Well, that’s not really surprising
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are powered by Google Tensor, a customized version of Samsung’s Exynos 2100 chip. They are also the first phones to launch in the US in quite a few years with a non-Qualcomm modem. Instead, they rely on Samsung’s Exynos modem, which even the Korean smartphone giant has shied away from using in its US devices. That’s not surprising since Exynos modems were found inferior to Qualcomm’s offering in various tests over the years. An in-depth analysis and comparison of the Pixel 6 Pro’s Exynos 5123b modem vs. the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s Qualcomm X60 modem reveal that little has changed even now.
PCMag found in its comparison that the Galaxy S21 Ultra was better at capturing LTE signals than the Pixel 6 Pro in every tested scenario by at least 2-5dBm. It was a similar story in speed tests that were conducted on T-Mobile and Verizon’s networks. While the Pixel 6 Pro struggled to reach speeds in excess of 1Gbps on Verizon’s network, the Galaxy S21 managed to pull download speeds over 2Gbps. On T-Mobile’s mid-band network, the Galaxy S21 Ultra did better in six out of the seven tests.
The comparison also cites the scenario of a former Verizon PR manager for whom the switch between LTE, 5G, and 5G UWB on the Pixel 6 on Verizon’s network results in a loss of connectivity for up to a minute. On the other hand, the Pixel 6 was better than the Galaxy S21 Ultra in catching on to a connection in rural areas with low-band networks.
The comparison makes it clear that the Pixel 6’s Exynos modem is nowhere as good as the Qualcomm modem inside the Galaxy S21 series. This also explains why Samsung and Apple tend to stick to Qualcomm’s modem for their flagship devices and why the latter’s modem is found inside almost every smartphone sold in the US.
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