Repeating last year's saga, the new Pixel 7 Pro hits the market as a fairly honest price. Google's big flagship for the year features an excellent quality display, an extremely versatile camera, and a processor with pretty solid performance. But is it enough to compete with big smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung? Find out in this Pixel 7 Pro review!
Good
- Flawless display
- Solid performance
- Excellent and versatile camera
- Great battery life
- Excellent value for money
Bad
- Slippery
- Slow charging
- Power adapter not included in the box
Google Pixel 7 Pro: price and availability
After officially announced in August, the new Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro hit the market on October 6. While the vanilla variant has a starting price of $599, the Pro variant can be purchased starting at $899. Both models are already available for purchase on Google's official store and on partner e-commerce like Amazon.
| Google Pixel 7 | Google Pixel 7 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| 128 GB | $599 | $899 |
| 256 GB | $699 | $999 |
| 512 GB | Not available | $1,099 |
| 1 TB | Not available | Not available |
If you purchase the Pixel 7 Pro by October 17, Google and Amazon are providing a credit amounting to $200 for the Pixel 7 Pro. Get to know more on how to buy the unlocked version of the Pixel 7 Pro in our buying guide for the new Pixels.
A very familiar design
With a curved 6.7-inch display, the new Pixel 7 Pro remains a large smartphone. With an aluminum case made of 100% recycled material, the Pixel 7 Pro has undergone some changes from the previous generation's design.
The Pro variant now features prominent spaces for the different camera module lenses on the horizontal rear bar. This unifies the design of the camera module bar and the chassis, which seems to me to make it more durable.
What I liked:
- Good quality of materials.
- Camera module seamlessly integrated into the chassis.
- IP68 Certification.
What I didn't like:
- Glossy metal is a magnet for fingerprints.
- Super slippery.
The new Pixel 7 Pro can be found in three colors: Snow, Obsidian, and the new Hazel hue. However, just like last year, it seems to me that the prettiest color was once again exclusive to the vanilla model, which has a variant in Lemongrass.
Overall, the Pixel 7 Pro just had a revision of the build material: we have more aluminum in this new generation. And the fact that we have the maintenance of the Pixel 6 Pro's visual language is quite positive in my eyes, given that it is an easily distinguishable design in a world of very similar smartphones.
Another plus point is that the series has retained the IP68 certification for water and dust resistance which coupled with the five years of security updates, make the long-term use of this model even more attractive.
On the other hand, if you use mobile without a protective case, know that the Pixel 7 Pro is really slippery.
A bright and smooth screen
Another component in which we haven't seen much change is the display-which isn't a problem given that the display present in the Pixel 6 Pro is excellent. The screen is still 6.7" and 19.5:9 aspect ratio, with QHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. With an LTPO OLED panel, the refresh rate ranges from 10 to 120 Hz, which saves battery life.
What I liked:
- Impeccable screen quality.
- Less sharp side curves.
- Adaptable refresh rate.
What I didn't like:
Once again, Google has chosen to use Gorilla Glass Victus and rely on the durability guaranteed by the Corning brand. Regarding brightness, the Pixel 7 Pro's display reaches up to 1,000 nits (HDR) and up to 1,500 nits (peak).
Personally, I really liked the colorimetry and brightness of this display and consuming content on this device is simply a treat. Despite my current preference for flat screens, the less sharply curved screen edge on the Pixel 7 Pro are really a plus point in the changes from the previous generation.
Android 13 powered by AI
Software-wise, the Pixel 7 Pro leaves the factory running Android 13 . The most current version of Google's software offers a range of user interface customization options as well as advanced security features, offering even more control over the smartphone's hardware components.
Furthermore, with Private Computer Core the processing of personal information takes place locally, i.e. on the smartphone itself. Added to this is the long-term software support.
What I liked:
- Customizable user interface.
- Advanced security features.
- Long-term software support.
Dislikes:
- Smart features not yet available.
The Pixel series has some unique features, such as the audio transcription application. This feature is really relevant in the daily life of a journalist or a student, for example, but may not have as much appeal among other users. However, this voice input technology in conjunction with Google's natural language learning models are being applied in other areas of the system.
With the announcement of the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro the audio transcription function went right into the Messages app and, in theory, should offer a transcription of voice messages sent between users of the series. However, we tried to use the new feature here at NextPit, but even though we met the prerequisites, we couldn't find it. Which was really frustrating.
Another voice input feature in Google Assistant for recommending emojis didn't work. However, the smart functions of instant translation or image recognition via Google Lens are still top notch. To learn more about the key software functions present in Android 13, check out our guide to the latest version of Google's software.
Finally, the new models will receive up to three years of major Android updates and five years of security updates. This means having launched with Android 13, it should receive Android 16 which is tipped to arrive in 2025.
Tensor G2: A solid performance
One of the main differences between generations of the Pixel line is in the processor. The Tensor G2 brings improvements to the main subsystems of the SoC and, of course, optimizations of Machine Learning (ML) functions, such as natural language . The best news is that the second time around, the performance proved to be quite solid.
What I liked:
- Smooth, fluid experience.
- Great stability at high performance.
- Fast image and video processing.
- Fingerprint sensor and facial recognition work.
What I didn't like:
Among the Tensor G2 configurations we have 2x super-big ARM Cortex-X1, 2x big A76, 4x small Cortex-A55. The Pixel 7 Pro hits the market in128, 256 and 512 GB UFS 3.1 storage variants and 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and is supported by the Mali-G710 GPU graphics. Except for the latter, the cluster configuration is very similar to that of the first generation Tensor SoC, as well as the benchmark results, check it out:
| Google Pixel 7 Pro (Tensor G2) |
Google Pixel 6 Pro (Tensor G1) |
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Apple Bionic 16) |
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 (Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Mark Wild Life | 6,527 | 6,446 | Too powerful | 8,611 |
| 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test | Best loop: 6,492 Worst loop: 5,876 |
Best loop: 6,367 Worst loop: - |
Best loop: 9,599 Worst loop: 8,121 |
Best loop: 10,332 Worst loop: 5,606 |
| Geekbench 5 | Single: 1,050 Multi: 3,239 |
Single: 1,043 Multi: 2.876 |
Single: 1,885 Multi: 5,406 |
Single: 1,332 Multi: 3,947 |
In the above context, the Tensor G2 is behind recent models from Apple and Samsung, whose chips described above are manufactured by TSMC. In comparison, Google's chip is manufactured by Samsung using a 4 nm process.
However, despite the benchmartk results being quite different, the day-to-day experience with the Pixel 7 Pro proved to be very solid. The device did not overheat at any point, even with 60+ minute gaming sessions or nearly two hours of camera testing-with heavy image post-processing.
When it comes to data security, the Tensor G2 processor works together with the Titan M2 security chip that offers an extra layer of protection against complex attacks.
Still on the subject of security, one of my biggest criticisms of the Pixel 6 Pro last year was regarding the most basic security feature: biometrics for screen unlocking. In this regard, the Pixel 7 Pro uses a combination of facial recognition and fingerprint authentication to unlock the device. And it works well.
The thing here is that unlike what we have with Apple's Face ID, the Pixel 7 Pro's facial recognition does not rely on a 3D authentication system, but rather on research-based machine learning models for facial recognition, meaning it is a function of the front camera.
An excellent camera at the software level
On paper, the camera module of the Pixel 7 Pro doesn't differ much from the one we got in the previous generation. We have a set of three lenses, most notably the 48 MP telephoto camera, which is now capable of capturing images with 5x optical zoom. The 50 MP main lens, meanwhile, is capable of capturing 12 MP images via the pixel binning technique. Google has kept the previous generation's 1/1.31-inch, 1.2µm sensor with f/1.85 aperture and optical stabilization (OIS).
Finally, the ultra-wide-angle camera has 12MP, f/2.2 aperture and 1.25µm pixel size, with a 125.8-degree field of view. This component has been slightly updated from one generation to the next, has autofocus and captures macro images with more quality.
At the front, we have a 10.8 MP sensor, with the option of ultra-wide angle field of view image capture. This same camera is used for the screen unlock function via facial recognition.
What I liked:
- The Super Res Zoom feature continues to impress.
- Night Sight mode is pretty solid.
- Portrait mode continues to excel.
- On-screen brightness and color controls are really useful.
- Consistent computational photography.
What I didn't like:
- Smart functions are still inconsistent.
- Cinematic Blur doesn't work as expected.
In well-lit environments, images taken with the Pixel 7 Pro's camera are sharp, with balanced brightness and colorimetry, and even with heavy background image processing, they stay natural. The fact that we have the exposure, contrast and white balance controls on the screen, allows us to be more creative when creating the photo.
At night, features such as Night Sight are eye catching, because unlike Night Mode, instead of creating brighter pictures, Night Sight increases the contrast in the images via computer processing and creates really beautiful shots.
Just like in the previous generation, the Pixel 7 Pro's set of lenses allows it to be very versatile in capturing images, offering everything from macro shots to the absurd 30x zoom resolution. And this is one of the great highlights of the Pixel series, to rely on software to minimize the absence of hardware.
Since the Pixel 6 Pro, we have had a rather distinctive camera module in the series, this is because Google claims that this design makes it possible to better rearrange the telephoto camera components and allow for wider optical zoom. In the case of the Pixel 7 Pro, the optical zoom is 5x. More than that, using the software Google is able to offer zoom over a wide range of distances: precisely up to 30x.
This feature is called Super Res Zoom and is assisted by new Machine Learning (ML) models in Tensor G2. Starting at 2x zoom, the Super Res feature cuts a 50-megapixel main camera image to offer a 12.5-megapixel image, offering more resolution than before. To minimize the noise caused by the smaller pixels, however, it re-mosaics the image into a traditional bayer format in order to reduce the noise in it. The result is a full 12.5 megapixel photo at 2x.
For the other distance ranges, this process basically scales up to offer even more image sharpness and detail. From 15x zoom on, the zoom stabilization comes into play to identify objects and stabilize the camera. This can be seen from the left corner of the camera app screen.
When we trigger the 20x zoom, the Super Res technology produces a photo using data from all three cameras in conjunction with the Tensor G2 ML models.
In everyday life, the results vary greatly. What I notice is that the greater the actual distance to the object, the more astonishing the result. And of course, the quality goes down considerably. However, even 30x zoom can sometimes be impressive.
Google also offers new editing features like "Unblur," which promises to reconstruct the sharpness of images from Google Photos. However, the improvements turned out to be rather subtle or almost inconsistent-just like the already well-known Magic Eraser feature.
When it comes to the video feature, Google has added the Cinematic Blur function to the camera software to record videos with blurred backgrounds. Unlike Apple's solution, which offers Cinematic mode on both front and rear cameras due to hardware limitations, Google allows you to use Cinematic Blur only with the main camera module. Furthermore, it is not possible to edit the focus in the post-editing process.
In the examples below you can see how unstable the focus is, especially when objects are moving in front of the lens. When my colleague Antoine Engels and I are moving, the focus clearly blurs. In the studio, however, when placing an object directly in front of the camera, the recognition of objects in focus was more fluid:
As I had said earlier, it seems to me that Google is very confident in the quality of the previous generation camera and has chosen to change very little in the hardware of the camera suite this year. However, the new Machine Learning models of the Tensor G2 seem to have been the highlight of the upgrade between generations-even though the Pixel 6 Pro model also features the changes to the Super Res Zoom feature.
Overall, the Pixel line's camera remains excellent!
A battery for the whole day
With a typical 5,000 mAh capacity, the Pixel 7 Pro offers battery life that can last all day without you having to worry about charging the device overnight.
What I liked:
- Great battery life.
What I didn't like:
- Slow charging.
- Power adapter not included in box.
Last year, the Pixel 6 Pro's battery consumption proved to be really high, especially after a series of problems with the software update. However, thankfully the Pixel 7 Pro didn't show any problems here. Using PCMark's battery test as a reference, the Pixel 7 Pro came in at 14h35min of battery life.
Despite the good range, however, the so-called "fast charging" takes up to 40 minutes to offer 53% of the charge. For a full charge it took 100 minutes. Still regarding charging, Google reports the device supports a 30W charger, but the Pixel 7 Pro's battery allows a maximum charging power of 23W.
The Pixel 7 Pro also offers Qi wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
Google Pixel 7 Pro technical specifications
| Technical Data Sheet | |
|---|---|
| Product | |
| Photo | |
| Screen | 6.7-inch LTPO-OLED 1,440 x 3,120 pixels (512 ppi) at 120 hertz Up to 1,000 nits (HDR) and up to 1,500 nits (peak) |
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm 212 g |
| SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Titan M2 |
| Memory (varies by region) |
12 GB LPDDR5 128 GB or 256 GB UFS 3.1 |
| Micro SD | n/a |
| Main camera | 50 MP with Octa PD and Quad Bayer | f1.85 | 1.2 µm | 82° FoV | OIS (Sensor size: 1/1.31'') |
| Ultra Wide-angle | 12 MP with Autofocus | f/2.2 | 1.25 µm | 125.8° FoV |
| Telephoto lens | 48 MP with Quad Bayer PD | f/3.5 | 0.7 µm | 20.6° FoV | 5x optical zoom | 30x SuperRes |
| Video | 4K at 30 and 60 fps (rear) | 1080p at 30 and 60 fps (rear) 4K at 30 and 60 fps (front) |
| Selfies | 10.8 MP with Fixed Focus | f/2.2 | 1.22 µm | 92.8° FoV |
| Audio | Stereo Speakers |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired Charging | Max. 30 watts |
| Wireless charging (Qi) | Max. 23 watts |
| UWB | Yes |
| IP Certification | IP68 |
| Price | From US$ 899 |
Final verdict
In 2021, the Google Pixel 6 Pro was marked by inconsistency: if on the one hand many devices did not fail, on the other there was an escalation of errors for distinct variants between one system update and another. Unfortunately, our Pixel 6 Pro review unit was among the models that presented several problems: slow screen unlocking via biometrics, high power consumption, occasional problems in camera quality, and constant stuttering and system slowdowns.
However, even though it is a flagship, the model released last year had in its favor the fact that it was the first smartphone to be packed by Google's custom processor. In other words, if it performed smoothly and with excellent integration between hardware and software, great; if it had problems-as it did-Google would still be excused, as it was a first attempt at building hardware for a hardware-focused company.
However, in 2022, Sundar Pichai and his team no longer have the luxury of error... and perhaps that's why they got it right this time!
On paper, the big highlight of the Pixel 7 Pro is the Tensor G2. As we showed in this review, the performance looks very similar to the previous generation, but is more solid. Using new ML models, the new SoC also offers a range of new features in computational photography, where the Pixel 7 Pro once again proved to excel.
However, many of the software new features we were either unable to test because they were not immediately available, or proved to be below expectations, such as the Cinematic Blur feature. With this, Google reinforces the idea of a company that delivers software still in the development phase. To give you an idea, the Pixel's Motion mode camera announced in beta last year - guess what?
Whether it's the heavy marketing on top of the series or quality-to-price ratio, I believe that from last year to now, Pixel smartphones have become more popular. However, I still find it hard to see Google breaking through the Apple and Samsung bubble in the smartphone market. But the Pixel 7 Pro is indeed the best Pixel ever!
Now I want to know your opinion: what did you think of the new Google Pixel 7 Pro? Looking forward to reading your comment!
This article was updated on October 12, and comments prior to that date have been retained.
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