Some offhanded Google Pixel 6 Pro thoughts, before I have it in hand:

Finally ! respectable storage amount available. Seems a bit small for today’s day and age, yet four times better than last year, which was definitely at least 3 years out of date.

I’ve been excited about the camera, however not excited to hear that a lot of its abilities are dependent on specific shooting modes: you have to have that specific mode running while taking the picture. Grr. Other phones have excellent macro lenses these days; no such thing from Pixel. Grr. Sounds like the impressive low-light abilities still depend on long hold-steady-for-the-open-shutter times. Grr.

It will be interesting to adjust back to a big phone, after the small Pixel 5; I was a big-phone person always before — I like having lots of screen real estate. I also like being able to put my phone in my pocket. ::Sad about losing the latter.

I’m deciding on a case for the Pixel 6 Pro, very probably a Spigen. In my experience, Spigen cases are very reliably form-fitting, thin, while providing fair protection given their slim size. I don’t need heavy/rugged protection, I prefer thin and lightweight, although I appreciate a bit of protection so that my phone can survive the occasional fall without incident.

Spigen Ruged Armor for Pixel 6 Pro: full coverage, thin, multiple textures, physically flexible material, feels protective, feels good and gripped well in hand
Spigen Liquid Air for Pixel 6 Pro: full coverage, thinnest, textured, physically flexible material
Spigen Ultra Hybrid for Pixel 6 Pro: full coverage, good firmness, thin while providing protection
Spigen Thin Fit for Pixel 5: full coverage, good firmness, thin while providing protection
Spigen Liquid Crystal for Pixel 3XL: full coverage, good firmness, good look though slightly thicker/plastic feel
Spigen Rugged Armor for Pixel 2XL: full coverage, good feel, thin while providing protection
Spigen Thin Fit for Pixel 2XL: limited coverage: many open gaps around buttons, rubbish protection, prone to breakage

TL;DR The sound through either of these headphones is fine, solid noise-cancelling, fairly comfortable, the software has notable issues and my user experience with both has been frustrating; UX a bit worse with the Sony, call quality is bad with the Sony especially for the person on the other end of the call.

Update, seven months later: I’m definitely not happy with either of them, though I enjoy several parts of life much better with good noise-cancelling headphones on. If I had to do it over again, I would choose the Bose for slightly better UX and significantly better phone calls (particularly for the experience of the person on the other end, blocking out unwanted background noise on my end).

Update ~13 months later: Sony is an Awful experience I will definitely not put myself through this again. Noise-cancelling is great, experience is awful.

I don’t need answers the same way I used to. I still have all the questions. I’m okay with that. I still love to have answers and I still would rather know than not know. I still feel I’m an invasive species, however it’s very selective now; I’m disinclined to pry.

I still believe in truth and love the idea of it, though I know that truth and reality are not the same, and truths are subject to all the lenses — perspective and time and the beholder and the writer and the accompanying foundational truths and compounded truths.