The newly unveiled Pixel 7 duo brings the total of new phones for 2022 to just three (the other being the 6a). That’s fewer phones than even Apple. They have also launched their new smartwatch set.
Last year, Google launched two phone models, a smaller vanilla phone and a larger Pro and they serve the same roles as last year.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 Pro is going to be the best phone from the tech giants for a while and it is a masterpiece.
The features include a sharp, high refresh rate display, a big camera sensor, the wide/ultra-wide/tele lens combo, a distinctive look, security features, and promises of long software support.
It is fabbed as Samsung’s 4nm process, not well-loved but still an improvement over the 5nm node used for the actual chip. The CPU is the same – 2x Cortex-X1 + 2x A76 and 4x A55, though with a mild bump in clock speed.
There is also a new Tensor core and a new modem to boot. The GPU is a Mali-G710 MC10, which promises a performance and efficiency increase over the G78 for graphics but also a 35% boost for machine learning tasks.
Camera
Like last year, the phone comes with 12GB of RAM and you can choose between 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage. The next-gen Tensor processing unit can run machine learning tasks 60% quicker and 20% more efficiently. It is responsible for features like Photo Unblur, which is exclusive to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
The camera’s main module still utilizes a 50MP 1/1.31” sensor (1.2µm) with the option for 4-in-1 binning. The f/1.85 lens has an 82° field of view. If you want to capture more of the scene, there is the 12MP ultra-wide camera (1.25µm) with 125.8°V. The Google Pixel 7 can take macro shots.
The main camera has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) as well as electronic stabilization, it can record 4K videos at 30fps and 60fps. The phone can record 10-bit HDR video and Google has partnered with the makers of apps like Snapchat and TikTok to enable the higher quality videos for them as well
The camera app uses the machine learning skills of the Tensor G2 chipset to create cinematic blur or to stabilize handheld footage even further.
The telephoto camera now has a longer lens with 5x optical elaboration, up from 4x. The extra reach comes at the cost of a slightly smaller sensor, (0.7µm pixels instead of 0.8µm), but it still has 48MP resolution, allowing it to zoom in further digitally with some special Pixel magic.
General Information
The Google Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.71” AMOLED display. There is an in-display fingerprint reader in there as well, which is fast and secure. Alternatively, you can use the more accessible Face unlock.
The phone has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The metal chassis of the phone is made out of 100% recycled aluminum.
The Google Pixel 7 starts at $600/€650/£600 for a 128GB unit, the Pixel 7 Pro will set you back $900/€900/£850 (again with 128GB storage).
Pre-orders start today, open sales will kick off a week from now on the 13th. There are some pre-order perks too – the 7 Pro is paired with a free Pixel Watch (the LTE version no less), while a Pixel 7 pre-order will net you a free pair of Pixel Buds Pro.
