There is a new Android reference. With the Pixel 7 Pro, Google has managed to accommodate improvements almost exclusively. However, the test shows that the differences may be too small for Pixel 6 Pro owners.
The camera, which is good in many cases, is difficult to confirm in everyday life. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the previous year’s base is already very strong. But it’s also because the commitment is sometimes big. For example, significantly modified zoom may provide only partially good results.
The camera can do a bit more, but essentially remains the same
I find that the most clearly visible difference, as seen in the following image, is one of the exceptions. In this case we see 30x zoom on the Pixel 7 Pro compared to 20x zoom on the Pixel 6 Pro. The text is much easier to read in the new model. At other zoom levels, the differences are often very small.
There are similarly important differences at ultra-wide angles. Autofocus now allows for macro shots and the field of view is several degrees larger. In general, the quality of ultra wide-angle cameras isn’t really remarkably good. Nice but not a must have.
In my opinion, there is no clear difference between the front camera and the main camera. We already know that from previous generations, Pixel devices have been stable over the years and therefore mostly without major differences in their base. This often looks very reasonable. But even Google can’t imagine a miracle from 30x digital zoom.
For example, the exposure time for night vision is new. You can change it now, which is a great thing. Google basically screwed up the camera app and improved it on a few points.
I also tried the cinematic mode with my baby, which blurs the background. It actually looks pretty cool, but of course edge detection sometimes has problems with moving objects.
Smart, but not smart
While many new features have arrived in the past year, Google hasn’t come up with that many new smart innovations this year. And while the new processor is supposed to offer more performance, it’s hardly noticeable in my opinion. For example, Assistant voice control performance was similar to the Pixel 6.
Immediate improvements include, for example, automatic entry of emojis by voice input Sometimes that works quite well. Assistant analyzes the text and suggests a hopefully suitable emoji.
The new Clear Calling for suppressing loud background noise during phone calls was not yet usable for us.
You can still benefit from great features like very fast assistant voice input, Google recorder with transcripts, alarm clock and direct commands for calls (except saying “Hey Google”), live translator for chat apps, magic eraser and some other things.
Jack, are the people gone:
A key point is Face Unlock, which gives the Pixel 7 a decent lead when it comes to unlocking. The fingerprint sensor is also new, everything is much faster now. For me, this is the most noticeable difference between predecessors in everyday life.
Hardware-design, speed, battery and display
Visually, the Pixel 7 Pro is clearly refined. Even the buttons on the edge of the case have moved down a bit and are therefore easier to reach. The Pixel 7 Pro feels a little better in the hand. I like the new, now slightly less round display. Just flat would be better.
You can now also change the display resolution. In my opinion, however, the change to 1080p hardly makes any visible difference, and so the battery doesn’t last long. Overall the picture quality is very, very good.
Otherwise, the improvement here is only marginal. The brighter display is visible, but not a huge improvement. I don’t see any major improvement in battery. Which ultimately applies to charging as well, where there are no innovations to announce. Both are good, but not the best level.
As I mentioned in another post, the Pixel 7 Pro seems to be able to maintain its peak system performance more consistently. It can have a positive effect on games if you play a little longer. For example, loading times in try-out games initially seemed as long as the Pixel 6 Pro.
Pixel 7 Pro Conclusion: Google avoided mistakes and implemented necessary improvements
Honestly, why would I drag this test? Most of the bugs in the Pixel 6 series have been fixed through the update. That’s what Google has been doing for years and in my eyes the Pixel 7 series has delivered flawlessly. Not much progress has been made, and perhaps a few necessary steps have been missed.
You can clearly see that Google is following the strategy of Apple and Samsung. Once you have a good smartphone, a direct successor will be little different at first. You fix a few weak points and that’s it. Google did just that without raising the price.
If you want to criticize something, you can certainly do so on a few points. Charging speed is still limited to 30 watts per wire. Also, the update guarantee period remains unchanged. 3 years for feature updates and new Android versions.
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro Technical Details:
- 6,3 Zoll (90 Hz) golED Display, Gorilla Glass 7 (Pixel 7)
6.7 Joule (120 Hz) polarized display, Gorilla Glass 7 (Pixel 7 Pro) - Google Tensor G2 processor, 5 nm manufacturing
- 128 or 256 GB of storage (not expandable)
- 8 GB RAM memory (Pixel 7)
12 GB RAM Memory (Pixel 7 Pro) - 4,355 mAh battery, fast charging, wireless charging (Pixel 7)
5,000 mAh battery, fast charging, wireless charging (Pixel 7 Pro) - 50 MP OIS camera, 12 MP ultrawide (Pixel 7)
50 MP OIS camera, 48 MP telephoto (5x – 30x zoom), 12 MP ultrawide angle + macro function (Pixel 7 Pro) - 11 MP front camera for 4K video and face unlock
- New Super Race Zoom and more – Major camera updates
- In-display fingerprint sensor, IP68, eSIM, Titan M2 security chip, stereo speakers
- Farben: Obsidian, Snow, Lemongrass (Pixel 7)
Farben: Obsidian, Snow, Hazel (Pixel 7 Pro) - 155,64 x 73,16 x 8,7 mm, 195 g (Pixel 7)
162,9 x 76,55 x 8,9 mm, 212 g (Pixel 7 Pro) - Beyond Android 13 with Google Apps
- RRP prices from 649 euros (Pixel 7) or 899 euros (Pixel 7 Pro).
Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Google Pixel 7 Pro does very well in tests, but the new generation lacks real innovation.
Editor’s Rating:
4.5
professional
- Advanced design
- Flawless market launch
- New Android Reference
cons
- The change is only marginal
- No real fast charging
- The update guarantee remains unchanged