Google Pixel 6 leaked promo videos show off major new software features

Google Pixel 6 colors
(Image credit: Google)

Only a small proportion of potential Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro buyers will be tuning into Google’s launch event this week. For everybody else, the company needs a short, snappy way of getting its new devices in mind and showing them why they want a Pixel 6 over, say, an iPhone 13.

And now, thanks to a couple of allegedly official promo videos leaked on Twitter by @_snoopytech_, we have an idea of the three key talking points that Google will be pushing when it only has 30 seconds to make its case.

While we can't say with 100% certainty that these are official Google promo videos for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, they certainly look authentic. And given the short time until the launch event and the fact that the features highlighted here tally with what we already know or suspect about the phones, we'd be very surprised if they're not genuine.

While there’s an advert for both the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the clips are essentially identical, with only very minor differences in the splicing. You can play ‘spot the difference’ with them below, but the talking points are the same, which is interesting. 

Rather than pushing the Pro’s 120Hz screen and additional camera, Google is instead talking about their shared abilities, made possible by the new Tensor chip.

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After showing a home screen resplendent with Material widgets, the promo skips straight to highlighting the Tensor as “the first Google chip in a smartphone.” 

It then goes on to demonstrate exactly the kind of thing this makes possible, starting with the “Magic Eraser” feature revealed in last week’s Carphone Warehouse leak. As suggested, this lets you remove elements from a picture, as a construction worker in the background of a group selfie is zapped out of existence with just one tap.

It all looks very impressive, though the small print at the bottom of the screen is worth acknowledging here. Not only does Google warn that “Magic Eraser may not work on all image elements,” but the company adds that the sequences have been shortened. How much more complex it is in real life will make or break whether this is a killer feature or something that could have done with more time in the oven.

The video then skips on to “Live Translate” which, as the name suggests, is able to translate conversations in real time. This has been a Google hobby horse for some time, and was sold as a big feature of Pixel Buds, but here it’s shown working in a spoken-word conversation, in Google Messages and via Google Lens. All of this, Google adds, with “no internet required.” 

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Finally, Google highlights the security of the new phone, which is interesting because, as important as it is, it’s a pretty niche interest. A safe motif is joined by a text about the security hub protecting your “phone, data, passwords, Google account, [and] digital life.”

The ad ends with the Pixel 6’s tagline: “For All You Are.”

It’s an eclectic mix of features to highlight, and it’s interesting to see what Google prioritized for those only being exposed to the Pixel 6 for 30 seconds of an ad break. Doubtless we’ll see more tricks unveiled on Tuesday, but it would be hugely surprising if Google didn’t go into some depth about Magic Eraser, Live Translate and Security Hub: three features that the company clearly sees as essential if the Pixel 6 is to go mainstream.

Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.