Back in May Google first showcased the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel Watch at its I/O developer conference. Since then, we’ve been eagerly waiting to get our hands on the latest Pixel hardware. That time is now finally here.
At its Made by Google event held on the 6th of October 2022, Google finally launched the highly-anticipated Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch. In case you missed the live stream, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Pixel smartphones.
Design & Display
Google adopted a new design with the Pixel 6 series last year, and the new Pixel 7 series takes it to the next level with a few refinements. For the most part, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro look virtually identical to their respective predecessors, but the new models sport an updated camera housing on the back panel.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro don’t feature a completely blacked-out camera visor and opt for a brush metal finish that matches the frame. The camera cutouts are now more prominent, with the Pixel 7 featuring a single pill-shaped cutout housing two camera sensors and the Pixel 7 Pro sporting an additional circular cutout to house its third camera sensor.
Google Pixel 7
Besides the updated camera housing, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro feature no apparent design changes. The phones still sport an edge-to-edge display with minimal bezels and a centered hole-punch cutout on the front, volume and power buttons on the right edge, a USB Type-C port on the bottom, and a SIM card tray on the left edge.
As far as the displays are concerned, the Pixel 7 packs a 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED panel that refreshes at 90Hz. It’s about the same size as the one on its predecessor, but Google claims it’s 25% brighter than the older model. On the other hand, the Pixel 7 Pro features a larger 6.7-inch LTPO pOLED panel that offers a peak refresh rate of 120Hz, variable refresh rate support (10-120Hz), and 25% higher brightness than the display on the Pixel 6 Pro. Another differentiating factor between the two is that the Pixel 7 Pro’s display is no longer curved.
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro come in three colorways each. You can get the regular model in Obsidian (black), Snow (white), and Lemongrass (lime green) finishes and the Pixel 7 Pro in Obsidian, Snow, and Hazel (greyish brown). All three variants of both devices feature a different finish for the metal frame and camera visor.
SoC, RAM, & Storage
While the new models don’t look all that different, they pack several changes on the inside. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro feature the new and improved Google Tensor G2 SoC, which offers improved performance and a host of new machine-learning features on the devices.
The octa-core SoC packs two Cortex-X1 Prime cores clocked at 2.85GHz, two Cortex-A79 Performance cores clocked at 2.35GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz, along with a Mali G710 MP07 GPU. The new SoC is paired with 8GB RAM on the regular variant and 12GB RAM on the Pro model. The Pixel 7 gets up to 256GB of storage, while the Pixel 7 Pro also comes in a higher-end 512GB model. Both devices don’t offer expandable storage support.
Cameras
Similar to its predecessor, the Pixel 7 features a dual camera setup on the back with a 50MP primary sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. Over on the front, the device has a single 10.8MP selfie shooter.
On paper, it looks like Google hasn’t made any significant improvements on the camera front. But the selfie camera on the newer model offers a wider field of view and a larger sensor for better nighttime photography. On the Pixel 7 Pro, you get a triple camera setup on the back with a 50MP main camera, a 48MP 5x telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
Over on the front, the device features the same 10.8MP selfie shooter as the base variant but with a slightly narrower field of view. While the spec sheet suggests that both phones feature the same ultra-wide camera on the back, Google says that the one on the Pro variant has a 21% wider field of view, offers autofocus, and can be used for macro shots.
Both phones offer 4K 60FPS video capture support on all cameras, improved Night Sight capabilities with faster photo capture, and Cinematic Blur support to capture video with a shallow depth of field. The devices also offer 10-bit HDR video capture capabilities.
Battery & Charging
The Pixel 7 houses a 4,355mAh battery, while the Pro model gets a larger 5,000mAh battery. Both devices feature wired fast charging and wireless charging support. Google claims that users will be able to charge the devices up to 50% in about 30 minutes using the official 30W USB-C charger. The devices come with a new ‘Extreme Battery Saver’ mode, which can deliver up to 72 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Software
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the first devices to launch with Android 13 out of the box. Along with the new features Google introduced with Android 13, the devices come with a few Pixel-exclusive features. These include Photo Unblur, Audio message transcriptions in Google Messages, Clear Calling, Speech Enhancement, and more. The Pixel 7 series is also the first to get Cough and Snore detection.
The devices will also get the Google One VPN soon and are eligible for at least 5 years of regular security updates. Currently, Google has not clarified the number of Android upgrades it will roll out to these devices. We’ll update this post as soon as we have the relevant info.
Google Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro: Pricing & Availability
You can pre-order the all-new Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro starting today. The devices are available for a starting price of $599 and $899, respectively. Those who pre-order the Pixel 7 Pro from Best Buy will receive a $200 Best Buy e-Gift Card and up to $400 with an eligible trade-in. On the other hand, Pixel 7 buyers will receive a $100 Best Buy e-Gift Card and up to $400 with an eligible trade-in.
