All that and a bag of (Tensor) chips

The Pixel 7 Professional is the most effective that Google has to supply. It vies for the smartphone images crown thanks to a couple new Tensor G2 tips and delivers a design that is uniquely Google. At simply $899, it is robust to discover a higher worth in a flagship system — until you purchase the Pixel 7.

The Pixel 6 Professional redefined what it meant to be a Google flagship. It threw the whole lot on the wall, adopting a recent design, a 3rd rear camera, and Google’s in-house Tensor chip to face aside from the group. Many of the adjustments caught, however others, like weak charging, a wonky fingerprint scanner, and poor thermal administration confirmed that the creator of Android nonetheless had some sprucing to do. Now now we have a brand new set of Pixels to play with, headlined by the top-of-the-line Pixel 7 Professional. It’s time to search out out if Google is one other yr wiser or simply one other yr older. That is Android Authority’s Google Pixel 7 Professional review.

About this Google Pixel 7 Professional review: I examined the Pixel 7 Professional (128GB) over a interval of seven days. It was operating Android 13 on the October 2, 2022 safety replace and the July 1, 2022 Google Play system replace. Google offered the unit for this review.

What you should know concerning the Google Pixel 7 Professional

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

• Google Pixel 7 Professional (12GB/128GB): $899 / £849 / €899
• Google Pixel 7 Professional (12GB/256GB): $999 / £949 / €999
• Google Pixel 7 Professional (12GB/512GB): $1,099

Google introduced the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional at its Made by Google occasion in October 2022, together with the long-awaited Pixel Watch. Each telephones observe the identical story because the Pixel 6 sequence, sharing processors, design languages, software program, and sufficient leaks within the lead-up to sink the Titanic. The Pixel 7 Professional, nevertheless, takes the whole lot only a step additional. It’s nonetheless a fraction cheaper than its flagship friends from Samsung and Apple, however it’s the most costly Pixel system in the marketplace, and it has a well-rounded spec sheet to justify the asking value.

Like its predecessor, the Pixel 7 Professional packs a 6.7-inch OLED show with slight waterfall edges. It’s nonetheless the most important display you’ll discover on a Pixel system and expansive sufficient to rival flagships from another producer. Google’s new flagship tops out at 1,500 nits, virtually double the height of the earlier mannequin. The colourful show is made from Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus (not Plus — that’s Samsung-exclusive) and will stand up to loads of put on and tear.

Behind the gorgeous show lies a strong supporting solid. All variations of the Pixel 7 Professional pack 12GB of RAM, which you’ll pair with 128, 256, or 512GB (in chosen areas solely) of mounted storage. The battery will get a really slight trim, dipping from 5,003mAh to an excellent 5,000, and the 23W peak charging setup is unchanged from technology to technology. You will get the quickest wi-fi recharge occasions from Google’s second-gen Pixel Stand at 23W.

The Tensor G2 is probably an important change to a Pixel 7 Professional that does not fall removed from the design tree that took root with the Pixel 6 sequence.

Maybe probably the most essential change contained in the Pixel 7 Professional is the second-generation Tensor G2 chipset. It takes the place of Google’s first in-house silicon, bringing a trio of key updates. The Tensor G2 depends on the identical 5nm structure, however incorporates a brand new GPU and modem, and provides additional enhancements to the TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). We’ll dip again into how every change impacts efficiency in a bit bit, however Google says that every one three are designed to be quicker and extra environment friendly.

Though the camera bar would possibly look barely shinier this yr, most of its adjustments are superficial. The 50MP major sensor is an identical to the earlier model, whereas the ultrawide and telephoto lenses choose up minor changes. Google stretched its ultrawide discipline of view to let a bit extra into your photographs whereas the 5x optical zoom telephoto punches in just a bit additional. Across the entrance, the punch-hole selfie shooter presents a ten.8MP decision and is simple sufficient to disregard until it’s lit as much as point out Face Unlock — a returning characteristic for the primary time for the reason that Pixel 4.

We’re in all probability not too removed from producers delivering telephones with nothing else within the field because the Pixel 7 Professional continues its slimming pattern. Bundled headphones and chargers are firmly within the rearview mirror, with solely a Fast Change Adapter, SIM ejector, USB-C cable, and primary paperwork to maintain the system firm.

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The well-priced Pixel 7 Professional as soon as once more squares off towards the most effective that Android and iOS have to supply. It’s extra inexpensive than Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Plus and Extremely, although it makes a couple of sacrifices up and down the spec sheet. Samsung’s flagships even have an edge in software program updates, although the Pixel 7 Professional begins on an Android model forward of its rivals. If you happen to’re not locked into Android, Apple is Google’s different marquee rival, and the iPhone 14 Professional and 14 Professional Max are pretty much as good as Professional-tier telephones from Cupertino have ever been.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional have been introduced for pre-order on October 6, 2022, earlier than opening to wider availability on October 13 on the Google Retailer and lots of main third-party retailers. Google’s newest Pixels are the simplest to acquire in fairly a while, changing into out there in 17 nations all through Europe, Asia, and North America — a pleasant bump after the Pixel 6 sequence solely launched in 9 areas. The Pixel 7 Professional is available in Snow, Obsidian, and Hazel.

Has the design modified in any respect?

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Cease us should you’ve heard this earlier than for a brand new flagship cellphone, however Google didn’t reinvent the design wheel in 2022. The Pixel 7 Professional takes clear cues from its direct predecessor, selecting to shine a singular design quite than reinvent itself. It’s a well-known strategy, one we’ve seen from each Samsung and Apple, and it really works out effectively for followers of Google’s camera bar and boxy form.

The minute you open the field, you’re greeted by a shiny slab of Gorilla Glass Victus, interrupted solely by a brand new aluminum camera bar and a contrasting G emblem. Aesthetically, the selection is gorgeous, however you’ll want a cleansing fabric — or a case — the second you choose up your cellphone. If there was a metric to explain how rapidly fingerprints seem — let’s name it TTS (Time-To-Smudge) — the Pixel 7 Professional would rating a zero, that means it takes no time to mar the shiny glass end. On the brilliant facet, all three coloration choices — Hazel, Snow, and Obsidian (pictured all through this review) — look nice. Hazel is as shut as we’ll get to a enjoyable coloration choice because of the bronze rails and camera bar, however even then, it’s a business-in-the-front, party-in-the-back sort of look.

HazelSnow

Google’s shiny end is about as slick as a child seal attempting to wrestle a greased pig. It begins to slip the second I set it down, and I’ve virtually put the boundaries of Gorilla Glass Victus to the take a look at greater than as soon as. The glistening gloss extends to the aluminum body, which is actually a mirror, particularly on the flat elements of the camera bar. It’s a pleasant aesthetic change from the black glass bar of the Pixel 6 Professional, and the cutouts across the lenses assist to attract your eye to the trio quite than conceal it. Sadly, the repeated design nonetheless means the camera bar stands proud fairly far and has no hassle gathering mud bunnies within the corners above and under. The polished body homes a USB-C port alongside the underside edge, flanked by a microphone and a speaker, in addition to a nano-SIM tray on the left facet.

The Pixel 7 Professional is a surprising system, however you may be simply as surprised by the variety of fingerprints the shiny end picks up.

Regardless of Google maintaining the broad strokes of its design in place, the Pixel 7 Professional’s few adjustments supply speedy quality-of-life enhancements. The facility button and quantity rocker have shifted barely down the best facet, making them simpler to succeed in when wrangling the cellphone one-handed. Google’s waterfall edges are additionally barely softer, which supplies the Pixel 7 Professional a bit extra presence in hand as a substitute of feeling such as you’re holding the sting of a knife.

The sharp Quad HD+ (3,120 x 1,440) decision panel carries over from the Pixel 6 Professional and is as brilliant and sharp as ever — brighter, in reality. The Pixel 7 Professional’s show now reaches a peak brightness of as much as 1,500 nits, virtually double the 800 nits of the Pixel 6 Professional. It’s not fairly the two,000 nits afforded by Apple’s iPhone 14 Professional, however the distinction is night time and day when sat subsequent to the earlier mannequin.

Shade recreation can be wonderful, with deep blacks and punchy colours that deliver animated wallpapers to life. It’s solely interrupted by a punch-hole selfie camera, which is simple to disregard.

Google’s adaptive refresh fee dips as little as 10Hz because of LTPO technology, although it spends most of its time at 60Hz or 120Hz for clean transitions and animations. I haven’t observed any stuttering over the course of my testing. I’ve, nevertheless, observed a greater stability with the cellphone, which fixes many of the top-heaviness we felt with the earlier Pixel 6 Professional. The 6.7-inch boxy design remains to be a beast within the hand, however the barely flatter edges are extra comfy to carry securely.

There’s additionally an IP68 ranking for water and mud resistance ought to the slippery satan fall out of your fingers and into something extra dangerous than carpet.

Is the Google Pixel 7 Professional the most effective Android camera cellphone?

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Google launched large camera adjustments with the Pixel 6 sequence, and the Pixel 7 Professional will get to reap the advantages. It sticks to primarily the identical {hardware}, however the Pixel group has had one other yr to fine-tune its processing energy. The Pixel 7 Professional’s major sensor is the 50MP Samsung GN1, measuring 1/1.31-inches with a large f/1.9 max aperture that lends clean, pure bokeh. As with most high-megapixel sensors, the primary shooter pixel bins to smaller, extra manageable photographs by default — on this case, 12.5MP.

The Pixel 7 Professional’s ultrawide camera picks up minor adjustments, shifting from a 114-degree to a wider 126-degree discipline of view however maintaining its 12MP decision. It matches barely extra into the body and picks up autofocus help, the latter of which permits an automated macro mode that allows you to stand up shut and private with flowers and mushrooms. Google’s most notable change, although, comes from the telephoto lens, which swapped its 4x optical zoom for 5x. That’s longer than most smartphone cameras and presents a noticeable enhance to zoom photographs. Google’s AI-assisted Tremendous Res Zoom tech additionally now tops out at 30x, with the Tensor G2 lending a hand to the telephoto shooter.

We put the Pixel 7 Professional by way of the images wringer and it delivered in virtually all situations.

No matter what Google did with its camera {hardware}, the up to date Tensor G2 chipset is the muscle behind the lenses. Its up to date TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) is the supply of the Pixel’s machine studying would possibly, and is integral to distinctive options just like the returning favourite Magic Eraser, the aforementioned Tremendous Res Zoom, and the all-new Picture Unblur. It’s additionally a key participant in dashing up the Night time Sight mode for low-light images, bringing brighter photographs to your camera roll twice as quick as earlier than, furthering Google’s Actual Tone technology for capturing correct pores and skin tones, and Guided Body — a brand new accessibility characteristic that has a voice information to assist visually impaired customers take selfies.

After all, Google’s reliance on the Tensor G2 that will help you get the right shot implies that there aren’t any guide controls on the Pixel 7 Professional. You may select your capturing mode and your zoom, however that’s about it. This won’t matter to a number of customers who simply need the fast snap, however diehard camera geeks would possibly discover that they miss toying with the white stability, aperture, ISO, and extra.

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

My colleagues and I’ve put the Pixel 7 Professional by way of the images wringer to see the way it stacks up towards the perfect camera telephones. We’ve examined all three lenses and Google’s numerous capturing modes throughout a number of nations in different places and eventualities. Our options editor Rita El Khoury uploaded 200+ photographs simply by herself.

That’s a number of testing, however irrespective of the variety of photographs, the Pixel 7 Professional delivered in virtually all situations, day or night time. It captured particulars effectively, and Google’s pure coloration profile is enjoyable to the attention. You may select any variety of shades of inexperienced within the arbor under, and the tiniest leaves keep distinct quite than bleeding collectively. The picture trying up at a spiral staircase reveals element on the darkish and lightweight planks, and there’s no lack of texture within the wall.

The influence of Google’s Tensor G2 is very spectacular relating to non-human portraits. We repeatedly see smartphone cameras battle with edge detection, however the Pixel 7 Professional adopted the horse’s define intently, solely lacking a couple of wisps of the mane. Different photographs, just like the blue signal, present comparable edge detection and correct publicity for the reason that signal was within the shade whereas the background was within the solar. Its bokeh is barely much less noticeable, but it surely nonetheless separates from the topic. The crimson gentle on the inexperienced truck to the left isn’t an instance of portrait mode, but it surely does give a style of the Pixel 7 Professional’s pure bokeh.

The Pixel 7 Professional’s ultrawide lens has rapidly grow to be a favourite of mine on the Pixel 7 Professional. It captures an incredible quantity of element, with colours that match the first camera and little to no distortion. The 0.5x perspective is on the large facet, however there’s no bending or stretching within the bushes to the left or the “Smile” mural. You will notice some blurring and distortion on the very edges of some snaps, however that’s inevitable with a comparatively large discipline of view.

The ultrawide camera’s macro mode provides a little bit of enjoyable and is a significantly better implementation than your common, low-res devoted macro lens. Our outcomes have been hit and miss, given the necessity for regular fingers and a number of gentle, however when the macro hits, it actually hits. We managed successful fee of round 50%, which is sweet for a macro lens however lags behind Google’s ordinary standout efficiency. The picture of a crimson leaf is a good instance of the macro lens acting at its greatest, displaying brilliant colours and sharp strains all through the divisions and edges of the leaf (don’t take a look at us for plant phrases, we’re cellphone individuals). The Turkey Tail mushroom is one other good instance, with high-quality strains recreated even within the folds and smaller background leaves.

As for zoom, the Pixel 7 Professional transitions easily by way of its complete zoom vary, particularly at its preset lengths. The idiot-proof camera interface presents fast faucets for 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x, examples of which you’ll see within the gallery immediately under. I discovered the colours constant throughout the primary three snaps, although the 5x zoom picture picks up a slight yellow tint. It’s unclear whether or not that’s a change within the coloration profile or simply my eyes enjoying tips for the reason that shadows and inexperienced hues are out of the image. Shade change or not, the main points are sharp, and Google’s stabilization is a lifesaver for shaky fingers. Try our deep dive into the Pixel 7 Professional’s camera zoom for much more photographs and evaluation.

UltrawideCustomary2x zoom5x zoom

When you eclipse the 5x zoom button, you’ll need to manually pinch for 10x and 30x Tremendous Res Zoom with solely a small dot to information your focus. Truthfully, the toughest half is touchdown precisely on 10x or 30x — Google’s picture stabilization and the Tensor G2 do the remainder. The 10x zoom picture under is sharp with good particulars and colours, even within the bushes to the underside left. 30x zoom is actually usable, although the white ball does begin to soften noticeably across the edges. You may’t make out fairly as many particulars within the shadows, however the brilliant facet of the constructing nonetheless reveals rivets and creases. Tremendous Res Zoom nonetheless leans closely on the Tensor G2 to wash up your photographs, and the drop-off past the 10x mark means it’s a implausible long-distance shooter, however not fairly as much as par with the industry-leading Galaxy S22 Extremely.

2x Zoom5x Zoom10x ZoomPixel 7 Professional – 30x

Now, a Pixel wouldn’t be a Pixel if its camera chops stopped at zooming out and in, wouldn’t it? After all not. Google’s camera app is full of extra capturing modes like Movement Mode, Night time Sight, and a number of other video settings. You may see the consequences of Movement Mode’s lengthy publicity under, which blurs the stream with out forcing you to sit down nonetheless for a real lengthy publicity. Movement Mode additionally presents Motion Pan, which lends a blur impact round automobiles and different transferring objects whenever you really feel the necessity for pace.

Different options, like Magic Eraser, come into play after you get the shot. Launched with the Pixel 6 sequence, Magic Eraser permits you to take away objects out of your pictures a la Thanos, or camouflage them to keep away from unusual artifacts and glitches. Google isn’t the one smartphone maker with an object elimination characteristic, but it surely’s confirmed itself to be probably the most profitable at kicking out pesky intruders out of your greatest photographs.

Magic Eraser works higher on some backgrounds than others, particularly whenever you get a constant texture just like the grass under. The Pixel 7 Professional simply eliminated the 2 individuals, seeding grass that completely adopted the shadow of the tent. It’s additionally price declaring that the first camera captured a outstanding quantity of element contained in the tent itself quite than crushing the shadows.

Earlier than Magic EraserAfter Magic Eraser

In the identical enhancing vein, Google is doing its greatest to breathe life into outdated pictures. All of us have stacks (or possibly simply digital stacks) of outdated photographs that got here out blurry or grainy, however we stored them for sentimental functions. Now, the Pixel 7 Professional presents Picture Unblur by way of Google Photographs, which may sharpen that assortment even when they weren’t taken on a Pixel system. It’s not simply older snaps both, as Picture Unblur builds on what was beforehand Face Unblur to wash up brand-new pictures, too. For examples of each in motion, you should definitely take a look at our Picture Unblur samples. Proper now, Picture Unblur is unique to the Pixel 7 sequence, although it’s unclear if it can keep that method because it runs by way of Google Photographs.

Night time Sight is among the Pixel’s longest-standing camera options, and it’s getting higher with age. It kicks in as an automated various (or it may be manually chosen) to utilizing the flash, preserving the main points of lower-light scenes with out blowing out the colours. Extra importantly, the outdated canine appears to be selecting up pace because of the Tensor G2. I’ve achieved good leads to true night eventualities, just like the bar to the left and the bell to the best, and Night time Sight is not any slouch throughout the day, both. It kicked in whereas within the cave under, bringing extra element to the foreground with out washing out the background the place the cave ends.

There’s yet one more camera to the touch on for the Pixel 7 Professional — the selfie shooter. Google’s 10.8MP punch gap lens is the one interruption to its sweeping OLED show, and it drops a couple of fractions of a megapixel in comparison with the Pixel 6 Professional to match the smaller Pixel 7. Regardless of the tiny drop, there’s no noticeable change in high quality. I’m happy with the colour and particulars of my face, hair, sweatshirt, and background stream. Just a few of the bushes and leaves bleed collectively additional again, however to not the purpose of a watercolor impact. Google’s portrait mode is appropriate for probably the most half, although it offers a little bit of a halo round my hair. I’m no stranger to the odd portrait impact, however I’ve seen a number of different smartphones reduce nearer to the sides of my head. On the brilliant facet, the sting detection round my shoulders is spot on, and the Pixel 7 Professional blurred every beam within the bridge evenly.

Pixel 7 Professional customary selfiePixel 7 Professional Portrait selfie

The Pixel 7 Professional’s video options get a pleasant Tensor G2 punch as effectively. One of many main updates is the addition of Cinematic Blur, which is principally portrait mode for video. It provides a shallow depth of discipline to your footage at a hard and fast 24fps for the aspiring filmmaker in all of us. Like Google’s nonetheless images portrait mode, it really works fairly effectively, although it may possibly have some hassle getting the right edge on unnatural shapes. Monitoring objects in Cinematic Blur mode additionally appears to be a piece in progress, because the bokeh impact typically takes a second or two to catch as much as your topic.

Outdoors of Cinematic Blur, the Pixel 7 Professional can document in 4K at 60fps from all of its cameras, together with the selfie shooter. The video stabilization is superb, making clips taken at 5x zoom way more usable than in years previous. 10-bit HDR help is one other good addition for brighter, extra color-rich footage, although it tops out at 30fps. The up to date Speech Enhancement characteristic is spectacular, too, selecting out the audio from whoever is talking in your clip and enhancing it. Apple would possibly nonetheless be the king of handheld video, however Google is catching up in a giant method with its Tensor G2.

These are just a few of the photograph samples we collected as a group, however you’re free to dig by way of each final shot in order for you. We’ve stashed all of them in a Google Drive folder, which you’ll entry right here.

How good is the battery life? And the charging?

Google has had its justifiable share of battery hits and misses. Like a field of candies, you by no means knew what you’d get. It wasn’t all that nice (learn: horrible) on the Pixel 4 sequence earlier than shining brilliant on the Pixel 5. The Pixel 6 sequence introduced some extra enhancements, however the Tensor’s thermal points meant that when the battery began to empty, it went fast. For the Pixel 7 Professional, the high-capacity cell is again, and Google hopes a brand new supporting solid can deliver higher outcomes.

The Pixel 7 Professional packs a 5,000mAh cell, which is a trim of simply 3mAh off the capability of the Pixel 6 Professional — subsequent to nothing whenever you think about typical battery dimension. It delivers comparable, or barely higher, battery outcomes, too. I’ve had no issues pushing the Pixel 7 Professional to a day and a half of combined utilization, and that’s whereas it’s nonetheless studying my utilization habits. There’s each likelihood that I’ll handle to stretch the cell even additional as Android’s battery optimization tech settles right into a routine. Sadly, Google’s breakdown of screen-on time and utilization is among the worst. It presents little greater than a imprecise chart that appears one thing like a rudimentary drawing of a mountain slope.

Proper now, my combined utilization consists primarily of scrolling by way of social media, streaming Spotify by way of Bluetooth whereas I run, and answering emails on the go — you realize, the same old. I additionally ran the Pixel 7 Professional by way of two hours of uninterrupted Instagram Reels with none indication of overheating or speedy battery drain. Nevertheless, the Pixel 7 Professional additionally had the doubtful honor of being my companion at a household wedding ceremony. That meant an earlier-than-usual begin to my day and a ton of camera utilization. The early begin didn’t matter, however the Pixel’s camera proved a little bit of a battery hog. It warms up the cellphone virtually instantly because the Tensor G2 tries to course of photographs simply as rapidly as you may snap them.

There are additionally some preliminary issues concerning the Pixel 7 Professional’s energy draw, notably when used outdoors. That is reportedly a results of the cellphone ramping brightness excessively. We’ll be testing this additional within the coming weeks and months.

The Pixel 7 Professional’s battery shines in mixed-usage eventualities, however its underpowered charging makes daytime charging a headache.

After all, even the most important of 5,000mAh cells run out, and also you received’t all the time have an opportunity to cost in a single day. I attempted to make use of Google’s Adaptive Charging when given the chance, which trickles juice whilst you sleep to give you a full battery at your morning alarm. It turned out to be the most effective wager, as charging throughout the day — wired or wi-fi — left one thing to be desired. Google claims which you can get the most effective outcomes with its first-party 30W charger, but it surely stops in need of that hinted-at 30W peak. It’s the identical vaguely deceptive boast we debunked for the Pixel 6 sequence, and the outcomes are the identical for the Pixel 7 duo.

The Pixel 7 Professional will truly spend most of its recharge time at someplace between the 17-21W mark by way of wired charging, although it averages at round 15W throughout a full cost primarily based on our testing. It delivers a fast begin, filling 40-50% of the hefty battery within the first half hour earlier than slowing considerably. It took round 90 to 100 minutes to get a full cost with a appropriate USB Energy Supply PPS charger — one thing that’s not included within the field and that not everybody may have. Whereas it’s commendable to favor long-term battery well being over ludicrously quick charging options, Google’s charging energy continues to lag effectively behind even probably the most modest competitors within the charging stakes.

If you happen to want wi-fi charging, the Pixel 7 Professional helps as much as 23W wi-fi charging solely by way of the second-generation Pixel Stand. If the elevated energy and extra smart home options of Google’s $79 stand nonetheless aren’t promoting it to you, the Pixel 7 Professional additionally helps 12W Qi wi-fi charging for normal wi-fi pads. There’s additionally reverse wi-fi charging ought to you should give any equipment — say, a pair of Pixel Buds Professional — a fast enhance on the go.

How highly effective is the Google Pixel 7 Professional?

Geekbench 5 rating3DMark Wildlife rating

He didn’t comprehend it then, however Nelly was singing concerning the unique Tensor chip when he wrote the painfully titled Scorching in Herre again in 2002. The soulful lyrics, “heat, sweatin’, it’s scorching up on this joint,” really feel like a prediction so correct that Nostradamus himself may have written them. Sure, Google’s try at an in-house chipset introduced spectacular machine-learning chops to the desk, but it surely tried to burn the desk down within the course of. It bought fairly heat, principally, particularly when put below GPU stress. Combine in some below-average (for 2021) benchmarking numbers, and the Tensor had greater than a little bit of catching as much as do.

The Tensor G2 steps in because the Pixel 7 Professional’s mind, bringing a couple of crucial updates together with it. It maintains the 5nm course of from its predecessor, however Google claims that the TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) is now 60% quicker at voice and imaging duties, in addition to 20% extra environment friendly normally. The brand new Mali-G710 GPU and Samsung-made modem are alleged to be quicker and extra environment friendly too. Credit score the place it’s due; the upgraded modem is a noticeable enchancment, at the least for my testing right here in rural Pennsylvania. I spent months with the Pixel 6 Professional and repeatedly struggled to change between Wi-Fi and my mobile community, however the Pixel 7 Professional switches rapidly and seamlessly. Reception gripes have been shared by loads of Pixel 6 customers, so it’s good to see that Google seems to have healed this specific ache level.

Google’s Tensor G2 does not deplete the benchmarks, however its up to date modem fixes one of many Pixel 6’s largest flaws.

The Pixel 7 Professional presents the identical configurations as its predecessor — 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and as much as 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage (or a most of 256GB in some markets) — making monitoring year-over-year enhancements a bit simpler. I didn’t discover any stuttering or slowing from the Pixel 7 Professional in my utilization, and it appeared to run barely cooler than the Pixel 6 Professional. It does nonetheless rapidly warmth up, although, particularly whenever you run the camera for a very long time or push the GPU with video games or benchmarks. If you happen to’re a shutterbug or an avid gamer, you might need to take breaks right here and there to let the cellphone cool once more. Most of my normal utilization throughout testing consisted of video streaming, social media scrolling, and pumping Spotify by way of Bluetooth headphones, none of which put the Tensor G2 by way of an excessive amount of stress.

As talked about, the unique Tensor chip didn’t set any blazing lap occasions in our gauntlet of benchmarks. The Tensor G2 improves barely, although it nonetheless lags behind flagship processors from Qualcomm and Apple. Its single-core Geekbench rating improved by not more than a share level, although the multi-core rating jumped by round 12%. It signifies at the least some enchancment to the Tensor G2 setup, regardless of sticking with the identical 5nm course of from the earlier technology.

As for Google’s up to date GPU, the 3DMark Wild Life take a look at got here in barely under the Pixel 6 Professional’s rating. It’s additionally behind a number of different 2022 flagships, just like the Galaxy S22 Extremely and iPhone 14 Professional. Nevertheless, the Pixel 7 Professional does maintain up higher than its predecessor within the Wild Life stress take a look at. It takes one extreme drop after about 5 loops earlier than slowly tailing off over the remaining 15 repetitions. At its lowest level, the Tensor G2 nonetheless delivered scores far above the unique Tensor chip and near the long-term efficiency of the Galaxy S22 Extremely and another Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 units. The sustained stress warms the Tensor G2 greater than anything I may put it by way of, but it surely’s encouraging to see an enchancment in sustained graphics efficiency and stability. You may learn much more about this in our Tensor G2 benchmark deep dive.

Google’s second in-house processor falls into most of the similar traps as its predecessor, operating heat below stress and scoring low. Nevertheless, it additionally illustrates that typically a cellphone is greater than the sum of its elements. The Pixel 7 Professional depends on wonderful machine studying chops and a deeply built-in Google Assistant to information you thru on a regular basis duties quite than brute-forcing its option to the highest. Would we prefer it to run cooler? Sure, however whereas it’s clear that Google remains to be studying the ropes with its in-house processors, it at the least has taken to coronary heart that uncooked peak energy isn’t the be-all and end-all of smartphone silicon.

Anything?

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• Biometrics: Virtually something could possibly be thought of an enchancment over the fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6 sequence, however we’re not this with rose-colored glasses. The Pixel 7 Professional’s in-display fingerprint reader is way improved, providing higher pace and accuracy than its predecessor. It’s additionally joined by a brand new (or at the least again from the Pixel 4 sequence) Face Unlock characteristic, which lets you open your cellphone at a look. It’s responsive sufficient, nevertheless the Pixel 7 sequence’ Face Unlock isn’t utilizing the identical needed {hardware} sensors to make it safe sufficient for purchases or banking transactions, so that you’ll wish to arrange a fingerprint or one other lock regardless.
• Software program: The Pixel 7 Professional arrived with Android 13 proper out of the field, full with Google’s Pixel UI visible design. It stays clean, gentle, and loaded with customization choices. You received’t discover higher implementations of Materials You theming on another system, with color-matched app icons and extra widgets than you may depend. Offline Google Assistant voice typing is again however with a supposed 2.5x pace enhance because of the Tensor G2, and the chip’s machine studying smarts are additionally the catalyst for brand spanking new options akin to routinely labeling audio system by way of the ever-useful Recorder app, voicemail message transcriptions, and the beforehand talked about camera perks like Picture Unblur and Cinematic Blur. That is all with out even mentioning Clear Calling set to reach later, the smorgasbord of present Pixel-exclusive software program perks, and additional additions and tweaks promised by way of Pixel characteristic drops. Default bloatware is sort of nonexistent, too. There are a couple of additional Google apps past the same old suspects that the cellphone desperately desires you to make use of (see: Google Meet), however you may all the time select to not obtain them throughout the setup course of.
• Haptics: Google retains its haptics crown, with buzzes and vibrations that really feel excellent. The short responses are correct and clicky whether or not you’re tapping or typing.
• Audio: The Pixel 7 Professional is among the loudest telephones I’ve used shortly, reaching spectacular quantity from its stereo setup. It pairs the earpiece with a single down-firing unit, and there’s little to no distortion, even on the highest quantity. Larger pitches like human voices and stringed devices nonetheless outperform bass notes, however that’s not sudden for a smartphone. You received’t discover a headphone jack, nor will you discover the most recent Bluetooth 5.3 customary — Google is sticking with 5.2 for one more yr. It does supply a good variety of Bluetooth codecs, although, with help for LDAC, aptX, aptX HD, AAC, and SBC. There’s additionally an LE Audio toggle within the Pixel 7 Professional’s developer settings, however we have been unable to substantiate if that is truly useful on account of an absence of supported {hardware}.
• Connectivity: Whereas Bluetooth 5.2 is a bit behind the innovative, the Pixel 7 Professional makes up for it with speedy Wi-Fi 6E, NFC for wi-fi funds, and an ultra-wideband (UWB) chip that will probably be notably helpful if Google ever decides to make its personal Bluetooth trackers to rival Apple’s AirTags or Samsung’s SmartTags.
• 5G: All Pixel 7 Professional fashions help 5G networking, however not all Pixel 7 Professionals are created equal. US fashions will run on each mmWave and sub-6GHz networks, whereas different areas such because the UK and the remainder of Europe have variants which might be restricted to sub-6GHz bands solely. This isn’t a giant deal until you’re seeking to journey to the States, and even then mmWave protection is pretty sparse and restricted to pick out networks.
• Updates: 5 years of “Pixel Updates” would possibly sound like a imprecise declare, but it surely’s probably the greatest guarantees round — simply not the greatest. What you get is 5 years of safety patches with three years of full Android model updates (Pixel characteristic drops included). Google won’t have the benefit over Samsung with its 4 years of model updates, however the Pixel 7 Professional does ship with Android 13, whereas most Galaxy units are arriving with Android 12 out of the field. Even so, it continues to be a baffling scenario that the corporate behind Android itself doesn’t have the perfect Android replace coverage.
• VPN by Google One: Google’s cloud storage characteristic, known as Google One, must be acquainted to all Pixel customers. You get a 15GB of free cloud storage out of the gate, however now Google One has a brand new wrinkle for Pixel 7 customers with the addition of a free VPN for a bit extra peace of thoughts whereas looking on-line. It’s at present listed as a coming quickly characteristic, although we don’t have a precise timeline for its launch.

Google Pixel 7 Professional specs

Worth and competitors

Google Pixel 7 Professional

Greatest Google camera • Excessive-quality show • Massive battery

The Pixel 7 Professional is the top-of-the-line cellphone on Google’s roster.

The Google Pixel 7 Professional takes the most effective options from the Pixel 6 Professional, and makes them even higher. Get pleasure from quite a few camera upgrades and a few enjoyable new software program tips, all for a similar value because the last-gen Pixel cellphone.

The Google Pixel 7 Professional doubles down on yet one more considered one of its predecessor’s biggest strengths — its value. It nonetheless begins at simply $899, at the least $100 under its major flagship opponents. When you think about that Google has an additional yr of observe and refinement below its belt, to not point out the present state of worldwide economics, the pricing stability is just that rather more spectacular. Nevertheless, it faces a crowded flagship scene filled with heavy hitters who’ve picked up new tips of their very own.

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Plus ($920 at Amazon) and Galaxy S22 Extremely ($1129 at Amazon) are maybe the closest and most evident rivals in order for you an Android flagship. It’s robust to decide on one over one other, because the Pixel 7 Professional picks and chooses specs to match to every one. The Galaxy S22 Plus presents a flat show, a trio of respectable cameras, and improved efficiency, but it surely’s a smaller system with a lowered battery at its disposal. Samsung’s ultra-premium Galaxy S22 Extremely is giant and boxy, just like the Pixel 7 Professional, but it surely has the additional advantage of a built-in S Pen for productiveness. There’s additionally the extra highly effective camera suite to think about — Samsung’s 108MP major shooter is extremely sharp and backed by a well-rounded trio, providing nice zoom choices and versatile capturing modes. We’ll be pitting the Pixel 7 Professional up towards the Galaxy S22 Extremely in a shootout very quickly to see which comes out on high, so keep tuned.

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

Samsung’s distinctive Galaxy Z Flip 4 ($999.99 at Samsung) is an alternative choice at across the similar value. What it lacks in camera and battery would possibly, it makes up for with its pocket-friendly folding kind issue and intelligent exterior show. It’s one of the comfy telephones to carry in your hand and one which’s certain to show heads any time you pull it out of your pocket.

No matter which Samsung various you would possibly resolve to choose, the South Korean large has the most effective replace dedication of any Android OEM, with 4 years of Android variations and 5 years of safety protection throughout.

The OnePlus 10 Professional ($779 at Amazon) is one other respectable, if flawed, various to the Pixel 7 Professional, particularly following its $100 value drop from its preliminary $899 MSRP. It presents the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor you’ll discover in most different 2022 Android flagships, and its large camera bump presents a singular flare to the same old corner-mounted fare. One of many largest causes to succeed in for the OnePlus system is its charging: 65W wired energy leaves all different US units within the mud, save for OnePlus’ personal 10T. It falls off a bit in future software program updates, and also you might need to return to grips with the sluggish however regular, and sometimes uncomfortable unification of Oxygen OS with its father or mother firm Oppo’s Shade OS pores and skin.

In opposition to robust competitors, the Pixel 7 Professional’s sub-$900 price ticket is a large win.

If you happen to’re an avid smartphone photographer seeking to go towards the grain, you may additionally wish to take a look at Sony’s Xperia 1 IV ($1,599). Sure, it’s virtually double the worth of the Pixel 7 Professional, but it surely’s one other images powerhouse that makes its personal street. The place the Pixel desires you to press a button and let its Tensor G2 wow you, the Xperia desires you to dig into each nook of its settings. It appears like a high-end mirrorless camera, which is sensible given Sony’s acclaimed Alpha line. There’s no scarcity of energy below the hood, with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage backing Snapdragon’s 8 Gen 1 platform. If the steep asking value is a bit a lot for you, the extra compact and inexpensive Xperia 5 IV ($998 at Amazon) delivers a lot of the identical pro-focused multimedia suite and Alpha-grade camera options, albeit with out the Xperia 1 IV’s nifty variable focal size zoom camera.

Some of the necessary questions on a brand new smartphone is the way it compares to the earlier yr’s mannequin. Do you have to purchase a Pixel 7 Professional, or is the Pixel 6 Professional ($649 at Amazon) a greater worth purchase? The Pixel 6 Professional has come down in value following the Pixel 7 Professional’s debut, which could possibly be sufficient to tempt you. It has the same, although not as brilliant, show, the identical RAM and storage choices, and an equally spectacular camera setup. Nevertheless, you’ll need to weigh the potential Tensor points with cell sign and thermal administration, the marginally rejigged button placement, and the much-improved fingerprint sensor.

After all, there’s additionally the Google Pixel 7 ($599.99 at Greatest Purchase). Just like the identically priced Pixel 6 earlier than it, the vanilla Pixel 7 is arguably the most effective worth smartphone cash should purchase, and it shares a number of DNA with the Pixel 7 Professional. You’ll get the identical Tensor G2 chipset below the hood with an identical major, ultrawide, and selfie cameras, although you continue to miss out on a telephoto lens. The Google Pixel 7 can be barely extra manageable in hand than the Pixel 7 Professional with its 6.3-inch show. Because the smaller counterpart, the Pixel 7 drops to 8GB of RAM and a smaller battery, however its charging setup stays virtually on par with the premium Pixel 7 Professional.

Our final choose for an acceptable various requires you to look outdoors the comforts of Android. Apple’s iPhone 14 Professional ($999 at Greatest Purchase) and Professional Max ($1099 at Greatest Purchase) enhance on the iPhone 13 sequence to ship the most effective Professional iPhones to this point. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Professional and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Professional Max depend on the A16 Bionic chipset with 6GB of RAM and two of the smallest batteries in the marketplace, but they push them to spectacular lengths. The Dynamic Island that changed the long-standing notch is among the extra fascinating approaches to notification administration. It’s additionally robust to miss Apple’s replace dedication, which reaches six or seven years for many fashions.

Google Pixel 7 Professional review: The decision

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

The Pixel 7 Professional epitomizes what it means to be “Made by Google.” It leans closely into long-held strengths, providing sufficient punch in some areas to compete with the most effective telephones in the marketplace whereas undercutting the overwhelming majority on value. The hyper-flexible and customarily idiot-proof camera setup combines seamlessly with the machine studying would possibly of the Tensor G2 processor, which helps to place the sensible in smartphone. Google Assistant is a continuing presence within the gentle, clean, feature-rich Pixel UI, and the Materials You-flavored customization choices make your cellphone really feel a bit extra private.

In a world the place so many smartphones feel and look the identical, Google’s Pixel 7 Professional cuts its personal path with a boxy design and a daring — if a bit too thick — camera bar. It feels prefer it’s reduce from the identical fabric as its predecessor, which supplies method to a couple acquainted flaws. The Pixel 7 Professional’s charging capabilities proceed to go away one thing to be desired, and the Tensor G2 chip can nonetheless run heat sufficient to maintain you cozy by way of a protracted winter should you push it too laborious.

The Pixel 7 Professional is probably the most highly effective, most refined expertise that Google has to supply. There’s nonetheless work to be executed, however the progress is obvious to see.

Regardless of the {hardware} booms and busts, Google’s software program is essential to the whole lot the Pixel 7 Professional does. With a strong dedication to future updates and the promise of semi-regular characteristic drops, it is a cellphone that ought to proceed to really feel new each few months for a very long time. Google is gearing up for a run at Apple’s united ecosystem with the launch of its Pixel Watch, the Pixel Buds Professional, and the upcoming Pixel Pill, and the Pixel 7 Professional is poised to steer the cost with an air of sophistication, sophistication, and polish that isn’t all the time assured for merchandise adorned with the Massive G’s iconic emblem.

High Google Pixel 7 Professional questions and solutions

Is the Google Pixel 7 Professional waterproof?

The Google Pixel 7 Professional carries an IP68 ranking for water and mud resistance. This implies it may be submerged in a meter and a half of water for as much as half-hour, although it’s not actually waterproof.

Does the Pixel 7 Professional help dual-SIM?

Sure, the Pixel 7 Professional has one nano-SIM tray and eSIM help.

Does the Pixel 7 Professional help Face Unlock?

Sure, the Pixel 7 Professional helps Google’s Face Unlock characteristic. Nevertheless, it’s not safe sufficient for banking or buying transactions, just for unlocking your system.

Is there a charger included with the Pixel 7 Professional?

No, Google’s Pixel 7 Professional doesn’t embrace a charger.

What 5G networks does the Pixel 7 Professional help?

Within the US, the Pixel 7 Professional helps each mmWave and sub-6GHz networks. European fashions solely help sub-6GHz speeds.

Is there an SD card slot on the Pixel 7 Professional?

No, the Pixel 7 Professional doesn’t have an SD card or microSD slot. If you happen to want greater than the onboard storage, you’ll need to depend on cloud storage.

What colours does the Pixel 7 Professional are available?

The Pixel 7 Professional is accessible in Hazel, Obsidian, and Snow colorways.

Does the Pixel 7 Professional help wi-fi charging?

Sure, the Pixel 7 Professional can cost wirelessly at as much as 23W with a Pixel Stand or 12W with different chargers.

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