Following final week’s Google occasion, a colleague commented to me that the Pixel 7 wasn’t as huge an improve because the Pixel 6. That is an objectively true assertion. But additionally, it’s high quality. No matter you consider the yearly refresh cycle {hardware} makers are locked into, we’ve all come to simply accept that some upgrades are going to be extra incremental than others. Actually, most years are going to be iterative. That’s how this works.
The distinction is powerful right here, as a result of final yr was something however. The Pixel 6 was Google’s breakout cellphone. Final yr was the yr Google lastly answered the “why,” marrying wonderful {hardware} and software program with an reasonably priced value level. It’s a query the Pixel Watch might spend one other era or two addressing. However final yr the Pixel smartphone line broke out of the cycle, and all it took was a large restructuring of Google’s {hardware} division.
The Pixel 6 modified the dialog round Google’s smartphone efforts. The Pixel 7 is, by and enormous, an iteration on final yr’s mannequin. And that’s completely high quality. In 2021, the corporate labored to meet up with the remainder of the flagship market, and now it’s about conserving that tempo. The reality about the best way the class is structured at present is that it appears doubtless that anyone will change the dialog fully.
Picture Credit: Brian Heater
So many of those units revolve round identical or comparable parts powering the identical working system. At current, Google’s greatest differentiator is software program. The Pixel might have been developed as a technique for showcasing new Android options, however lately, these options are exactly what distinguishes the product from the pack. The opposite huge (and associated tentpole) are the corporate’s advances in machine studying. These are current in a lot of spots, however most primarily imaging, the place this factor actually shines.
I opted to review the 7 Professional as a substitute of the 7 this day trip as a result of we’re lastly getting some good fall climate right here and I actually needed to take some good images. Is that egocentric? I imply, yeah, for certain, however images is the battlefield on which the smartphone wars are at present waged.
There’s a 3rd potential plank for some differentiation: processing. Like Apple, Google has damaged out of the Qualcomm mildew that powers a majority of flagships lately, as a substitute opting to construct its personal chips in-house. Sadly, there’s actually not a giant leap from authentic Tensor chip to the G2 — definitely nothing price dwelling on right here. The benchmarks do get a small uptick, however for day-to-day use, it appears unlikely you’ll discover a lot there.
Picture Credit: Brian Heater
The {hardware} is refined over final yr’s mannequin. It’s a pleasant trying cellphone (the camera bar has confirmed considerably polarizing, however I prefer it). It’s slim, slick and glossy, and the cellphone doesn’t really feel as outsized as its 6.7-inch display screen (although single-handed use is essentially a no-go for me). The 1,000 nit show is good and vivid, and the 1440 x 3120 512 ppi decision appears nice coupled with the sleek 120Hz refresh price.
Like the brand new Pixel Watch, it’s bought an always-on possibility, although once more, that’s going to have an effect on battery life. Additionally just like the Pixel Watch, I wasn’t significantly impressed with the on-board battery. Rated at 5,000 mAh (a slight downgrade from the 6 Professional’s 5,003), I’m taking a look at round 25% capability 9 hours in.
As soon as once more, imaging is the place this factor actually shines. One of many earliest hard-learned classes for the road is that computational images alone isn’t sufficient. Google felt it had one thing to show in these early days, with a single camera sensor, but it surely finally got here up quick. Computational images, coupled with good camera {hardware}, then again, is a drive to be reckoned with.
The usual 7 sports activities a 50-megapixel vast camera and 12-megapixel ultrawide, whereas the Professional provides a 48-megapixel telephoto into the camera bar. I’m not completely packing up my SLR any time quickly, however so far as a frictionless, out of the field expertise goes, it’s powerful to beat the Pixel 7 Professional. Generations of camera software program updates have made taking a very good picture lifeless easy, and up to date upgrades have introduced dramatic enhancements to issues like zoom.
[Insert: Full zoom]
The cellphone will solely get you as much as 5x with optical zoom, but it surely does a powerful job past that, all issues thought of. Whenever you actually push issues to 20-30x, you’re going to see clear noise on the picture, however the end result continues to be spectacular, significantly when taking pictures in direct daylight. Picture stabilization additionally does a very good job minimizing among the unavoidable handshaking that comes with telephoto pictures.
Mild additionally makes a world of distinction for macro pictures. Holding the camera round one to 2 inches from a topic will floor the setting mechanically. There’s no particular macro lens in-built (as we’ve seen on a smattering of different fashions). As an alternative, the function depends on the ultrawide, and the outcomes are spectacular, nonetheless. Coupled with upgrades to options like Actual Tone for extra genuine pores and skin tones and Evening Sight and also you’ve bought a particularly well-rounded and spectacular little camera in your pocket.
Picture Credit: Brian Heater
The largest unique (for now, no less than) software program updates arrive on the Speech facet of issues. These have lengthy been prime of the checklist of Pixel standout options, so it’s no shock to see that they’re nonetheless a spotlight this time round. Voice Recorder provides Canadian English, American Spanish and Hindi English to an inventory that additionally contains German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Google’s longstanding quest to make automated cellphone menus much less annoying continues in earnest with the addition of pressable menu choices that populate even earlier than the robotic voice speaks them.
Very like the cellphone itself nothing there’s a true breakthrough, a lot as a refinement on an already good factor. With a beginning value of $599 for the 7 and $899 for the 7 Professional, Google is greater than aggressive on flagship pricing. Certain, you may spec the 7 Professional as much as $1,099 by choosing the 512GB storage possibility, however in a world the place the competitors routinely begins above $1,000, pricing stays a cornerstone of Google’s smartphone, all whereas delivering a high quality premium gadget within the course of.
