Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro assessment: higher and higher

The Pixel 7 and seven Pro really feel like totally realized, extra refined variations of the telephones Google launched final 12 months. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro marked a brand new chapter for Google’s cell units, with a daring new design and a model new processor. They had been bold, usually nice units with just a few tough edges. Google hasn’t utterly smoothed them over on this iteration, nevertheless it has created a pair of telephones that really feel like worthy opponents to the iPhones and Samsung Galaxies of the world. They’re what the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro ought to have been: a 12 months late, however higher late than by no means.

At the highest of the Pixel 7 and seven Pro’s spec sheet is Tensor G2, the second model of the chipset Google launched final 12 months, and it powers a number of of the units’ refinements. There are some up to date speech recognition and calling options, however Tensor G2’s most impactful contributions to the Pixel expertise are within the digital camera app. There are another hardware-related enhancements, too, just like the long-overdue addition of face unlock. It’s nothing groundbreaking, nevertheless it’s a worthwhile quality-of-life enhancement in comparison with the sluggish in-screen fingerprint reader on the Pixel 6.

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In this new Tensor period, Google has a distinct thought about what a smartphone ought to be: clever and useful, easing the ache of mundane duties like calling customer support. This execution isn’t flawless, nevertheless it’s an enchancment. At their greatest, the Pixel 7 and seven Pro are able to really spectacular feats. The Recorder app’s reside transcription — a Pixel-exclusive characteristic made spookily good by Tensor — is so dependable it’s turn into an important instrument for my work. And when the Pixel digital camera is nice, it’s actually good. 

Other instances, the Pixel 7 and seven Pro stumble, delivering outcomes that simply don’t match up with Google’s lofty imaginative and prescient. The much-touted Magic Eraser instrument to take away undesirable components from the background of a picture has but to essentially impress me, and this 12 months’s Photo Unblur characteristic is equally underwhelming. There’s room for enchancment in a whole lot of departments, however the Pixel 7 and seven Pro are higher than their predecessors in some small but vital methods.

Not a lot has modified in regards to the Pixel 7 and seven Pro’s screens. The 6.3-inch OLED on the Pixel 7 is a smidge smaller than the 6.4-inch Pixel 6 (with no change in decision), nevertheless it’s nonetheless capped at a 90Hz prime refresh fee. The Pro mannequin continues to supply an enormous 6.7-inch 120Hz show with barely smoother scrolling and animations. Google says they’re each 25 p.c brighter in direct daylight — I’ve a tough time seeing the distinction between the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro at peak brightness, however in any case, each the 7 and seven Pro are comfy to make use of outside in brilliant circumstances.

Big screens make for large units, and even with the Pixel 7’s slight downsizing, each it and the Pixel 7 Pro feel and look like massive telephones. They use the identical design language launched with the Pixel 6 sequence, together with that attention-grabbing horizontal digital camera bar. I’m nonetheless not keen on it, however this 12 months’s therapy is a little more refined. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro went for a extra playful look, with bolder colours contrasting closely towards a black digital camera bar. 

This time, the colours are softer, and the digital camera bar is both polished or matte aluminum, relying on whether or not you choose the 7 Pro or the 7. It’s somewhat extra grown-up-looking, just like the Pixel 6 received a mortgage and a fuel-efficient household automobile, and I prefer it fairly a bit. My hazel-colored 7 Pro assessment unit seemed proper at residence subsequent to the fancy-ish beige-colored clutch I took with me on an evening out. I can’t say the identical in regards to the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro.

The protruding digital camera bar does have a tendency to gather lint in the event you’re the type of one who lives throws their caseless telephone within the backside of a dusty bag. Most smart individuals will put a case on, which is an effective life selection — the shiny again panels and barely curved sides make each telephones somewhat slippery within the hand. That stated, they’re not terribly uncomfortable with out one. The backside of the digital camera bar can act as somewhat ledge slash Pop Socket so it may possibly relaxation on prime of my index finger whereas I’m utilizing it. It’s somewhat too excessive to do this for too lengthy, but when I’m fidgeting with it one-handed, it’s truly type of useful.

The 7 and seven Pro have all the opposite ordinary trimmings of flagship standing: they’re IP68-rated for sturdy water and mud resistance, and so they help 30W quick wired charging. To get the quickest wi-fi charging speeds, you’ll want Google’s $79 second-gen Pixel Stand charger; with it, the Pixel 7 will get 20W charging, and the 7 Pro helps 23W. Otherwise, they help a wonderfully serviceable 12W fee with commonplace Qi chargers. There’s no charger within the field (these days are over), however no less than there’s a bodily SIM tray. There’s additionally help for one eSIM, and it is doable to switch one over from an iPhone, albeit with no less than one name to buyer help. Ask me how I do know. (Both telephones additionally help dual SIM if you use the physical and eSIM on the similar time.)

The Pixel 7 and seven Pro embrace two strategies for biometric unlocking: fingerprint and face. Face unlock is a brand new addition this 12 months, more likely to deal with complaints that the Pixel 6 sequence’ under-display fingerprint scanner was too sluggish. Google has additionally finished some work on the fingerprint scanner — firm spokesperson Alex Moriconi tells The Verge that the sensor has a “30% latency improvement” over the one on the Pixel 6 sequence, and it does really feel a beat quicker to me. 

It’s nonetheless an optical-type scanner that briefly flashes brilliant mild the place the sensor is positioned underneath the display to learn your fingerprint, which is somewhat jarring in a darkish bed room. In any case, I arrange face and fingerprint unlock on each the 7 and seven Pro, and between the 2, the telephone would unlock shortly sufficient that I by no means felt annoyed — not the case with the sluggish fingerprint reader on the 6 and 6 Pro. Unfortunately, Moriconi tells us that Google has no plans to deliver face unlock to the Pixel 6 sequence. Bummer.

I’m not fairly as satisfied by Google’s enhancements to telephone calls. Pixel 6 homeowners complained about dropped calls and different connectivity issues, and though Google says it’s utilizing a brand new modem, I had a few points. On one name, the individual on the opposite finish stated that the telephone was typically chopping off the final syllable of my sentences. Another time, the caller stated I received minimize off as I used to be speaking. This was an urgent-care nurse calling to inform me that my spot on the waitlist had come up, so it was a very anxious time for my name to chop out. Things labored out positive, and I received to my appointment, however your telephone ought to work as a telephone once you want it to. 

These two calls characterize a really small pattern measurement, so that is one thing we’ll be keeping track of throughout long-term testing. Google has promised a Tensor-powered “clear calling” characteristic coming to the Pixel 7 telephones (as well as Pixel 6) sooner or later that may make it simpler to listen to calls even in loud environments. In the meantime, I can’t say the Pixel 7 Pro has been my favourite telephone to make use of as a telephone.

Google doesn’t make any unbelievable claims for the Pixel 7 and seven Pro’s battery efficiency — simply that they “can last over 24 hours,” in keeping with the Google Store website. Google claims you’ll be able to rise up to a few days of use with excessive battery saver enabled, however I can’t reside like that. Instead, I can no less than report that Google’s all-day battery claims are correct. My first full day utilizing the 7 Pro was a protracted journey day with loads of time behind an Uber or scrolling Twitter whereas standing in airport traces, plus some navigation and video recording. Even so, I solely managed to empty the Pixel 7 Pro all the way down to about 30 p.c by the tip of the night time. On a few different days of reasonable use with numerous time without work Wi-Fi, utilizing navigation, taking images, and scrolling Twitter, I used to be pleasantly shocked to seek out the battery solely down round 50 p.c by bedtime.

The similar goes for the Pixel 7. Its battery is smaller — 4,355mAh in comparison with the 7 Pro’s 5,000mAh — however the decrease refresh fee and determination appear to offer it roughly equal battery life — a reasonable day of use knocks it down about 50 p.c. I wouldn’t really feel nice about both telephone getting by two busy days on a single cost, however even a heavy person can get by a single day with out having to recharge.

There are a handful of different assistant and speech recognition options new to the Pixel 7 — some of which Google will bring to the Pixel 6 series — and I can’t say I’m terribly impressed with any of them. When you name a enterprise with an automatic telephone tree, Direct My Call now reveals the choices on-screen even earlier than they’re spoken, a step past the characteristic on the Pixel 6, which transcribes them as they’re learn. It labored with the numbers Google urged for testing, like Home Depot customer support, however didn’t with a few nationwide chain shops I name frequently (shout out to the Walgreens pharmacy and PetSmart curbside pickup). Google’s Moriconi says the Pixel 6 gained’t get this Direct My Call enhancement.

Other enhancements work positive, however they’re small updates and type of underwhelming. The telephone will mechanically transcribe audio recordsdata despatched as messages, which is useful. But it’s additionally the type of factor I figured the telephone might already do, and anyway, my mates all ship me old school textual content messages, so it’s not one thing that makes my life simpler. Likewise, At a Glance, a helpful little Assistant-powered standing indicator on the lock display and always-on show, now reveals extra context-based data, just like the climate forecast within the morning — useful however not life-changing.

The Pixel 7 and seven Pro’s digital camera upgrades are likewise small in scale, however I believe they’ve a much bigger affect. There’s no change to the principle digital camera sensor this 12 months; each the Pixel 7 and seven Pro use the identical 50-megapixel f/1.85 digital camera as final 12 months. They each embrace a 12-megapixel ultrawide, too, although the 7 Pro’s model has autofocus and might double as a macro digital camera. 

The 7 Pro additionally has a 48-megapixel telephoto digital camera with as much as 5x optical zoom in comparison with final 12 months’s 4x. The Pixel 7 nonetheless doesn’t get the telephoto module, however its selfie cam does get upgraded to the identical 10.8-megapixel sensor that’s within the 7 Pro and the 6 Pro. 

As Samsung and Apple launched new flagships this 12 months, I couldn’t assist questioning if the Pixel 6 Pro was getting left behind. Its portrait mode seemed crunchy compared to the brand new competitors, with less-precise topic cutouts. Samsung’s 10x zoom was untouchable in comparison with something Google might do with Super Res zoom, and Apple was means forward with video high quality and an honest bokeh video mode. 

Over the previous week with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, I’ve managed to take some unbelievable images that remind me why we as soon as topped Google the king of smartphone pictures. Portrait mode seems higher, and photographs of my toddler that I used to be certain can be blurry got here out sharp. Top Shot captured a ridiculously candy second between my husband and little one — it’s a photograph I’m going to have a look at for years and years to come back. 

Google has made some attention-grabbing enhancements to each cameras’ zoom capabilities. The predominant digital camera now provides a sensor crop mode that makes use of the 12 megapixels on the middle of its high-res predominant sensor to supply a full decision, 2x zoom picture with out having to depend on digital zoom up-sampling. It’s similar to the 2x crop mode Apple simply included within the iPhone 14. Previous Pixel cameras have included a 2x zoom shortcut within the digital camera app, however Moriconi tells me that this was digital zoom, not a crop. The outcomes are noticeably higher, and I like to see it — I actually just like the 2x focal size for portrait mode.

The Pixel 7 Pro does this similar crop trick with its high-res telephoto digital camera, basically doubling the 5x zoom to 10x. This works properly sufficient, although the outcomes aren’t pretty much as good because the Samsung S22 Ultra’s devoted 10x optical zoom. In respectable lighting, the Pixel 7 Pro’s 10x pictures look satisfactory, particularly for sharing at social media sizes, however at bigger sizes, particulars are clearly somewhat fuzzy. At a sure level, cropping in is simply going to enlarge the failings of the tiny lens the sensor is hooked up to, and it seems just like the 7 Pro has reached that threshold. 

The 7 Pro’s new macro mode is neat, too. It makes use of the ultrawide digital camera and is triggered mechanically from the 1x digital camera once you get shut as much as your topic. A flower macro icon seems on the display, and you’ll faucet it to toggle the mode on and off. The outcomes are good once you get the fitting topic in good lighting, however I want there was some indication of whether or not or not your topic is in focus. There’s no warning once you’re too shut or too removed from an object, and it’s not at all times simple to see in case your topic is in sharp focus — particularly in the event you’re exterior. In any case, that is miles higher than the low-res, fixed-focus macro cameras on a whole lot of funds telephones, even when it’s one thing I wouldn’t find yourself utilizing a complete lot.

Night mode is quicker this 12 months, and that’s one other enchancment I’m grateful for. Depending on the scene, it’s a full two or three seconds quicker to seize than on the Pixel 6 Pro, and now you can regulate the size of the publicity with a typical and “maximum” setting — it’s not simply on or off now. Google paved the way in which with night time mode, nevertheless it was beginning to really feel fairly sluggish in comparison with Apple and Samsung telephones, so it’s good that the Pixel feels prefer it’s caught up in that respect.

On the video facet, there’s now a mode referred to as Cinematic Blur that — by no coincidence, I’m certain — does what Apple’s Cinematic mode does on the iPhone. It makes use of software program to use a portrait mode shallow depth-of-field impact to maintain your topic in focus whereas blurring the background. It does a pleasant job — tough backgrounds like a tennis courtroom internet can journey it up, and it’s not nice in low mild. But as with the iPhone, it seems higher than I anticipated it to, and it’s one thing I’ll maintain utilizing when the event requires it.

Photo Unblur is one other new addition, and it’s one which Google is making a Tensor G2 / Pixel 7 unique, no less than for now. That’s somewhat suspect as a result of it’s not technically a digital camera characteristic — it lives within the Google Photos app. Photo Unblur identifies pictures with topic blur — images taken by any digital camera, not simply the Pixel 7 — and makes use of machine studying to supply a sharper model of the unique picture.

Sharpening outdated, blurry images is an interesting proposition, and it type of works, typically. I had the perfect outcomes getting a usable picture out of one thing clearly low-res taken with an outdated telephone or digital camera, however different outcomes had been both too delicate to be noticeable or too processed-looking to be helpful. Chalk this one up as a blended bag and positively not one thing to improve to a Pixel 7 simply to get.

Overall, I believe Google’s digital camera system is certainly maintaining with the very steep competitors. There are some methods by which I favor the iPhone 14’s images — I favor its heat coloration processing — and I nonetheless favor Samsung’s portrait mode images over the Pixel’s. But as a whole bundle, the Pixel 7 and seven Pro have among the many greatest cameras you’ll find on a smartphone proper now.

I’ve no drawback recommending the Pixel 7 and seven Pro to these courageous sufficient to look exterior of the Apple / Samsung duopoly. They’re barely higher variations of the superb telephones Google launched final 12 months. Their $599 and $899 value tags are aggressive with comparable flagships that have a tendency to start out at $799 and attain properly above $1,000 for the Pro / Ultra, and so forth. model of different units. The Pixel 7 is a heck of a deal for somebody who desires a flagship Android telephone with out paying flagship costs. With its further little bit of polish and that telephoto lens, the 7 Pro is an effective choice for somebody who desires the perfect of what Android provides — with out all the surplus of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.  

The 7 and seven Pro are good, typically nice telephones, however on the similar time, I believe they fall wanting the “simply powerful, super helpful” device Google is advertising and marketing. It hasn’t fairly reached this imaginative and prescient of a tool that effortlessly navigates customer support requires you, blends voice assistant options seamlessly with the remainder of your UI, and takes photograph bombers out of the background of your photographs. These issues type of work typically however not properly sufficient to essentially wow anybody.

But extra importantly, the Pixel 7 and seven Pro do the necessities higher than the 6 and 6 Pro did. They unlock extra shortly, the digital camera enhancements maintain them on par with the competitors, and so they feel and look like the real flagship article. The further options that don’t fairly land are simply that — extras. They would possibly someday evolve into one thing that makes the Pixel a wiser smartphone than the competitors, however for now, the 7 and seven Pro are simply plain aggressive. For anybody in search of a substitute for the 2 greatest gamers within the US, “competitive” is simply what we want.