Printable View
We like the detail and the dynamic range out of this camera, but on this already cloudy day, we found a few of the photos were noticeably underexposed and looked even gloomier than in reality. The new ultra-wide camera definitely has a wider field of view, which is noticeable, and so does the selfie camera.
But if we were to name the one big camera change in this new Pixel, that would have to be how low-light photos are captured often twice as quick compared to the previous model! That makes a huge difference, while image quality remains similarly great, if not better. The Pixel remains king of night time photography with clean details and lack of noise, beating Galaxies and iPhones in most cases (but the difference is not huge).
On the topic of the new 2X mode on the Pixel, here is a crop of a 2X photo taken with the Pixel 7 Pro and the older Pixel 6 Pro:
Since this is a crop, you might not notice the improvements on a smaller phone screen, but open them on a laptop or a bigger screen, and 2X on the Pixel 7 Pro is definitely the more impressive shot.
And in the above photo, you can notice how the moment you switch from 1.9X to 2X zoom on the Pixel 7 Pro, the quality jumps as that's where the magic happens.
The Pixel also comes with a number of neat software tricks. First is Magic Eraser which makes removing unwanted objects from your snaps super easy. We love this feature.
Macro Focus is another neat feature that allows you to get close-up macro shots with improved quality.
Next up, we have a brand new video feature called Cinematic Blur, which well... blurs the background in videos leaving the subject to stand out, much like Apple's Cinematic Mode. Google is playing catch-up with this feature, but while we like having this effect, the Pixel has a way too aggressive background blur and we prefer the clarity on the iPhone or Galaxy.
Video quality overall is improved slightly this year, but the Google still needs a bit of extra push to match the video quality out of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and an even bigger push to match the industry-leading iPhone. Stabilization on the Pixel 7 Pro is solid and you can use all three cameras for video recording, but colors sometimes are a bit on the dull side and noise creeps in lower light footage.
Google's original Tensor chip in the Pixel 6 was a watershed moment for the company. It was their first mobile chip, and while it was not quite as fast as the flagship chips out there in CPU performance, it features stellar Machine Learning (ML) production, which seemed tailor-made for a Pixel.
The new Tensor G2 seems to be a gradual improvement rather than a radical overhaul of the first chip.
This new processor features two high-power Arm Cortex-X1 cores, coupled with two A76 cores, and finally four efficiency A55 cores. It scores a 10 percent improvement in multi-core performance compared to the previous generation, a decent boost.
And this is explained by the more efficient 4nm manufacturing process used for making the chip, as well as the faster X1 cluster and A76 cores.
Performance Benchmarks:
For gaming, the Tensor G2 is paired with a Mali-G710 GPU, which gives it a nice performance boost. Most importantly, this Pixel does not get quite as hot as the previous generation, so you have less thermal throttling while gaming. The Pixel is still not on par with a Galaxy or an iPhone, let alone a dedicated gaming phone, but it is definitely a more capable gaming machine than the Pixel 6 series.
We've also got 12GB of the latest LPDDR5X type RAM, great for speedy multitasking.
When it comes to storage, the Pixel 7 Pro comes in three versions, a base one with 128GB storage, a 256GB version, and a 512GB model.
Pixel 7 Pro Android version
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One of the best things about buying a Pixel is the clean Android version that you get, made the way Google itself envisioned it.
This Pixel-ified make of Android is incredibly smooth too, with no hiccups or stutter, and all the animations look very well made.
And here is a quick list of notable Pixel 7 series Android features:
- Assistant voice typing will suggest relevant emoji
- Phone can transcribe audio messages in the message app
- Recorder app getting speaker labels
- Pixel Call Assist for phone calls
- Call screen automatically speaks to spammers and filters them out
- Direct My Call for businesses, list of menu options visible right away
- Clear Calling - filters out distracting sounds while enhancing friends voices
But the big advantage is just software updates. The Pixel 7 Pro, like other Pixels, is getting future updates on day one, while other Android devices usually have to wait for a few months to receive an update. Google is also committing to 5 years of security updates on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Android flagship phones have kind of settled on a universal form factor these days: a 6.7-inch screen and a 5,000mAh battery, and the Pixel fits the mold perfectly.
And a 5,000mAh battery is certainly good news.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
On our independent battery tests, the Pixel 7 Pro scored above the previous-ten model on the web browsing and YouTube video test, a neat improvement.
It was only our intense 3D gaming test where the phone heated up and scored a disastrous 4 hours, about the same as its predecessor. Notice that in real life, the load on the graphics card is not usually quite as high, but it still shows that Google has ways to improve for gaming.
Google also promises up to 72 hours off the charger with the Extreme Battery Saver feature.
Our real-world experience with the Pixel is a bit more than a full day of use on average, but even if you push it a bit more, it will still last the full day, which is reassuring.
Pixel 7 Pro Charging Speeds
There is no change in supported charging speeds on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Google recommends a 30W charger, but actual charging speeds max out at 23W.
Pixel 7 Pro charging time:
- in 15 mins — 25%
- 30 mins — 49%
- 45 mins — 69%
- 1 hour — 83%
- FULL CHARGE takes 1 hour 37 minutes
Keep in mind that there is no charging brick in the Pixel 7 Pro box, so you'd need to purchase that separately (in case you don't already own one).
The phone also supports wireless charging, which is a neat convenience, and interestingly, at the same 23W speeds (provided you use the Pixel Stand 2nd gen charger, though).
Pixel 7 Pro Audio Quality and Haptics
With a dual speaker setup consisting of a bottom-firing main speaker and a secondary speaker in the earpiece, the Pixel 7 Pro has a decent loudspeaker setup for a phone.
It gets loud enough without sounding too muddy or distorted, and it has a bit of depth to it, and in a direct comparison with the speakers of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, we found the sound from the Pixel more pleasing. Compared to the iPhone 14 series or the best in the industry Asus Ron Phone, however, the Pixel lacked the oomph and the depth to compare. We'd rate its loudspeakers above average, but not quite excellent.
Haptics have also traditionally been excellent on Pixel phones, and there are no major changes this year.
Pixel 7 Pro Competitors
If you are shopping for a flagship smartphone like the Pixel 7 Pro, you have two big contenders in the space, but none is as cheap as the $900 Pixel.
Still, if money is no issue, the $1,200 Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will spoil you with its 10X zoom lens that allows you to zoom even further, and it also has a faster processor, an S Pen, and a few unique features in the Samsung One UI interface. Cons of that model include occasionally jittery performance and slower-to-arrive updates.
On the other side of the fence is the $1,100 iPhone 14 Pro Max. It's an iPhone with all the pros and cons that come with that, but what is absolutely undeniable is that it has the best battery life among all mainstream flagships, as well as the fastest processor out there.
Finally, we have to mention the previous Pixel 6 Pro. Truth be told, there are not that many upgrades in the new model, and if you can find a good deal on the older model, we wouldn't hesitate and get that, if we were looking for a bargain.
Pixel 7 Pro Summary and final verdict
At the end of the day, Google entered the big leagues last year and the Pixel 7 Pro once again shows the company's commitment.
It is a refinement over the previous generation in every way, slightly improved design, brighter screen, better cameras, better video, improved battery life, more nice machine learning and voice recognition feature, but not one major change to really stand out.
But there is one thing that Google really has to nail down if it wants people to love this phone, and that thing is reliability. Pixel phones have suffered from slowdowns, bugs and all sorts of issues in the past, and the Pixel 7 Pro has to prove that Google can make a problem-free device that is not only fast at launch, but that remains fast and reliable after a year or a couple of years of use. In our immediate experience with it, most of the bugs are gone, but only time will tell whether it will hold up long-term.
For all else, the Pixel 7 Pro remains an incredible bargain at its price and it's a joy to use, so it gets our enthusiastic thumbs up.
