Similar to the Pixel Watch, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have been seen directly in many official and some not-so-official leaks leading up to the grand reveal. The phones have been officially unveiled at the 2022 Made by Google Pixel event, and I was able to go hands-on to give you some first impressions of how the new smartphones look and what is new or different from the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro from last year.
So, let’s dive into what Google has shown off. Remember, this is an initial impression gathered from a short demo period. Our full review will come soon once we have spent some time with the phones in the real world.
The new Google Pixel phones are launching with some pretty impressive prices. Even with the rising costs from the past couple of years, Google kept the prices the same as last year's models, with the Pixel 7 kicking off at $599 in Snow, Obsidian, and Lemongrass.
The larger Pixel 7 Pro rolls in at $899 and is available in Snow, Obsidian, and Hazel. Both phones will offer 128GB and 256GB storage options, with the 7 Pro also getting a 512GB variant. Pre-orders opened today at multiple retailers and cellular carriers like Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart, Google, and more. We'll keep track of all the deals over here to ensure you get the absolute best deal.
Pixel phones have been some of the best Android phones since they first launched. With last year's Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, Google changed its smartphone design language drastically, introducing the camera bar or camera visor stretching across the entirety of the phone's backside with two-tone glass straddling the camera housing. With such a change last year, it's not surprising to see Google continue with a similar overall style but with some more refinements.
Both 7-series phones feature scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass Victus covering the displays and edgeless Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the backside. Google stuck with a more curved glass for the Pro model as it did with the Pixel 6 Pro and a flatter design on the Pixel 7.
We are getting aluminum frames on each phone, with the Pixel 7 using a matte finish and the 7 Pro going with a polished look. While the camera bar is still there and about the same as the Pixel 6-series, it does have a more gradual slope coming in from the edge of the device. Also, instead of being only glass, the aluminum from the railing continues over and across to cover the camera housing.
As for the displays under the Victus protection, both smartphones use OLED technology, but the Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch FHD+ high-refresh screen capped at 90Hz. It has a solid brightness rating reaching 1000 nits when in HDR mode and can go as high as 1400 nits with HDR disabled. The Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, stretches up to 6.7 inches with a QHD+ LTPO display that allows it to do a much better job of varying the refresh rate that can reach as high as 120Hz. Brightness levels are the same as the Pixel 7, except the 7 Pro can eke out an extra 100 nits to max out at 1500 nits.
The physical dimensions of these phones are very similar to last year's devices, with very small changes. The Pixel 7 is slightly lighter at 197g compared to the 207g of the Pixel 6 and smaller in every dimension by a millimeter or two. But the Pixel 7 Pro is even closer to the 6 Pro coming at only about a millimeter smaller in height and width with an added 2g of heft up to 212g.
| Pixel 7 | Pixel 7 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Obsidian,Snow, Lemongrass | Obsidian, Snow, Hazel |
| Display | 6.3-inch (160.5 mm) display, 20:9 aspect ratio, FHD+ (1080 x 2400) OLED at 416 PPI, up to 90 Hz, 1000 nits brightness with HDR, 1400 nits without | 6.7-inch (170 mm) display, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, QHD+ (1440 x 3120) LTPO OLED at 512 PPI, up to 120 Hz, 1000 nits brightness with HDR, 1500 nits without |
| Dimensions/Weight | 6.1 height x 2.9 width x 0.3 depth (inches) | 6.4 height x 3.0 width x 0.3 depth inches |
| Weight | 197 g | 212 g |
| Battery and Charging | 4355 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Memory and Storage | 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128 GB / 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage | 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB UFS 3.1 storage |
| Processors | Google Tensor G2, Titan M2 security co-processor | Google Tensor G2, Titan M2 security co-processor |
| Rear Camera | 50MP wide angle, 12MP ultra-wide | 50MP wide angle, 12MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoon |
| Front Camera | 10.8 MP ultra-wide | 10.8 MP ultra-wide |
| Camera Features | Magic Eraser, Motion Mode, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Panorama, Manual white balancing, Locked Folder, Night Sight, Top Shot, Portrait Mode, Portrait Light, Super Res Zoom (up to 8x on rear camera) Motion autofocus, Frequent Faces, Dual exposure controls, Live HDR+ | Magic Eraser, Macro Focus, Motion Mode, Photo Unblur, Real Tone, Face Unblur, Panorama, Manual white balancing, Locked Folder, Night Sight, Top Shot, Portrait Mode, Portrait Light, Super Res Zoom (up to 30x on rear camera) Motion autofocus, Frequent Faces, Dual exposure controls, Live HDR+ |
| Video | Fused video stabilization, 4K Cinematic Pan video stabilization, 4K locked video stabilization, Digital zoom up to 7x | Fused video stabilization, 4K Cinematic Pan video stabilization, 4K locked video stabilization, Digital zoom up to 20x |
| Sensors | Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Magnetometer, Barometer | Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Magnetometer, Barometer |
| Buttons and Ports | USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, Power button, Volume controls | USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, Power button, Volume controls |
| SIMs | Dual SIM (Single Nano SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (Single Nano SIM and eSIM) |
| Media & Audio | Stereo speakers, 3 microphones, Noise suppression | Stereo speakers, 3 microphones, Noise suppression |
| Connectivity & Location | WiFi 6e / Dual Chain BT 5.2, NFC, Google Cast, Dual Band GNSS, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS | WiFi 6e / Dual Chain BT 5.2, NFC, Google Cast, Dual Band GNSS, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| Network | 5G / mmWave supported on select models eSIM / NFC | 5G / mmWave supported on select models eSIM / NFC |
| Biometric security | Fingerprint Unlock with under-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock | Fingerprint Unlock with under-display fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock |
In terms of power, the Pixel 7 Pro packs a 5000mAh battery, down from the 5003mAh cell inside of the 6 Pro from last year. However, the Pixel 7 drops from 4614mAh to 4355mAh. It's interesting to note the bigger change in capacity for the Pixel 7 compared to last year's model, but perhaps the new Google Tensor 2 is bringing improved power efficiency to negate the drop in battery size. This will definitely be something we'll be putting to the test for our full review.
Speaking of the new Google Tensor 2 SoC, on paper, it isn't a major leap in performance, but there have been some adjustments and fine-tuning for a better experience. The second-gen processor does pick up a dedicated TPU processor for more demanding AI processing.
According to Google, this processor is "more efficient, more secure, and even more helpful (compared to the first Google Tensor chip) And it delivers Pixel's best photo and video quality ever, with next-gen Super Res Zoom, up to two times faster Night Sight processing, sharper photos with Face Unblur, and new features like Cinematic Blur."
Keeping the phones and your data private and secure is the Titan M2 security chip. As part of its job, this dedicated chip will also ensure your biometric information is held safe when using the in-display fingerprint scanner and the face unlock that was missing from the Pixel 6-series.
During my time using the phone, I wasn't able to set up and test the biometric scanners. But when I asked one of the available Googlers if the fingerprint scanner was new for the 7-series, I was told that they weren't sure but that it was noticeably faster. So, take that for what it's worth until we get some more dedicated time with the devices.
While many people enjoy the hardware and smarts that Google packs into its Pixel phones, what most of us really love are the cameras because they are some of the absolute best on the market. So, how have they changed for this year? Well, as with most Google hardware ventures, on paper, the change is little to none. But those hardware and improved software changes should lead to some pretty impressive photos.
I couldn't do any camera tests during my hands-on time, but Google has added some new software features to these phones. One of them is that Photo Unblur will take any photo, taken on the Pixel 7 series device or not, and use Google-magic to clear up as much of the blur as possible. Google also improved previous Pixel camera features to make them even better.
The Pixel 7 keeps the dual-camera setup with both phones' wide and ultra-wide lenses. The 7 Pro also picks up a telephoto lens that bumps the optical zoom from 4x to 5x, with SuperRes Zoom jumping to 30x. The Pixel 7 also gets the SuperRes Zoom treatment, which is capped at 8x.
Google has swapped out the front-facing camera on each phone, opting for a 10.8MP sensor with a 92.8° field of view for group selfies or just to capture more of your surroundings while taking a photo with it.
Speaking of the front-facing camera, one of the most impressive new features is called Guided Frame. It uses Google's machine learning technology to help guide you when taking a photo to ensure you have the framing correct and you look great. As an accessibility feature, it can also speak out instructions and countdown until it automatically takes the photo. This could be a fantastic new feature for those with vision issues.
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro both launch with Android 13, which has been available on previous generation Pixel phones since August 2022. Overall the OS is the same experience as on other Pixel smartphones aside from some camera features that currently rely on the new Google Tensor 2 chipset. Whether Google will or can bring any of those features to older Pixel devices is yet to be seen.
The Pixel 6 series of phones were some of our favorites from last year despite some bugs, and that love was largely due to the helpfulness of the Pixel software experience. Things like Call Screen, Now Playing, call assistance will help with automated menus when calling a business, and so much more.
We'll be putting these new phones through their paces to give you a full rundown of how the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro do in day-to-day usage. So stick around Android Central for the full review coming soon.