The latest Pixel phones get a new chip, plus camera and video tricks
The Pixel 7 (left) starts at $600, while the Pixel 7 Pro is $900 and up.
By Melanie Pinola
In the sea of smartphones, Google’s Pixel line has long stood out for its standard Android interface, capable cameras and competitive pricing. This year, as expected, Google has added some notable hardware and software improvements to the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
First and foremost is Tensor G2, the successor to Google’s in-house chipset, which the company introduced with last year’s Pixel 6 phones. According to the company, Tensor enables phones to perform advanced AI and machine learning tasks, such as generating captions from calls and videos. The new version of Tensor adds even more skills, especially for photos and videos.
I asked Google to borrow press samples of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro to see some of these tricks firsthand while we wait for final lab test results from CR. As always, CR sources the phones it tests from a retail store to ensure we’re getting the same devices as you.
Both Pixel phones are available to buy now. The 6.3-inch Pixel 7 starts at $600 and is available in black (“Obsidian”), white (“Snow”), and light yellow-green (“Lemongrass”). The 6.7-inch Pixel 7 Pro starts at $900 with the same black and white colors plus a “Hazel” option, which looks greenish-grey.
Here are my impressions after using the phones for several days for typical things like browsing the web, watching videos, playing games, and taking photos and videos.
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro design
The new Pixels retain the distinctive horizontal bar of previous phones, which houses the rear cameras. This year, however, the camera bar wraps all the way around the sides of the phone for a more cohesive look. The Pixel 7 has a matte aluminum frame and camera bar, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a polished, glossier frame and bar.
I have to say, the design is quite stylish, especially with the contrasting subdued hazelnut and rose gold colors on the Pixel 7 Pro review unit I had. While I don’t usually think of phones as fashion accessories, this is the kind of phone you’d want to show off if you ever find yourself at a fancy party.
You should always place the phone in a sturdy case, as the rounded edges and smooth back make the device a bit slippery to hold.
Both phones have a bright OLED display, which looked sharp to me even in direct sunlight. And both have the simple, uncluttered Android 13 interface with additional apps or UI overlays that other manufacturers like Samsung and OnePlus add.
Configuration and performance
Both models have Face Unlock, a first for Pixel phones. (Until now, you had to use a PIN or your fingerprint, a feature that has recently caused some issues). The review units I tried unlock perfectly every time using Face Unlock, and when I turned it off, with Fingerprint Unlock.
During setup, I had a problem with the Pixel 7’s on-screen keyboard: I couldn’t call it whether I was trying to set up a password or search Google. At first I thought I had a failed phone, but after fiddling with the keyboard settings a few times – eventually disabling “voice typing” and adding and removing the US keyboard – it started to work. This is just a FYI if you encounter this strange behavior.
As noted above, the phones have bright OLED screens. The Pixel 7 Pro has a 120Hz refresh rate, which allows for smoother scrolling and animations than the 60Hz refresh rate of older Pixels, especially when playing games. I found the phone to be fast enough for everything from strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem Heroes to games that require a lot of finger dexterity like Fruit Ninja. The Pixel 7, which has a 90Hz refresh rate, was no slouch either.
Because Google touts the Pixels’ AI and machine learning capabilities, powered by its second-generation Tensor G2 chipset, I also tried the Recorder app, unique to Pixel phones, which can now identify different speakers. while transcribing audio to text. It’s a journalist’s dream tool.
Unfortunately, I found it to be hit or miss depending on the environment. During a long drive with a few friends and soft music playing in the background, the app failed to detect some of our conversations and made quite a few errors in the speech it captured. Under ideal circumstances – a room with minimal background noise and everyone talking loudly – the app performed better, but not with 100% accuracy. (Note that it’s not just the Pixel; a CR analysis shows the tech-to-speech tech falls short on a number of platforms.)
We’ll know more about how the phones compare to the competition in terms of performance once we’ve run our range of tests. Our performance ratings take into account processor speed, upload and download speeds, and the amount of storage available versus the listed storage, which varies greatly depending on the size of the operating system and the amount of storage. other software preloaded. The Pixel 7 comes with 8GB of memory and 128GB or 256GB of storage, while the 7 Pro has 12GB of memory and storage options of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro cameras
Both phones have the same camera setup as last year’s models. The Pixel 7 has a 50-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens on the rear, while the 7 Pro adds a 48-megapixel zoom camera.
But Google has made some changes to the camera hardware. The 7 Pro now has 5x optical zoom compared to last year’s 4x zoom. The 7 Pro can also digitally zoom up to 30x compared to the previous generation’s 20x. I tested this in a large pumpkin patch in Long Island, NY, zooming in on pumpkins of different sizes and colors. The photos I took are all clear, at least to my eyes.
Additionally, both phones now have autofocus for close-up images. I don’t often feel the need to photograph insects on flower petals, but if macro photography is your thing, this is a welcome new feature.
The best improvements to cameras are provided by a mix of software and hardware upgrades. Last year, Google released Magic Eraser, a Pixel 6-exclusive feature that removes random objects and people from your photos. With Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, in addition to Magic Eraser, you can now fix blurry photos and blur the background when shooting videos thanks to Tensor G2.
Unblur is my favorite new feature. It not only works on photos taken with a Pixel 7 or 7 Pro, but on any photo taken at any time with any phone. Here is a photo from 11 years ago of my daughter on Halloween, taken with a Samsung Galaxy S2. Nothing is out of focus here, but after using Unblur in the editing tools, my daughter’s face and some of her costume details are clearer.
The new Unblur feature in the Pixel 7 series can improve the focus of old blurry photos.
Photo: Melanie Pinola/Consumer Reports
Just to set expectations, however, Unblur can’t work miracles and fix extremely blurry photos. Maybe that’s why Google didn’t name the tool Magic Unblur.
On the video side, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro now have a Cinematic Blur mode, which blurs the background behind your subject. It’s really cool. When I filmed my dog running around with sticks in his mouth, the camera kept him in focus instead of my messy yard. Sometimes it looked a bit contrived, like in old CGI movies where the edges of computer-drawn subjects stand out too much from the rest of the scene, but in some situations, that might be the look you’re going for.
We’ll report back once our lab techs put the phones through more in-depth camera tests to see how they stack up against the best smartphone cameras.
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro battery life
Google says the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro can last over 24 hours on a single charge and up to 72 hours in extreme battery saving mode. They also support 30-watt fast charging.
I’ve had no issues or concerns about battery life on long day trips filled with photo shoots with pumpkins and kids, but again, we’ll know more soon once we we will have finished testing the devices in our laboratories.
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