand. He therefore wins this design part by a short head.
iPhone brighter and thinner, but less fluid
Two OLED screens, one 6.4-inch on the Google side, the other 6.1-inch on the Apple side. On the dots per inch side, the advantage is with the iPhone with its 460 dpi, against 411 dpi for the Pixel 6 panel.
While neither benefits from LTPO technology, which offers variable refresh, the display speed is to the advantage of the Pixel 6 and its 90 Hz, against the small 60 Hz of the iPhone 13.
The Google Pixel 6 Pro (left) and Pixel 6 (right) // Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max // Source: Brandon Lopes – FrandroidThe brightness of the iPhone 13 seems however unbeatable, with a maximum standard brightness of 800 cd / m². That said, you shouldn't see much of a difference to the Pixel 6's 757 cd/m², also a very good value.
In both cases, these are excellent screens, very well calibrated and with good brightness. In contrast, during our Pixel 6 test, we noticed auto-brightness responsiveness that left a bit to be desired.
Clash of the Titans
On one side of the ring, Android 12, the model that will be copied and reinterpreted by all smartphone manufacturers outside of Apple. On the other, we find iOS 15, the interface often imitated, rarely equaled, the anti-Android par excellence.
Let's start by saying that your ability to be comfortable with one or the other of the interfaces is more a matter of taste and habit than undeniable quality or defect on one side or the other. 'other.
However, there are important differences. iOS 15 stands out with a competitive fluidity in the way the OS handles its animations, where Android particularly insists on customization and excessive functionality.
On the other hand, remember that iOS has two flaws: somewhat complicated ergonomics in the first few weeks if you've never set foot in this country and some blocked features if you don't have Apple devices.
There remains the level of finish here again, which is slightly to the advantage of iOS according to our tests, where we encountered fewer bugs. Slight advantage to iOS.
If the Pixel 6 does not have a telephoto lens, it does not have to be ashamed of its photo technical sheet for its price.
The iPhone 13 offers three sensors with the exact same number of megapixels.
Photos taken with the Pixel 6
Photos taken with the iPhone 13
Source: FRANDROID – Melinda DAVAN-SOULAS Source: FRANDROID Source: FRANDROID – Melinda DAVAN-SOULAS Photo taken with iPhone 13 in the dark // Source: FRANDROID – Melinda DAVAN-SOULAS The iPhone 13 manages details better in less intense light / / Source: FRANDROID – Melinda DAVAN-SOULASIn broad daylight, the Pixel 6 is hard to fault. It brings detail and contrast even in less than ideal conditions, such as gray skies or backlighting. The result remains natural and the portrait mode is still as effective. The Pixel 6 does this much better than the iPhone.
For its part, the Apple phone now manages backgrounds better and it remains a champion of enhancing the different subjects of a photo thanks to the Neural Engine contained in the chip. Another place where he excels: the ability to capture an image " on the spot ".
Night mode, two philosophies
At night, without going through the dedicated mode, the two smartphones display a rather similar rather natural rendering. They both have little difficulty freezing the image without a long exposure.
On the other hand, for the night modes, we are really on two philosophies. The iPhone 13 aims for a very natural result, where the Pixel 6 seems to have set itself the goal of rendering as much detail as possible. Whether we like it or not, it has its small effect.
The Google Pixel 6 Pro photo module // Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid Source: Frandroid – Brandon LopesThe ultra wide-angle secondary lenses of the two smartphones are experiencing a fairly similar loss of quality. We lose sharpness, the colors are less accurate, but it remains usable.
The iPhone trumps the Pixel 6 on the selfie side. The result of Apple's phone is clearly more natural and has less noise.
Each smartphone offers its own little features to stand out. We can cite for example the magic eraser listed Pixel 6 or the cinematic mode for the iPhone 13.
The A15 Bionic crushes the Tensor? Not so simple
At first glance, the Google Tensor of the Pixel 6 does not hold up against the overpowering of the A15 Bionic chip. In any case, this is what we can draw from the synthetic benchmarks, where the Google chip does little better than a chip like the A13 of the iPhone XS, which however dates from 2018.
| Model | Google Pixel 6 | Apple iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu 9 | 727865 | 836521 |
| AnTuTu CPU | 189171 | 206265 |
| AnTuTu GPU | 295509 | 349531 |
| AnTuTu MEM | 101918 | 151631 |
| AnTuTu UX | 141267 | 129094 |
| PC Mark 3.0 | 10354 | N/C |
| 3DMark Wild Life | 6545 | 9541 |
| 3DMark Wild Life average framerate | 39.20 FPS | 57 FPS |
| GFXBench Aztec Vulkan/Metal high (onscreen / offscreen) | 45 / 32 FPS | N/ C |
| GFXBench Car Chase (onscreen / offscreen) | 59 / 66 FPS | N/C |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.0 (onscreen / offscreen) | 90 / 159 FPS | N/C |
| Sequential read / write | 1387 / 247 MB/s | N/C |
| Random read / write | 36943 / 43893 IOPS | N/C |
A lag time that can be seen in its in-game performance. Where you can throw any game to the iPhone that will handle them without flinching, the Pixel 6 shows some small weaknesses on certain titles as soon as you exceed 30 FPS. Be careful, he still manages to make them run properly, but at this level, we are obliged to note the differences, even slight ones.
Google Pixel 6 // Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid Source: FRANDROIDHowever, some speed tests (which consist of measuring the time an application takes to launch) carried out in recent days show that the Google Tensor can be particularly fast to launch basic applications. Even faster than his sidekick. It is only on more demanding apps where it is ahead of a short head.
Last sticking point between the two: storage. On this, the Pixel 6 unfortunately suffers from the setbacks of the French market and offers only one option in 128 GB. The iPhone 13 has three choices: 128, 256 or 512 GB of storage.
Upon arrival, the point goes to the iPhone 13 on performance. Again, this plays out in a handkerchief between the two.
The inexhaustible Pixel 6
If Apple has made good progress in terms of autonomy with its iPhone 13, the Pixel 6 seems slightly ahead in the field of autonomy.
Indeed, the Google smartphone manages to get close to two days of autonomy without too much difficulty, despite fairly intense use (5/6 hours of screen during our tests). The autonomy of the iPhone 13 is closer to the day of autonomy.
On the charging side, however, the two smartphones do not really shine. Count 30 W on the Pixel 6 and 20 W on the iPhone 13. Both do not provide a block in their box.
The Pixel 6 also requires a Power Delivery PPS charger to claim a full charge in about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The iPhone takes about 1h20 to charge.
The Pixel 6 therefore wins this category on its ability to stay on longer without charging.
The iPhone 13 did very well
If your number one criterion for buying a smartphone is the quality of its speakers, you can stop reading this article immediately and go buy iPhone 13.
Front face of the Google Pixel 6 // Source: Anthony Wonner – Frandroid The notch of the iPhone 13 is 20% smaller // Source: FRANDROID – Anthony WONNERYour servant knows something about it since he had the chance to hold both devices in his hands. And Apple really does not play in the same category.
The sound is warm, balanced, the variation in volume is rather linear, we retain bass even at high volume. In short, the Pixel 6 is no match for this category.
Each excels in one area
The two phones cover most of the 5G bands available in France. On the other hand, on the rest of the connectivity, the Pixel 6 goes slightly further by offering Wi-Fi 6E against Wi-Fi 6 "only" for the iPhone. Same thing for Bluetooth with 5.2 against 5.0.
If the iPhone 13 therefore leaves with a slight handicap, it makes up for it on its call quality which is a little more satisfactory than that of the Pixel 6. The voice is less compressed than for its interlocutor and the reduction of ambient noise is more effective .
A draw on the network side.
The iPhone 13 above, even at the price level
The iPhone 13 is an undeniably superior smartphone to the Pixel 6, this versus has clearly demonstrated it. He dominates his opponent by winning the majority of categories. More precisely, it wins by a short head in design thanks to a better finish and greater lightness, its interface is slightly more polished and finished, its speakers are more efficient, its chip is more powerful in game.
But the Pixel 6 is not demerit in this game, far from it. He wins the autonomy part and wins draws on the screen, the photos and the network and communication part. Also remember that this is a smartphone sold for nearly 250 euros less than its competitor. So he manages to hold him off. On the grounds where it is exceeded, it is never so dantesque.
Managing notifications on iOS is very different from Android // Source: Brandon Lopes – FrandroidLet's end this versus by saying this: the iPhone 13 is a superior phone to the Pixel 6. But the few points where the iPhone exceeds it does not necessarily justify the price difference in our eyes. In this, the Pixel 6 is a price bomb that displays capacities rarely equaled in the segment of smartphones around 650 euros.
Let's add that for the price of an iPhone 13, it is possible to get your hands on a Pixel 6 Pro, with even greater autonomy and a telephoto lens, which is not the case with the Pixel 6 Pro. entry level from Apple.
To go further, do not hesitate to consult our opinions on each of the two products:
The Google Pixel 6 was launched at a price of 649 euros. Only one version is available with 128 GB of storage.
Where to buy the Google Pixel 6 Pro at the best price?The iPhone 13 was launched at the recommended price of 909 euros with 128 GB of storage, 1029 euros for 256 GB of storage and 1259 euros for 512 GB.
Where to buy the Apple iPhone 13 at the best price?See more offersTo follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS app. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.
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