Google officially unveiled its new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones today (October 19) One detail that was not fully unveiled, however, was the price difference for the Pixel 6 Google Pixel 6 pre-orders at the Google Store and T-Mobile start at $59999 for the Pixel 6 and $89999 for the Pixel 6 Pro

Reservations on Verizon, however, start at $69999 for the base model AT&T, on the other hand, sells Google's flagship models for as high as $73999 and $93999 Sure, there are plenty of aggressive campaigns to drive prices down, but if you are wondering why there is such a dramatic price difference, the answer is simple

As this Google chart explains, there are several Pixel 6 models available for pre-order: the GB7N6 is the basic model ($599), which does not support millimeter wave 5G; it only supports the Sub-6GHz band; the GB7N6 is the basic model ($599), which does not support millimeter wave 5G; the GB7N6 is the basic model ($599), which supports the Sub-6GHz band

The G9S9B, on the other hand, supports millimeter wave This is the model sold on Verizon and AT&T, which is why Pixel 6 models for these carriers are more expensive than Google and T-Mobile models (All Pixel 6 Pro models sold in the US support mmWave)

The 5G standard consists of low-band, mid-band, and high-band frequency bands As a result, 5G networks operate at different frequencies, sub-6 GHz and mmWave (20-60 GHz) at the low and high band ends

mmWave 5G offers exponentially faster speeds than Sub-6GHz 5G, but is more limited in terms of communication range In other words, cell phones supporting mmWave 5G must be installed in some proximity to a 5G tower to enjoy the higher speeds

This may work in metropolitan areas where multiple towers are spread throughout the city, but is unlikely in rural areas As a result, millimeter wave 5G has been slow to spread and is only available in a few cities

Not sure which Pixel 6 is right for you? See our Google Pixel 6 review and our Google Pixel 6 Pro review