Google Pixel 7 Pro Review
The Pixel 7 Pro is Google’s comeback into the premium smartphone market. It has a striking design, a great set of cameras, and software capabilities that are unmatched by any other manufacturer.
We are all aware that Pixel phones capture breathtaking images both during the day and at night. Additionally, the Google Pixel 7 Pro sports a new chipset and a few other hardware-related upgrades that we will cover in this review.
However, there’s no groundbreaking upgrade. It is more like a refinement than an upgrade. So let’s go ahead and see what all improvements does the Google Pixel 7 Pro bring.
Checkout: Recycle Your Old Phone Now! Get Rewarded
Google Pixel 7 Pro Price in India and Variants
The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes in only a single variant in India. It costs Rs. 84,999 for 12GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.
It is available in three different colour options: Hazel, Snow and Obsidian. You can buy the phone online directly from Flipkart.
Planning to upgrade? Sell Your Old Phone in 60 Seconds From Home
Google Pixel 7 Pro Box Contents
The Google Pixel 7 Pro packs the following items inside th box:
- Handset
- USB Type-C to Type-C Cable
- Quick Switch Adaptor
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Quick Start Guide
Google Pixel 7 Pro Specs at a glance
Before we talk in detail about the Google Pixel 7 Pro, let’s see what the on-paper specs look like:
- Display: 6.7 inches OLED
- Chipset: Google Tensor G2
- RAM & ROM: 12GB RAM 128GB Storage
- Software: Android v13
- Rear camera: 50MP + 12MP + 48MP
- Selfie camera: 10.8 MP
- Battery: 5000 mAh
- Weight: 212 grams
- Dimensions: 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm
Google Pixel 7 Pro Design and Build
The Google Pixel 7 Pro has a unique style when compared to the other smartphones in the market, and I like it. The Pixel 7 Pro looks very similar to its predecessor, with a glass back and the iconic camera strip running across the backside.
The camera strip gives the phone a more polished and symmetric look. The phone still has an aluminium frame, however, the glossy finish attracts fingerprints. Although I did observe that the camera bar immediately got a few little scratches, I still like the way it looks.
It has IP68 water and dust resistance and is pretty comfortable to hold in the hands, thanks to the curved edges. The Pixel 7 Pro is still a hefty phone because its weight and dimensions haven’t really changed from those of its predecessor.
Check Out: Vivo V25 5G Review – Style Meets Camera
I do miss the Pixel 6 Pro’s subtle two-tone aesthetic, and I wish the new Pixel had more colour options. Talking about colours, you get to choose from three different colour options: Hazel, Snow and Obsidian.
The phone houses a power button and volume rockers on the right side. The left side has the SIM card slot, while the top side is clean. The button side holds the Type-C port for charging and the speaker grille.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Camera
Let’s now talk about the cameras, the real highlight of Pixel phones. The Google Pixel 7 Pro features a triple camera setup on the back. This includes a 50MP main camera, a 48MP telephoto lens and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The front has a 10.8MP camera for taking selfies.
Photos taken using the Pixel 7 Pro always turned out just how I intended them to. The images were packed with details and the dynamic range was also good. Portraits, particularly in low light, were usually fantastic. Moreover, the low-light shots were captured quickly.
This year, the ultra-wide lens has gotten wider to match the level of competing flagships. The periscope zoom lens has also received a significant upgrade, with 5X zoom vs the 4X seen last year. Both lenses do a good job of capturing detailed photos with good colour accuracy.
Read More: 10 Easy Tips and Tricks For Better Smartphone Photography
The Pixel also includes a number of useful software features. The first is Magic Eraser, which makes it very simple to remove undesired items from your photos. It works like a charm and I just love it.
Macro Focus is yet another useful feature that enables you to capture high-quality close-up macro shots. They are not the best macro shots, but they are pretty good. Following that, we have a completely new video feature dubbed as Cinematic Blur, which simply blurs the background so that the subject stands out.
The only place where the Google Pixel 7 Pro has let me down is the selfie camera. It appears to be alright, but there is nothing really exceptional about it.
Video quality has somewhat improved this year. You can record 4K videos at 60 fps from the main camera. The videos had good detailing and were quite stabilised. Overall, the Google Pixel 7 Pro has one of the best camera setups on a smartphone ever.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Battery and Charging
Battery life on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro was really disappointing and a big headache for everyone. And I’m really happy to tell you that Google has tried to fix it. The Google Pixel 7 Pro packs a big 5000 mAh battery inside.
Now talking about the everyday battery life, it’s good. I could easily get a full day of battery life with casual use. But I had to charge the Pixel 7 Pro every single day by the time I went to bed. Heavy users might need to charge their phones twice a day.
It’s not the fault of the battery but the optimisation. I feel like the 120Hz display along with the new chip eats a lot of battery even after good optimisation. And it could get better with future updates.
Read More: Top 10 Tips To Keep Your Smartphone Battery Healthy
The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with 30W fast charging support. I really wish that Google has provided a faster charging support like the competition (not Apple, of course). A 30 minute charge juices the battery up to 50 per cent. The 30W charger takes about 1 hour 40 minutes to fully charge the phone from 0 to 100 per cent.
You can also use a compatible Qi-wireless charger to charge the phone wirelessly. It also supports reverse wireless charging, so you can place your Pixel Watch on the back of the phone to juice it up.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Display
The Google Pixel 7 Pro features a big Quad HD+ 6.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels. This is more than the typical 1080p resolution you generally see on smartphones and hence the display is more crisp.
It has an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz and a peak brightness of 1,500 nits. Yes, it’s not bright as the iPhone 14 Pro (2000 nits), but trust me, it gets bright enough to be used under direct sunlight. And thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate, the scrolling and navigating experience is just amazing.
Check Out: Redmi 11 Prime 5G Review – All-Rounder Budget 5G Phone
The display quality is great as well. The colours look rich, punchy and bright. The contents on the display were crisp and clear with great viewing angles. Watching movies and playing games on this screen was a very enjoyable experience.
Moreover, the screen is protected with Gorilla Glass 7 to shield it from minor scratches and accidental drops. Overall, I loved the display on the Pixel 7 Pro and I have no complaints in this department.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Performance
Pixel phones never really dig deep into the performance but mainly focus on software and functionality. However, this time, Google has changed this thought by using its all-new Tensor G2 chipset inside the Pixel 7 series. The phone is paired with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
Now, I won’t say that the Pixel 7 Pro is the fastest phone out there or beats all the flagship phones in the market, because it doesn’t. It still falls behind in terms of performance when compared with the competition (Apple, Samsung and OnePlus). But this does not mean that the Pixel 7 Pro isn’t fast or can’t run games on high settings.
The phone can run any demanding app without any issues. The day-to-day performance is super smooth and I felt no slowdowns or lags. You can even multitask using this phone. The RAM management was also pretty good.
Check Out: POCO M5 Review – Loaded In Every Aspect
Talking about gaming, I ran a couple of graphic-demanding games like Call of Duty Mobile, Apex Legends Mobile and Asphalt 9. All the games ran smoothly in high settings. To be precise, CoD Mobile could run at Very High graphics and Max frame rates with no noticeable lags or shutters.
One thing to note is that the phone got warm just after one TDM match and got hotter after the second. So, don’t be shocked to see the temperature going up while you do some resource-intensive tasks.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Software and UI
The main reason to get the Google Pixel 7 Pro is the pure software experience and Android 13. The UI is clean and easy to use. It’s also really smooth, with no lags or stuttering, and all of the animations look fantastic.
The Pixel 7 Pro has fresh wallpapers with the new “Feathers” wallpaper pack. Android 13 also feels more mature, with simple access to smart home controls and a clean settings menu. The Privacy Dashboard makes it simple to quickly check how individual apps are using your device’s various sensors, and Google’s Material You feature offers exceptional customizability.
Check Out: Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Review – Finally Something New This Time
Another good feature is the Now Playing, which is just similar to Shazam. With the help of the microphone, Now Playing scans the area for music and makes an effort to identify everything it hears.
Not to forget, there’s an all-new Photo Unblur feature which does what it says. It simply removes noise and blur from an image and makes it look better. I feel like it’s a feature that’s in the early stage and will get better and better with time.
However, the main benefit is simply the software updates. The Pixel 7 Pro, like all other Pixels, receives new updates on the first day, whereas other Android phones typically have to wait several months. Google promises three years of major Android OS updates and five years of security patch updates.
Google Pixel 7 Pro Audio, Connectivity, Biometrics
The Google Pixel 7 Pro features a stereo speaker setup, one located at the bottom while the other in the earpiece. The audio quality is just great, with good clarity and bass. The speaker also gets decently loud.
Coming over to connectivity, the Pixel 7 Pro comes with 5G connectivity. It has support for 22 5G bands: n1/ n2/ n3/ n5/ n7/ n8/ n12/ n14/ n20/ n25/ n28/ n30/ n38/ n40/ n41/ n48/ n66/ n71/ n75/ n76/ n77 and n78. Other connectivity options include: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS and NFC.
Check Out: Samsung Galaxy F13 Quick Review – Big Battery With Nice Design
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with an optical-style in-display fingerprint scanner. To be honest, it works well but doesn’t seem to be improved at all. I felt that the speed and accuracy were still the same as last year. You can also use the face unlock feature which works well.
The Pixel 7 Pro has a unique design, takes stunning photographs, and sticks out in a crowd. Whatever you use it for, it simply functions well. Although the overall performance is good, the battery life could be better.
Despite some features not living up to our expectations, Google delivered on the majority of the tall promises made for this smartphone. Overall, it is a refined improvement in every regard over the previous generation.
However, you should get the Google Pixel 7 Pro only for its excellent cameras and Android experience. Yes, it is a bit expensive but it’s worth it.