Case round-up for the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro

The new Pixels are a real step up from previous years in terms of specs, making them a good upgrade. But you'll definitely need a case on these slippery premium devices.

As usual for my case roundups, I'll cover a variety of styles, with most samples supplied by MobileFun, kind people that they are. See their complete range of Pixel 6 cases and covers, and then Pixel 6 Pro cases and covers.

But on with the individual cases, each link goes to the relevant product page, of course. Plus, since the two phones are almost identical apart from size, I've included links to each variant in each heading - you'll see what I mean.

UPDATED 25/11/2021. More cases, especially for the Pixel 6, even though I don't have a host device to show them off in-situ. But I still have plenty of opinions! And in such cases, I've also linked to the Pixel 6 pro variant, to help you out.

Olixar ExoShield, £10 (Pixel 6 version)

Olixar's ExoShield cases have been a favourite of mine for a while and this is really solid and protective, true to form. Throwing caution to the wind, Olixar is applying the usual buffers of TPU, air pockets and protection from a drop on any face or side.

The only caveat is that the Pixel 6 range with its full width (and deep) camera island is already large enough - and already has lots of straight edges and angular 'lines' - so the addition of so much protective TPU makes the end result quite a handful. I'm not complaining per se - but the size increase on a very large phone is worth allowing for.

The extra protection even extends to the already deep camera island, with it now protruding even more - there must have been a temptation to 'even out' the island, even if it meant making the island vulnerable. Oh well. At least your new Pixel 6 is bombproof!

A close-up (below) shows how the ends are firmly raised up to provide proper face-drop protection, plus you can also see the sculpted out corners - this provides a pocket of air that compresses less than TPU when the phone is dropped on a corner.

A top case option as always, a super all-rounder, though I can't help feel that on the 6 Pro, at least, the extra bulk starts to get a bit prohibitive. I know, I know, get the smaller 6 or just blame Google!

Score: 9/10

Olixar Stand Case with Camera Privacy Cover, £17

This is something very different. It adds even more bulk, adds more texture than an Edinburgh Woollen Mills sweater, then adds a slider that covers the cameras, a fold-out media watching stand, AND a credit card slot!

In the process, all of this also blocks the Qi charging feature of the Pixels, but bear with me on this - I think this case is aimed at people who are - quite literally - out in the open a lot. Hikers, mountain bikers, adventurers, or perhaps people working in forests. That sort of thing. There, having masses of protection, including over the precious camera glass, would be a good thing and, after all, you're not going to find a Qi charging pad on the top of a mountain!

I'm then guessing that the media watching stand will be useful when camped for the night - though I'm struggling with the credit card, since you're not going to run into many retail opportunities. Maybe use this space for an ID card, so that people can identify your body when you've frozen to death? (Only kidding!)

It all works as advertised, though it looks odd to see the massive Pixel 6/6 Pro camera island sunken into a case rather than protruding!

It's a monster of a case and clearly not designed for everyday folks. But hey, if you want the phone case that has it all and don't mind the bulk then be my guest...!

Score: 7/10

Olixar Leather-style Wallet, £10 (Pixel 6 version)

Olixar's wallet cases do vary in materials and design - there's another at the bottom, below - and this one kind of falls in between two stools. The materials aren't quite nice enough (as in faux leather) to warrant the eventual thickness. Normally I'd give this material a pass if the hinge was minimal and the faux-leather bonded into the phone shell (as in the case by the same manufacturer here!!), keeping the folded bulk as thin as possible. 

Sadly, that's not the case here (pun intended!!), with the faux-leather folded round primitively. The folio does the job, but the tendency is for the corners of the folio flap to splay outwards, increasing the apparent bulk even more.

There are two card slots in the folio flap, which sit nicely, plus the magnet closure is strong enough to prevent accidents, e.g. in a bag.

A little underwhelming overall, though.

Score: 7/10

Olixar Ultra-Thin, £7 (Pixel 6 version)

And so to the staple of any phone case review - an 'ultra-thin' design, though with the bulk of the Pixel 6 Pro it's perhaps needed more than ever.

There's internal texture in the TPU to grip the phone and the fit around the corners is fine.

But it's in the hand where it all 'clicks' - a minimalist case is exactly what's needed here and the good news is that it's cheap and won't break the bank. The Pixel 6 Pro pictured feels enormous in the other cases here but just about manageable with Olixar's Ultra-Thin case on.

Happily, despite the minimalist ambitions, Olixar has seen fit to subtly lower the edges to accommodate the 6 Pro's curved screen edges and also raise the case ends very slightly. Enough to protect the phone against some dirt when placed screen-down perhaps, though not enough to offer any real drop protection.

But that's not the point here - the Ultra-Thin design takes a slippery bar of soap and adds genuine grip, with a high coefficient of friction, as usual, between TPU and human fingers.

Score: 9/10

Olixar Genuine Leather Wallet, £20 (Pixel 6 version)

Adding a slight complication to this Pixel 6 Pro case round-up is that the same shown below is for the Pixel 6, not the 6 Pro - and I only have the larger model. But I've linked both above and I can still comment on design and materials.

This using proper leather, and padded on both front and back, is really well made. Here, the expectation is that because you've chosen a real leather folio then you're not too bothered about overall thickness. So Olixar has gone to town and it shows.

If you're not enamoured of the brown then note that this also comes in black. I'd have liked even more colours, in fact.

The case closes with magnetic tabs and these work well without adding extra thickness.

Tough to give a score without trying it on the real phone, but hey... I'll try anyway.

Score: 8/10

Ghostek Exec 4 with 4-card detachable wallet, £30 (Pixel 6 Pro version)

This is an epic piece of construction. The tough and textured plastic, ribbed on the back in order to accept a slide-in card wallet. You see, we're in an age where no one carries cash anymore, so it's more about a couple of ID cards (including Covid vaccination status) and a debit card for emergencies. The theory is that by combining the wallet function with your phone then that's only one thing to carry.

Or to lose, of course! There's also a big downside for me, but I'll come to that shortly. 

The card wallet is elasticated and claims space for four cards, though that's a tight fit and I found that 3 cards worked better. The wallet is made from leather and is of high quality.

The wallet slide into the back grooves and is very secure indeed, requiring conscious effort in exactly the right direction to extract. So it won't fall off.

There's a catch, of course. And you may already have spotted it - the extra bulk on the case's back means that you can't use Qi wireless charging to top up your Pixel with the wallet attached - there's simply too much distance between the phone and pad's coils. Of course, you could always keep removing the wallet to charge in this way, but it would be simpler to say that this case wouldn't suit someone who uses Qi daily.

Corner and face drop protection is taken care of by the thickness of the material and the extra reinforcements, as seen above.

Score: 7/10 (Sorry, it's subjective, but I do top up with Qi charging on all my phones.)

Olixar Soft Silicone, Red, £10 (Pixel 6 Pro version)

Flexible silicone with soft interior is a case style popularised by Apple, at premium price levels. Thankfully the Pixel versions here are 1/5th the price - and are available in pink, green, and purple too!

Although the gluing of the interior felt wasn't perfect on my review case, there's no faulting the smooth and grippy exterior. Although there are no obvious face or corner drop protection features, it's the grip that will save you in the end because you won't drop the phone at all with this case on.

Bonus points for the lanyard holes too, so you could make damn sure you didn't drop the phone around water, for example, with a simple wrist lanyard.

Plus you could buy all four colours and swap them each day based on your mood. Now there's an idea!!

Score: 8/10

Ghostek Covert 5, £15 (Pixel 6 Pro version)

Ghostek know how to please Mr Reviewer here. Really sturdy frosted TPU with internal ribbing, for side drop protection, extra (red) corner reinforcements, textured sections along the bottom half of each side edge for massive grip. It all adds up to 'If you drop a Pixel 6 in this then it will survive. Guaranteed.'

Of course, having your sleek new Pixel encased in frosted TPU might not look very premium on the office desk, but I don't really care. For me, it's all about being the best case possible, and this is right 'up there'.

I would have liked lanyard holes as well, for the adventurer, so I'm docking it a point for this omission - but there's still plenty of other detail to admire, just look at the smooth lines and 'Covert' branding on the camera island protection, above.

A top option and one that won't break the bank. PS. Top tip: this also comes in black, perfect for the real adventurer, I reckon, as it won't show up mud and sunlight ageing!

Score: 9/10

Watch this space for more Pixel 6 and 6 Pro case reviews, I'll add them to this piece.