Considering how AR experiences are one of the core features of the Pixel 6 series, support for ARCore was always on the horizon. But the move is now official thanks to the smartphones’ inclusion in the ARCore support page. The document now mentions 27 compatible phones and tablets from brands like Lenovo/Motorola, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, ZTE, and others. The Pixel 6/6 Pro could already access a bulk of the AR features before their inclusion in the support document. As 9to5Google mentions, the list of ARCore-compatible devices gives us some insight into upcoming devices while confirming which existing phones or tablets support Google’s latest AR features. The ARCore support documentation revealed six unannounced phones earlier this year.
A bulk of the Pixel 6’s hardware capabilities are possible due to the custom Google Tensor chip
The company said during I/O 2021 that around 850 million Android devices are certified to run ARCore. Moreover, users can access a wide range of augmented reality features on tools like Google Search. Google brought along some significant changes with ARCore 1.24 at I/O this year. Crucially, the company introduced two new APIs – the Raw Depth API and the Recording and Playback API. The Raw Depth API allows users to better represent “the geometry of objects” in a particular scene. What this also means is that non-flat surfaces are easily distinguishable based on texture. Meanwhile, the Recording and Playback API allows developers to save time on testing and development to boost development. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro bring a ton of new features in addition to the bevy of AR capabilities. Google has more control over the hardware of the new Pixels, thanks to the custom Google Tensor chipset. Built using the 5nm manufacturing process, this is a customized Exynos chipset mass-produced by Samsung. The Pixel 6 lineup has come across a handful of issues in the short time since its release. But customers can take solace in knowing that their latest Google-branded phone supports advanced AR features underneath.
