The Pixel 7 is a good deal cheaper than the Pro model and noticeably smaller too. Not as small as the cheaper 6a, but it is as small as premium Pixels get. Like with the Pro, a lot is riding on the Tensor G2 chipset (the 6a uses the original Tensor chip).
Google kept the RAM at 8GB and you get a
choice between 128GB and 256GB storage. Like the previous models, the Pixel 7
and 7 Pro are guaranteed to receive 3 major OS updates (getting them to v16)
and 5 years of security patches. The 7 is slightly smaller than the 6, due to
its 6.3” display (down from 6.4”). The physical dimensions of the phone are
155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm and 197g, compared to 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm and 207g for
its predecessor. The Galaxy S22 and iPhone 14 are smaller, so let’s call this
one medium sized.
The display is still a flat AMOLED panel
with FHD+ resolution but it has 25% higher peak brightness than the Pixel 6
display. This new panel still has only 90Hz refresh rate, though. We would have
loved to see 120Hz this year, even without LTPO, but for what it’s worth this
phone is cheaper than the Galaxy S22 and iPhone 14 (which has a 60Hz display).
The more slender build of the Pixel 7 also
means that it has a smaller battery, 4,355mAh (down from 4,614mAh). However,
the more efficient hardware means that Extreme Battery Saver mode can last 72
hours (up from 48 hours). Without it, you’re looking at 31 hours or so of
regular use. Like the Pro, the Pixel 7 uses a 50MP main camera (1/1.31”, 1.2µm
before binning). It is joined by a 12MP ultra wide camera and that’s it. For
zooming in, the phone relies on the relatively high resolution main sensor and
Google’s Super Res Zoom image processing (which has been upgraded, thanks to
the extra processing power available on the G2 chipset).
As promised, let’s talk about the selfie
camera. It has a higher resolution sensor, 10.8MP (up from 8MP last year), and
a wider field of view as well – 92.8° (up from 84°). The lens still has a fixed
focus, though. The same goes for the Pro, which uses the same camera module.
