Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro review: The best pure Android phones, Bar none?

Note: This review was first published on 13 October 2022.

TLDR: Great enough to convert non-Pixel users, with room for improvement.

Refreshing a Pixel

At Google’s hardware keynote in early October 2022, Google made clear that the Pixel lineup focuses on delivering a mobile experience that’s assisted with machine learning and AI. Then, they unveiled two new phones that looked virtually similar to its predecessors: the Google Pixel 7, and a larger Google Pixel 7 Pro.

The new Pixels promise improved photo quality with all-around improved cameras and additional Macro shooting support on the Pro version. They also pack a new generation of Google’s proprietary chipset, Google Tensor G2, although Google didn’t really say much of its performance beyond its extra TPU gains. 

Most of all, they doubled down on a host of inclusivity and AI-assisted features, like a refined Material You theme, additional and upgraded photography features (Night Sight, Photo Unblur, Guided Frame), and all sorts of transcription perks in Google Messages and the Recorder app. 

All these enhancements come underneath the same Camera Bar design, but with an aluminium refresh. The phones are fundamentally positioned the same way too – both Pixel 7 and 7 Pro share the same chipset, AMOLED panel quality, IP68 rating. This was the same flavour as the preceding 6 and 6 Pro, right down to the same starting prices of S$999 and S$1,299, respectively (128GB). 

With no changes to how the Pixel 7 series look, work, or feel, would it be enough for them to be the best pure Android phones today? Let’s find out.

Differences between the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro

This year’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro follow the same overarching themes that separate both regular and Pro Pixel variants. What’s shared is the Camera Bar aesthetic and chipset choices, along with software-based features in very broad strokes.

Most users would already know that choosing the regular Pixel 7 over the 7 Pro also meant picking its compact form factor for a smaller battery (Pixel 7’s 4,355mAh versus Pixel 7 Pro’s 5,000mAh), and losing out on a bigger AMOLED screen with a higher refresh rate (Pixel 7’s 6.3-inch at peak 90Hz, versus Pixel 7 Pro’s 6.7-inch with 10-120Hz variable refresh). 

There’s also an additional 48MP telephoto camera on the Pixel 7 Pro, which we’ll discuss later (Imaging Performance section).

If you’re in a bind, we think that the main difference isn’t necessarily between different camera configurations or sizes (since most would know whether smaller phones or one less telephoto shooter wouldn't be a deal breaker). It’s actually the overall handling of both phones. Google Pixel 7 uses a flat display, while the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s panel has curved sides. 

In our daily use, we found ourselves using Android’s old default three-button home UI controls on the Pixel 7 Pro, while we operated on the newer gesture-styled navigation on the smaller Pixel 7. 

That’s largely due to the Pro’s curved screen and 76.6mm-wide body being more difficult for bezel-to-centre swipes for flitting between apps without accidental input from the palm. Also, the 212g heft on the Pro meant we rested our hand on the lower half most of the time. 

Pixel 7’s 197g body feels negligibly lighter, but the smaller 73.2mm sides and flatter, narrower display meant we could use gesture navigation more fluidly. It also helps that both models are rated IP68 against dust and water, so you’re not losing out on too many features if you happen to prefer Pixel 7’s ease of use and compact form factor.

Visually speaking, the Pro’s curved sides give the mobile a generic Chinese-made handset appearance, although it does make the bezels feel more invisible than its flatter peer. Interestingly enough, Pixel 7’s flat display doesn’t look or feel cheap, which really speaks to the build quality of both handsets. 

If you’re coming from the Pixel 6 series, the most notable difference is the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro’s aluminium Camera Bar (it was formerly topped off with glass). It runs across the back of both devices, with the half-polish version on the Pixel 7 looking like a watch’s metal clasp strap and the high-polish version on Pixel 7 Pro looking similar to most Chinese smartphones.

Android 13, but it’s You again

Android 13 continues with the Material You design language in its latest version of its stock operating system. Its themes, icons, and apps (the last of which is toggled off by default) are now more congruent than ever, but you’re not going to notice the changes even with both old and new Pixels side by side. 

For example, there are Themed Icons (a beta feature) if you want a unified Android 13 look and feel. It’s located under Settings > Wallpaper & Style > Themed Icons, which changes all your default Google apps into your theme’s colours. Unfortunately, it only works on some third-party apps (like Spotify, VLC player etc.), while the rest would likely need a developer update for compatibility. 

You can also long-press the Home Screen to throw up “Wallpaper & Style” as well. There are now 16 colour schemes (up from the old four), which makes the Material You theme feel smarter and more personal than before. 

Most of the other new perks are quality-of-life upgrades, albeit for very specific users. You can now set languages on a per-app basis, but that’s only useful if you understand more than one language (which is common for most SEA users). You can also automate wallpaper dimming and dark themes when bedtime rolls around, but that’s only if you struggle with a blast of screen brightness when you stir awake to check the time. There’s also voice message-to-text transcription in the default Google Messages app, but that would need people to contact you via Messages since Google’s speech-to-text voice message isn’t available to third-party apps. Improvements were made, but it’s not in your face like how Material You is.

Most users who are used to the Pixel 6 series’ stock Android 12 will not see a massive change in user experience. This is extra true when you consider how the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro’s physical design is highly similar to Pixel 6 series. But for users who have been stuck with reskinned Android most of their lives, Android 13 will feel like a life-changing experience.

Face unlocking was faster than the in-display fingerprint scanner on both Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, and the Pixel 7 series’ fingerprint sensor now feels mildly faster than their predecessors. Both were accurate too, since the phones refused to unlock with a mask on and with non-registered fingers. NFC payments with the reinvented Google Wallet and Google Pay app were also lightning-quick, so we’re very happy with these little perks that’s easily missed by most phone makers.

Of course, the Pixel 7 series isn’t without some minor hitches. We’ve run several tests and found no issues with its typing, Wi-Fi, sound, display, charging, responsiveness, and other common key apps. But, both phones have highly aggressive adaptive brightness, up until we tamed it with regular use throughout the day. 

An example of a “late” feature would be the Recorder app being able to identify different speakers, and label them accordingly in the audio transcript. At the time of publishing, the Recorder app has the old audio transcript format where speakers are recorded in chunks. Its accuracy could also do with a little more machine learning for local accents and slang, but it’s otherwise functional for now (for reference, we used this audio clip).

Our short time with both devices also meant that we couldn’t discover all the little quirks in a go, but we’re confident that any minor bugs would be fixed reasonably, just like how Google addressed the older Pixel 6 series bugs on a monthly basis. 

Imaging Performance

Here’s a quick look at what the dual-rear cameras on Pixel 7 and triple-rear shooters on Pixel 7 Pro looks like.

In a nutshell, the main camera and ultra-wide cameras are shared across both models, with the Pro getting extra AutoFocus and wider field-of-view on its ultra-wide.

The real difference lies in the Pixel 7 Pro’s additional 48MP telephoto shooter, which grants 5x optical zoom and heightened hybrid zoom clarity (between 2x to 5x) by combining images from the main camera and telephoto camera.

It also has Super Res Zoom, which adds subject tracking, thumbnail preview, and zoom stabilisation at 15x zoom or higher. Pixel 7 Pro's AutoFocus on its ultra-wide lens assists its Macro shooting capabilities.

What piqued our interest more were the software-based perks in both Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Photo Unblur builds upon Google’s existing Face Unblur technology, helping to sharpen previously blurry images from eons ago. If Pixel 7 doesn’t suggest Photo Unblur as a recommended edit, you can go into the default Photos app, tap “Edit”, swipe to “Tools”, and start unblurring your images. Be careful not to oversharpen them, or you’ll end up with digital artefacts around your subject.

Another new addition we liked was Guided Frame. According to Google, Guided Frame helps visually-impaired users take in-focus and properly-centred selfies, but we think that it’s also helpful for users who struggle with a sense of photo composition and angling.

Guided Frame is only available if you have Talkback accessibility toggled on (inside Settings). 

To simulate visual impairment, we tried using Guided Frame with shades and eyes closed, while blindly following the voice instructions issued by the Pixel device. The result was excellent because it literally lets you take clear, well-framed selfies with your eyes closed. You can also see how the Portrait mode has aggressive processing if you look at the artefact smudge on the sunglasses.

Google also said that Night Sight is faster on the Pixel 7 series now, but we honestly found no difference in its photo-taking speed. We do like its nighttime competency, though.

Also improved was Real Tone, where people of diverse ethnicities and skin colours are better represented in their portraitures. Google said it added another 10,000 portraits containing people of colour to improve its already accurate representation of skin colours. Real Tone is baked into Pixel phones, so there's no way you can toggle it off (not that you'd want to, either).

Here is an example showing the differences between a non-Real Tone selfie on Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max versus the Google Pixel 7 Pro's Real Tone tuning.  The iPhone 14 Pro Max had to ramp up its overall exposure to capture the chocolatey goodness of HWZ's in-house 'model' (also known as my boss). It's a good photo from the iPhone. However, the Google Pixel 7 Pro uses machine learning, so it not only captures the nuances of the model's skin, but Pixel 7 Pro does so without blowing up its exposure. So yes, Real Tone really works (and better than the iPhone 14 that claims to be more inclusive) as can be witnessed in our test shot and it's not a mere marketing point.

Beyond these nifty features, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro duo have excellent imaging prowess, with excellent colour rendition, a pleasant dynamic range, excellent detail retention, and low noise feedback. Here are some samples from both models for reference. 

Pixel 7 photo samples

Pixel 7 Pro photo samples

Benchmark Performance

The new Google Tensor G2 inside Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro is the brand’s proprietary, second-generation chipset for mobile devices, succeeding the original Google Tensor used on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

Google Tensor G2 is responsible for supporting 5G networks, its overall performance and including AI-assisted tasks. Additionally, there’s a Titan M2 security chip that keeps biometrics and security data on-device.

It is a Samsung-made (yes, Samsung takes in semi-conductor manufacturing orders that aren't for their own gadgets) 5nm chipset with two big (Arm Cortex-X1 at 2.85GHz), two medium (Arm Cortex-A78 at 2.35GHz) and four small (Cortext-A55 at 1.80GHz) cores, an Arm Mali-G710 MP7 GPU, with a brand-new Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) for machine learning. 

Given how Google priced the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, we’re forced to compare it against other premium flagships of 2022, along with its predecessors to see if there are any gains. Google does have a lot of room to work with, but the brand did state that it’s not chasing raw power over features, so we’ll keep our expectations tempered.

One huge caveat before we dig deeper into the benchmark scores – at the time of publishing, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones were not compatible with most benchmarking apps, which is likely a deliberate choice by Google given how all the other apps had no compatibility issues. We had to sideload some of our benchmarking apps, and the scores below may not reflect Google’s synthetic processing performance, much less real-world use.

JetStream 2.0

JetStream 2 is a combination of a variety of JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks, including benchmarks that came before like SunSpider and Octane. It primarily tests for a system’s and browser’s ability to deliver a good web experience. It runs a total of 64 subtests, each weighted equally, with multiple iterations, and takes the geometric mean to compute the overall score. The higher the score, the better.

Geekbench 5

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100. The higher the score, the better.

3DMark Wild Life (Unlimited)

3DMark Wild Life is a cross-platform benchmark for Windows, Android and Apple iOS for measuring GPU performance. Its graphics test consists of multiple scenes with variations in the amount of geometry, lights and post-processing effects, mirroring mobile games that are based on short bursts of intense activity. Wild Life uses the Vulkan graphics API on Windows PCs and Android devices. On iOS devices, it uses Metal.

In Unlimited mode, the benchmark runs offscreen using a fixed time step between frames. Unlimited mode renders exactly the same frames in every run on every device, regardless of resolution scaling. The higher the score, the better.

PCMark for Android - Work 3.0 and Storage 2.0

PCMark for Android is a benchmark for testing the performance of Android phones and tablets. The Work 3.0 test checks how the device handles common productivity tasks such as browsing the web, editing videos, working with documents and data, and editing photos. Storage 2.0 checks write-in and read-out performance for internal storage, external storage (if applicable), and SQLite database management. Together, the benchmarks can clue us in on how capable a phone handles everyday use. Work 3.0 scores are above, while Storage 2.0 scores are immediately below for each device - the higher the score, the better.

Benchmark Performance remarks

It appears that Google Tensor G2 kept its raw performance similar to the first Google Tensor. It’s a little confusing since the clockrates were slightly higher this time around. The good news is that Tensor G2 (and subsequently Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro) weren’t compatible with synthetic benchmarks, so it’s likely that the phones were not rigged or manipulated to show impressive numbers. The lower performance were also consistent with last year’s results. Folks expecting a huge gain between phone generations may find it disappointing, but it’s expected as Google did already state that raw performance isn’t a game they wish to play.

While the Google Tensor G2 may not pull impressive synthetic scores, the phones were able to keep consistent temperatures of ~37°C during each test, and were very reliable in real-world use.

The scores also show that the Pixel 7 might make a better purchase choice since you’re not getting significant processing gains from picking the Pro version. If anything, it reinforces how the Pro differentiates itself with less negotiable choices, like an extra Telephoto camera, higher refresh rate, and bigger display size. You’re not going to get “more” with Pro, just as you won’t get “less” with regular Pixel 7.



 

Battery Life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email

The Pixel 7 packs a 4,355mAh battery (259mAh smaller than its predecessor) with nearly the same wired fast-charging (20W) and wireless fast-charging (20W) speeds. The Pixel 7 Pro gets 5,000mAh (almost identical to its predecessor) with 23W wired and wireless fast charging.

Naturally, a lower battery capacity on the Pixel 7 would see shorter-than-before battery life, but the difference sits within an acceptable range. The Pixel 7 also grants us the same uptime as the Pixel 7 Pro (likely because of the latter’s 1440p display setting sapping up power).

Pixel 7 took 32 minutes to charge from 0% to 50% and 1 hour 25 minutes to get a full charge from nothing, using a third-party 65W wall charger. The same adapter netted 35 minutes and 1 hour 47 minutes respectively for the Pixel 7 Pro. We’d use Google’s default 30W charger, but it’s not included in their boxes and is sold separately in the Google Store. 

To Pixel or not, that is the question

The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro duo are wonderful Android phones that do plenty of things right, but also leave a fair room for improvement – with some necessary tweaks more pertinent than others.

If we take stock of what’s good in both models, it would fall upon their high-quality IP68-rated build, their impressively fluid and clean UI, and highly inclusive software-based features that’s only gotten better with time. They also have excellent imaging performance that provides assistance to both pro-level editing (Photo Unblur) and the impaired (Guided Frame). It’s unlikely to find a more encompassing, more sensible, and more practical choice than a Pixel 7 and 7 Pro among the many Android alternatives with all sorts of distracting bells and whistles. 

Both Pixel 7 and 7 Pro also see mildly improved sensors for unlocking and payments, while staying relatively glitch-free at launch. These little things help to boost confidence in non-Pixel converts who are curious to learn what the purist Android fuss is all about.

If you had to pick one, which would it be?

If you’re looking at a Pixel 7 Pro, it’s also sweeter with a 1440p resolution display with 120Hz at just S$1,299 (128GB). The extra 48MP telephoto camera does a lot of heavy lifting with excellent in-sensor and optical zoom options, plus it has one of the most functional, stable, long-range zoom in modern Android phones. While its design could afford an update, the Pixel 7 Pro would be one of the first handsets you'd consider if you value a nice display and powerful zoom handling for photography. Just slap a better-looking case on it before you start shooting.

Our personal preference is the more affordable S$999 (128GB) Google Pixel 7. By shaving S$300, we’re getting the same Google Tensor G2 processor with similar performance and battery uptime, while trading out the higher resolution display for a 1080p 90Hz one and skipping out on a telephoto lens. Having a flat display and smaller body also makes all the cool Android 13 shortcuts and accessibility features easier to handle on the Pixel 7. Experientially, it’s easily one of the best 2022 flagship-tier smartphones under a thousand bucks, and having 8x max zoom isn't half bad. Together, both Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have impressive sets of perks that earn high marks in our ratings.

Folks who like to keep all their content on-device might have to consider ponying up S$130 to S$150 more for the 256GB variants (Pixel 7 256GB at S$1,129 and Pixel 7 Pro 256GB at S$1,449), but that’s hardly a deal breaker when premium flagship options generally start at the S$1,300 to S$1,400 range (albeit with better raw performance). For instance, Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are priced well under the Vivo X80 Pro and Oppo Find X5 Pro (S$1,699), and your stylish Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 5G starts at S$1,398.

A better Pixel for the future

That said, Google’s lack of improvements to the Pixel 7’s battery life and raw performance might leave them struggling to compete with true premium flagship alternatives. Its predecessors were excused since it was Google’s first rodeo with its proprietary Google Tensor chipset. But, it’s been a year now, and seeing no improvements in Tensor G2’s performance or battery uptime makes the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro less appealing to current Pixel 6 series users. We had no choice, but to penalise the Pixels on their performance rating for the lapse.

If it wasn’t possible to create huge leaps in processing performance, then perhaps Google should at least consider packing its 30W charger in the box (or offering it as a local bonus) to shore up its value proposition against other competitive Android devices. After all, it’s easier to hook users over with obvious benefits before you lock them in with Pixel’s amazing user experience, interface, and cameras.

Google also hasn’t made upgrading easier for loyal Pixel 6 fans, since there are no trade-up promotions, no change in official pricing, and no freebies or loyalty bonuses for #teampixel.

While its variant availability did improve from last year's 128GB-only spread, Google also did not bring in more colour options for the 256GB SKU, and completely left out 512GB option for the local market. If anything, the older Pixel 6 and 6 Pro received an official price cut (S$50 for Pixel 6, S$300 off for Pixel 6 Pro) on the Google Store at the time of writing.

Perhaps the irony isn’t lost on Google with how Pixel 7 and 7 Pro seems attractive to nearly everyone else but existing Pixel 6 series users. Perhaps it matters more to Google that you’re #teampixel, enjoying all its software features on a high-quality, pure Android phone.

To recap, the Pixel 7 (128GB) starts at S$999, and the Pixel 7 Pro (128GB) starts at S$1,299, and they’re available now local on Google Store and third-party e-commerce sites like Amazon Singapore, Courts Online, Challenger Online, and Shopee.

 

	Design	Features	User-friendliness	Performance	Value	Overall
Google Pixel 7	8.5	9.0	9.0	7.5	9.0
Google Pixel 7Pro	8.0	9.5	9.0	7.0	7.0