Last years Google Pixel 6 phones were received to universal praise, I myself heaping a lot of it on the budget friendly Pixel 6a. Now with the Pixel 7 Pro, Google isn’t messing with a winning formula but rather doubling down, refining and iterating to make a very good sequel to last years phone. Notably is the second generation Tensor G2 custom chipset for even more smarts and power efficiency and much improved triple-camera setup that boasts a 30x zoom.
Starting at $1299, the Pixel 7 Pro is the same price as last years Pixel 6 Pro but also significantly cheaper than the $1899 iPhone 14 Pro Max with which it competes. At the time of writing this, you can get the 7 Pro for on sale for $250 less than RRP making it a helluva steal. This year, I think Google finally has a phone to comfortably match the best from Samsung and Apple.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Review
Physically, the 7 Pro looks very much like the 6 Pro but Google has redesigned the camera visor at the back. It’s now made of polished aluminium instead of glass and it blends seamlessly with the aluminium side rails. It’s not as striking as say the Samsung Galaxy S21 but it works very well as a continuous piece and nicely contrasts against the body of the phone which comes in three colors; Snow White, Obsidian Black and Hazel Green.
The phone is beautiful though and well built if my numerous drops are anything to go by. That happens a lot with this phone given how absurdly slippery it is — easily sliding out of my pant pockets when I sit, or off the couch every time I got a notification. While the phone survived cracks and dings in my month of testing, I strongly advise putting on a nice case.
The 7 Pro has a beautiful 6.7” AMOLED, QHD+ display with a 120 Hz refresh and slightly curved edges. Colors pop, text is sharp and scrolling is buttery smooth. It’s also LTPO meaning it can self adjust the refresh rate from 120 Hz all the way down to 10 Hz depending on the content. It also gets very bright; 1,500 nits which is great for outdoor visibility in the sunny Queensland summers.
There’s an improved optical finger print scanner embedded in the display that’s much more reliable and accurate than the one on last years phone. Additionally, Google has implemented a face unlock feature which works well but isn’t anywhere near as secure as Apples Face ID. For connectivity, the 7 Pro is 5G ready supporting the mmWave variant but I wasn’t able to test that because I don’t have a 5G plan.
However, even over 4G, connection was stable, allowing for fast internet and clear calls. The phone is dual sim capable with one physical nano SIM port and one eSIM. You also get the latest Wi-Fi 6E support and Bluetooth 5.2 with all the latest codecs for great wireless audio. The in-built speakers on the phone are quite unimpressive, sounding terribly flat and low in volume compared to my iPhone.
Tying everything together is the brand new Tensor G2 processor which brings gains in efficiency and computational prowess over the G1. The 7 Pro is fast, fluid and responsive, running everything from Twitter to Genshin Impact well. Photo taking is much snappier than on the 6a which had noticeable lags as photos were being processed after each shot.
But it’s in all the smarts that most people will really feel the G2 at work. From the fast and accurate voice transcription to real time language translation, Photo unbar and more, the 7 Pro is truly a smart phone. I particularly enjoyed things like Screen Caller where the Google Assistant can chat with callers in real time to identify who they are without your intervention. It helped me a ton with the numerous spam telemarketers rampant here in Australia.
Camera magic
Pixel phones are infamous for their exceptional photography chops and that remains so with the 7 Pro. This time around, you get a 50MP main camera, 12 MP Ultrawide and 48 MP telephoto camera that allows for a 30x Super Res Zoom. The interface easily lets you switch between them and for the vast majority of shots, the results are fantastic. Even with the Super Res Zoom, some shots are surprisingly clear and sharp.
I mostly found myself using the Zoom to capture school performances but not much else. I also dabbled with the new Macro mode for some really close up shots but I was often put off by the phone randomly switching between macro mode and wide. Google recently released an update that gives better control over that though.
The G2 allows the phone to quickly process photos as well as do some neat tricks like Magic Eraser or unblur photos — even those not taken by the Pixel. It works best with photos of people though. Other cool tricks include Motion autofocus, top shot and the legendary night sight for taking great photos in the dark. Purists can also enjoy the manual controls and RAW photo capabilities but most people will be pleased with the auto mode. It’s really hard to get a bad shot with this phone but at the same time, most flagship phones take great photos making this one a matter of preference.
The 7 Pro is also a very good video shooter boasting 4K video at 60 FPS in 10-bit HDR. Most intriguing is the new Cinematic mode, copied from Apple, which uses computational magic to blur the background behind subjects. It works ok but looks quite artificial and often struggles to maintain focus especially if there are many people in the scene. And unlike with the iPhone, you can’t adjust the amount blur or change that after the fact. The video stabilisation is pretty good though so you don’t really need a gimbal. I did notice how warm the 7 Pro got after recording video especially in 4K — something to note for you content creators.
This of course has an impact on battery life which overall is decent. Under moderate usage, the Pixel 7 Pro easily got me through a whole day and a bit into the next day; requiring a charge in the afternoon. Push the phone harder though and you will need to charge it at bedtime but I wouldn’t worry about battery life. Google also has some battery saving tools to give you a boost in a pinch and has improved charging speeds — 50% battery in just 30 min of charge. Granted you need a high wattage charger for that and Google doesn’t include one in the box.
Verdict
The Pixel 7 Pro is a great sequel and a worthy flagship Android phone. The refined design and improved Tensor G2 that powers the phones photography, smarts and features make this phone a smart companion. Google are finally finding their stride and with the growing Pixel family of ear buds and watch, the value proposition is only growing greater. Photo bugs and Instagram fans will love the quality and reliability of the camera system.
And Googles continual software improvements bring even more value on a regular basis meaning this phone gets better with time. There’s not many Android phones that can claim the same so if you’re in the market for a flagship Android phone that doesn’t break the bank, I heartily recommend the Google Pixel 7 Pro.
