Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro to support 5G mmWave and a UWB chip

While Google busies itself with puerile adverts, it continues to drip-feed information about the Pixel 6 series. So far, we know that the Pixel series will be available this autumn in two sizes, and in several colours. Both the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro will feature Tensor, Google's in-house SoC.

Earlier this month, Android 12 Beta 4 revealed that the Pixel 6 series would feature 'g5123b', a codename for Samsung's Exynos Modem 5123. Now, Reuters has reiterated this, citing 'two sources familiar with the matter'. Reputedly, the Pixel 6 series will support 5G mmWave, a connectivity standard that remains practically exclusive to the US. 

Incidentally, an entry in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) confirms that the Pixel 6 series will also have an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip, like the Galaxy S21 series. The entry mentions a 'Pixel specific internal UWB HAL' in relation to Android 12, apparently to avoid conflicts in Android 13.

Presumably, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will utilise the UWB for Nearby Share, which Google claims it 'built with privacy at its core'. 9to5Google states that UWB will work on the Pixel 6 series in Android 12, before broader support arrives in Android 13.

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