Android 13 on the Pixel 6 Professional is an excellent improve — with one exception

My Pixel 6 Professional lastly obtained Android 13 the opposite day and I have been placing it by means of the paces. I already knew what to anticipate from the improve (as I have been following it and reporting on it for numerous sources), so not one of the new additions got here as a shock. And though Android 13 is not practically the sport changer that Android 12 was, it is nonetheless a formidable improve to the working system.

However what are my first impressions of the Android 13/Pixel 6 Professional mixture? I believed I would share them with you, so you may get a good suggestion of what is coming when your gadget receives the replace (or possibly sway your opinion — by some means — on buying a Pixel 6 Professional). 

With that stated, let’s simply soar proper into my impressions. This is not going to be about new options and Android 13 itself, however the way it performs on the Pixel 6 Professional (my each day driver). We’ll begin with the nice and end up with the unhealthy.

The Good

It is so easy

What Android 12 did for the look of the platform, Android 13 did for the texture. Each animation in Android is buttery easy within the newest improve. We’re speaking iOS-level silkiness. That is the primary time I might say the animations in Android are on par with these in iOS. That is saying one thing as a result of iOS animations have at all times bested Android by a protracted shot. You would possibly assume that is nothing greater than an aesthetic change, but it surely goes past that. With the smoother animations, there’s much less lag and pause when shifting between apps or different actions, which makes the OS rather more environment friendly to make use of. So not solely does Android 13 make your gadget look higher, it makes it behave higher. 

The fingerprint sensor

Thank goodness Google fastened the dreadful responsiveness of the Pixel 6 Professional fingerprint sensor. Earlier than Android 13 the biometric unlock nearly at all times failed on the primary attempt. Now, it is spot on nearly each time. However greater than the enhancements to the accuracy, it is simply quicker. Fingerprint unlocking on the Pixel 6 Professional is now as quick because it was on the Pixel 5 (which was virtually rapid). That situation was most likely one of the crucial obtrusive issues with Android 12 on the Pixel 6 Professional, so Google resolving the issue will trigger each person to launch a sigh of reduction.

Total efficiency

The Pixel 6 Professional was already a extremely performant gadget. I have been utilizing Pixel telephones because the first iteration and of each model I’ve used, the Pixel 6 Professional is the quickest, most responsive telephone within the lineup. With Android 13 on the gadget, it will get the slightest bump in efficiency. Apps open simply marginally quicker and reply with a bit extra pep. However given how nicely the gadget carried out with Android 12, I did not anticipate an enormous enchancment within the space of efficiency. However even the slightest bump is spectacular.

No extra dropped sound in calls

One situation that has been fairly frequent with Pixel units is that in a telephone dialog it was nearly inevitable that, in some unspecified time in the future, the individual on the opposite finish would not be capable to hear me. This downside has occurred with each Pixel telephone I’ve obtained and was at all times fastened when the gadget obtained a serious improve. The identical factor holds true with the Pixel 6 Professional and model 13 of the OS. I not have to fret about listening to these I name, out of the blue, saying, “Are you there? I can not hear you.”

A lot-improved sharing

The characteristic I need to point out most likely will not have a lot bearing on most customers. Nonetheless, I take plenty of screenshots and share them to a folder named SCREENSHOTS in Google Drive. With Android 13, that course of is made significantly simpler because the AI learns that is the place I are likely to do most of my sharing of screenshots. So now, after I go to share a screenshot, it routinely provides me the choice of sharing on to that listing. Given how usually I repeat this motion, it makes my workflow significantly simpler.

Thanks, Google. Now, let’s have a look at in the event you can drop that sample with the discharge of the Pixel 7.

The Dangerous

Happily, there is not an entire lot of unhealthy available right here. Even so, I have to say there’s one manifestly unhealthy change that issues me…

Battery life

Previous to the improve to Android 13, my Pixel 6 Professional would go from me waking to going to mattress with the battery not often dipping under 60%. I’ve already seen a few days the place, by the point I put the telephone on the charger on the finish of the day, my battery was round 25%. That is a big change.

I am hoping that is all concerning the AI having to relearn my behaviors. The explanation why I feel that’s as a result of after these first few days I’ve observed the battery life beginning to edge again to what it beforehand was. Even nonetheless, by finish of the day, I am 40-50% battery life. That is nonetheless fairly good to have the ability to go from 7 AM to 10 PM and nonetheless have practically half of my battery life left but it surely’s nonetheless a noticeable degradation within the battery life. Here is hoping the built-in AI can resolve that situation.

Lacking bits

Earlier than the complete launch, it was rumored that we’d lastly see facial recognition come to the Pixel 6 Professional. Nope. Additionally lacking is the again gestures that promised to be a bit extra interactive.

The place’s the transparency?

One factor I can not imagine Google hasn’t bothered with is bringing again the transparency possibility that was as soon as accessible to the Notification Shade and App Drawer. For my part, it simply appears extra trendy (versus the stable white background we get now). I would actually wish to see that characteristic come again…however that is simply my opinion and actually has nothing to do with Android 13. The explanation why I convey it up is to make it seem to be this tackle Android 13 wasn’t so biased. 

Why? As a result of there’s little or no unhealthy to seek out within the Android 13/Pixel 6 Professional mixture. Apart from the battery life (which is able to most likely enhance), I’ve discovered Android 13 to be a superb improve on the Pixel line of units. With that in thoughts, I extremely suggest everybody with a Pixel 6 Professional go forward with the improve to Android 13. Even in the event you do expertise the identical battery situation as I’ve, that ought to go away because the AI learns your habits.