Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro buying guide: everything you need to know

Google has finally revealed the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, its answer to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. These are the company’s refined sequels to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, and come with improved cameras, more confident designs, and slot neatly into an ecosystem of accessories that didn’t exist a year ago. They’re also keeping the same pricing as last year, with pre-order bonuses that mean you’ll keep more money in your pocket when it comes to accessories.

Here’s everything we know about Google’s 2022 flagship smartphones.

Google Pixel 7 models

As has been standard with all Pixel phones except the Pixel 5, Google launched two models of the Pixel 7. These are the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. They will share similar designs to last year’s Pixel 6 handsets, but with the usual spec and material differences scattered throughout. This is a release strategy Google has frequently used for the Pixel series. Last year gave us the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro; before that was the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, and so on. A Pixel 7a model can be expected to debut next year if patterns hold.

To see what both phones look like in-person, check out our Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro hands-on.

Pixel 7 design

The Google Pixel 7 inherits a lot of what Google built into the Pixel 6. It looks quite close to the Pixel 6 at first glance, with the exception of slight changes to the camera visor or camera bar (or whatever you want to call it). This means the visor-like rear camera will thankfully remain a design fixture. Despite that, the two-tone design on the glass is sadly gone. In the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, there was a slightly different sheen of color above the camera bar that served to add a splash of color.

With the 7 and 7 Pro, the camera bar adds that extra touch of color this time around. The Pixels, by the way, will come in Obsidian and Snow (aka black and white) colors. The Pixel 7 also gets a bright Lemongrass finish, while the Pixel 7 Pro gets a dark green/gold color that Google calls Hazel.

For a company that moved away from a distinct design with the Pixel 4 and 5, to take ownership of such a striking look can only be a good thing for brand recognition. The Pixel 6’s design truly stands apart from other smartphones. Iterating on it means carving out a look. It’ll be a good choice if Google can keep it going.

Pixel 7 specs

Google is making some changes to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Notably, the screen size of the Pixel 7 is coming down to 6.3 inches. The Pixel 7 Pro keeps the same 6.7-inch display with a less extreme curve. Both will get very bright displays, topping out at roughly 1,500 nits. It’ll be a bit more like Apple and Samsung, which have gone to clearly demarcate their big phones from their regular phones. The Pixel 6 came in large and extra-large sizes with no reasonably-sized option. The Pixel 7 is kinda-sorta rectifying that error. It’s not quite 6.1 inches (that’s probably going to be left to the Pixel 7a series), but it is smaller.

Google will be powering the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro with the Tensor Generation 2 chip. While that would undoubtedly be more powerful than the one in the Pixel 6, power is not the area where Google’s first Tensor floundered. The company’s choice of modem resulted in an inconsistent signal performance that has led to a deleterious effect on the battery, as shown by battery tests run by both GSMArena and DXOMark.

Questions have been raised about how much more powerful Google’s Tensor 2 will be. Analysis of a Pixel 7 Pro prototype that has been circulating from eBay has revealed that the chip would keep the same CPU core configuration as the last one. The GPU could still see upgrades, as could the image signal processor and custom Tensor Processing Unit, but the CPU performance gap between Tensor and Apple or Qualcomm’s processors isn’t expected to narrow. Further analysis of the Tensor chip later in September pointed to possible gains in efficiency despite that continued gap in power. Only a full review of the Pixel 7 will see if it’s overcome those flaws.

That said, Google still says the battery should be impressive. The Pixel 7 has a 4,355mAh battery, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5,000 mAh battery. You should be able to get the phones to 24 hours with normal use while pushing it to 72 hours through judicious application of the company’s excellent Extreme Battery Saver mode is a possibility.

Storage-wise, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have generous allocations of storage, ranging from 256GB to the Pixel 7 and 7 512GB for the Pixel 7 Pro. Google has always been on the modest side compared to Apple and Samsung when it comes to storage, sticking with 64GB and 128GB long after other Android phones offered 128GB and 256GB with optional microSD support (for less-premium phones) as standard. Yes, Google offers excellent cloud storage services (and 128GB of storage is enough for most people), but as app sizes continue to balloon and the amount of content we can save locally increases, it’s just nice to have more local storage on hand — especially with those cameras.

Pixel 7 cameras

Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro keep the same camera layouts (and hardware for the main camera) as the older models. This means the Pixel 6 will have a 50-megapixel main camera and a 12MP ultrawide camera, while the Pixel 7 Pro will add a 48MP telephoto lens to the layout.

Google has done this before, with the Pixel 3, Pixel 4, and Pixel 5 all sporting the same camera. To be clear, the hardware is good, and the camera experience of both phones is excellent. The reasoning here could be the same, with Google focusing on getting the most use of the camera hardware before moving on to newer sensors.

Thus, there are new features stuffed into the cameras. Google is adding a macro mode to the Pixel 7 Pro. It’s the same thing that’s been hyped in the iPhone 13 and 14 Pro series, and it makes a lot of sense for Google to bring it to the camera-centric Pixels. While it is priced more affordably than the iPhone Pro models, you’ll still have to get the more expensive Pixel to make use of it. Other features include enhanced zoom of up to 30x for the Pixel 7 Pro and 8x for the Pixel 7 via Super Res Zoom. A final iPhone-inspired feature is Cinematic Blur. This is the Pixel equivalent to the iPhone’s Cinematic mode and will likely apply blur to captured videos much like portrait mode does to photos.

Around the front, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will both support 4K video recording with their front-facing cameras. The Pixel 6 Pro also supported 4K video with its selfie camera, though the baseline Pixel 6 did not. It’s because Google is adding an 11MP camera to both phones, rather than just the more expensive one. Google’s also using that 11MP camera to support Face Unlock on the lock screen. It’s not quite Apple’s Face ID, or even the Face Unlock the Pixel 4 had in 2018 — it’s just for unlocking your phone faster than ever. You’ll still have the fingerprint sensor for anything more complex. It’s worth noting the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro were planned to have Face Unlock, but battery concerns reportedly doomed that.

Google Pixel 7 price and availability

As for pricing, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were aggressively priced, leading to Google making gains in the premium market (at least in North America). Thankfully, Google is keeping that aggressive focus once again. This means the for the 128GB model, while the . Google is offering pre-order bonuses for these phones that pair them with the Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Watch, though carriers will likely have their own unique offerings.

When all is taken into account, both are well under the iPhone 14 Pro’s starting price, leaving Google space to make a compelling value argument. Both are from October 6, with an availability date of October 13.

Editors' Recommendations

• Google Pixel 8: all the latest rumors and what we want to see
• Google’s future Pixel phones just got hit with bad news
• Forget the Pixel 8 Pro — this app already has its coolest feature
• Don’t buy the Pixel 7a — this is the best cheap Pixel of 2023
• I put the iPhone’s Dynamic Island on my Pixel 7 Pro — and I can’t go back