Really, it wasn’t that big of a secret. Teased back in May during Google I/O 2022, we saw our first glimpse at Google’s upcoming flagship smartphones — the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Sure, it was only a teaser image, but it definitely flaunted the design language we’ve come to know with the Pixel line.
Well, the wait is finally over because the pair were formally introduced at the Made by Google fall event sporting the same $599 and $899 prices of their predecessors. You can snag a pre-order right now, with general availability on October 13. Given how smartphones continue to increase in price, we’re beyond thrilled Google kept it still.
Furthermore, we’re also excited by the design facelift, particularly with how the glass strip over the cameras in last year’s Pixel phones have been replaced by a metal bar. That eases our concerns because it’s much strong, more resilient to breaking when compared to glass. We’re glad to see Google has listened because we even vouched for the importance of getting a camera cover case for the Pixel 6 Pro.
And yes, these two have been upgraded to deliver the best photos and videos around in a smartphone.
In terms of specs, we’ve listed what the two have to offer below.
- Google Pixel 7 Specifications
- 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED display
- Refresh rate of up to 90 Hz
- 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage
- 4,355 mAh battery
- Rear dual camera system
- 50MP Octa PD Quad Bayer wide camera, 12MP ultra wide camera
- 10.8MP front camera
- Google Pixel 7 Pro Specifications
- 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED display
- Refresh rate of up to 120 Hz
- 12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage
- 5,000 mAh battery
- Rear triple camera system
- 50MP Octa PD Quad Bayer wide camera, 12MP ultra wide camera, 48MP Quad Bayer PD telephoto
- 10.8MP front camera
Refreshed Designs With Better Camera Enclosure
Let’s talk about the updated designs. Most importantly, they share the same aesthetics with their curved edges and camera placements. However, the smaller Pixel 7 features a matte enclosure made from 100% recycled aluminum sandwiched in between Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro has a polished enclosure. And they both still have an IP68 rating for water resistance.
Google Tensor G2 Chip Powers New Experiences
At the heart of it all, the new Pixels are powered by the Google Tensor G2 SoC. It’s used to to not only make the phones responsive, but it also powers many of its new features, especially around the Pixel 7 Pro’s remarkable telephoto zoom abilities. Through the help of computational photography, Google asserts that its quality is on par to a standard camera with a proper zoom lens.
Even More Image Equity With Guided Frames
Speaking of cameras, we’re delighted to see that Google continues to pledge for image equity for all. With this year’s announcement, the company introduced a Guided Frame feature when taking photos. Essentially, the Pixels will tell you where to place the camera for better looking selfies, which is useful for individuals with vision loss or other handicaps that prevent them from seeing properly. Features such as this is exactly the kind of innovative stuff we love to see.
Having A Proper Zoom Camera Without the Bulk
We all know for ourselves how the Google Pixel 6 Pro captures some of the best photos and videos in a smartphone, but its successor in the Pixel 7 Pro takes the next iterative leap by offering a new Super Res Zoom for crisper looking telephoto images.
While the main 50MP wide lens is the workhorse of the bunch, it’s the 48MP telephoto lens that gets remarkable results at 5x optical zoom. With the help of computation photography and the Tensor G2 chip, it combines the images of the cameras to deliver DSLR-like results at other zoom levels — topping out at 30x zoom.
Cinematic Video With Realistic Depth of Field Effect
Over on the video side, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro gives users a new Cinematic Blur feature that adds the necessary shallow depth of field to give it a cinematic look. That means video captured at 4K 60 FPS will have the background blurred out. While this has been done on other phones with limited success, it appears as though it’s far more realistic.
Pricing and Availability
Without a doubt, we’re thrilled that there’s no price increase to the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, making them $599 and $899 respectively. Pre-orders are available right now for both, with general availability on October 13. Considering what they’re packing and all the cool features they have to offer, they’re making a serious play at being the best smartphones of 2022.
AT&T’s going to have an irresistible deal going on for new and existing customers, where they can snag a free Google Pixel 7, or up to $800 off the Google Pixel 7 Pro, with eligible trade-ins. Additionally AT&T’s having a BOGO offer on the Google Pixel Watch.