Summary
It is essential that you should have faith in your mobile device. The fact that my Google Pixel 7 has accomplished practically everything I have requested of it and has even sometimes beyond my expectations gives me reason to be confidence in it.
Google Pixel 7 review
On the other hand, there is some data that suggests that my confidence should not be considered as proof that you will be just as satisfied and confident in the Pixel 7 that you purchase instead. Despite the fact that this smartphone is generally quite good, there is a cloud around it; nevertheless, should this cloud influence your choice to purchase it?.
Design and safety issues with the Google Pixel 7
When compared to the Pixel 6, the Pixel 7 does not represent a significant architectural advancement, and this is the greatest thing that could have occurred. Google now has a smartphone platform that is unified, easily identifiable, and appealing to use as a foundation for future development. Google has not completely redesigned the form of the phone; rather, it has polished it, making the camera module that resembles a visor even more of a distinctive design feature. Additionally, the available colors have been changed so that the phone does not seem to be precisely the same as the phone from the previous year.
I’ve been using the regular Obsidian black edition, and despite the fact that I often find black phones to be a bit boring, the glossy finish on the glass back looks really stunning when combined with the matte gray camera module. There are various variations available that are more vibrant and include Lemongrass and Snow. Even if they are bigger than they were previously, the camera cutouts are not an eyesore. It is true that the Pixel 7 is a smartphone that has a contemporary appearance, a discreetly fashionable appearance, and an appropriately different appearance, and I have been pleased to bring it about with me. However, I am not so convinced about the more extravagant camera module that the Pixel 7 Pro has.
It is not a slender supermodel, with a thickness of 8.7 millimeters and a weight of 197 grams, and it has a very solid feel in your palm, perhaps comparable to the iPhone 14 Pro, which is slightly shorter but weighs the same amount. It is possible that the smooth aluminum chassis and shiny Gorilla Glass Victus back panel of the Pixel 7 are aesthetically pleasing; but, when combined, they make the device rather slippery. It is not uncommon for it to slide about on a variety of surfaces, and if you want to use it with only one hand, you will need to have a solid grasp on it.
There is one aspect of the construction quality that I find to be problematic. As you trace your touch over the joint, you will see that the glass back panel and the chassis are seamlessly joined at the bottom of the phone. There is no discernible difference in appearance. The same procedure should be performed on the top and the sides of the device. Additionally, there is a little lip that varies in severity on each side of the equipment. Although it is not a major issue, once you become aware of it, you will continue to be aware of it.
As is the case with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the fingerprint sensor that is located underneath the display is unable to make a decision on whether it wants to be quick and dependable or sluggish and annoying. This version is far worse than the one that came before it, and it is startlingly inconsistent. Although the recommendation made by Google to press the sensor for a beat longer than you may anticipate does help it unlock more often, it is not a solution to the issues that have been occurring. You are required to enter the PIN code in the event that it fails, which is something that will happen. However, the button layout is very dispersed, making it almost hard to hit the buttons precisely while holding the phone with one hand.
The fingerprint sensor has been replaced by a face unlock mechanism, which has been shown to be more reliable than the fingerprint sensor. When it detects your face, however, you must remember to flip the button in order to escape the lock screen. In the event that you do not, you will be required to either swipe the screen (which is not always successful) or hit the unlock button in order to access the phone. This will add additional steps that are not essential to the already long process of really beginning to use the Pixel 7.
However, despite having a year to enhance it without sacrificing on security, the fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6 is still inferior to practically every other phone that is currently on the market. Google must have noticed the criticisms that have been made regarding the fingerprint sensor on the Pixel 6. Given that it is the first item you come across after picking up the Pixel 7 and taking pleasure in its wonderful overall form and design, it is unfortunate that this is the case.
Camera for the Google Pixel 7
The rear of the Pixel 7 is equipped with two cameras: a primary camera with a resolution of 50 megapixels and an aperture of f/1.9, which is the same camera that is featured on the Pixel 6 and has optical image stabilization (OIS) and laser autofocus; and a wide-angle camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels and an aperture of f/2.2, which has a field of view of 114 degrees. In addition to supporting 10-bit high dynamic range (HDR), video can achieve a quality of 4K at up to 60 frames per second (fps). The front-facing camera has a resolution of 10.8 megapixels and an aperture of 2.2.
The primary camera on the Pixel 7 is fantastic, taking photographs that are crisp, vivid, well-balanced, and visually striking in almost every given circumstance. If you point it in any direction and use it in any lighting scenario, there is a very strong possibility that it will snap a picture that you will take pleasure in. I really enjoy the fact that I do not have to give anything a second thought before snapping a photo, nor do I have to fear that the image will not be as amazing as what I am witnessing with my own eyes. In the instance of the Pixel 7, the shot may seem to be more beautiful than it really is because of the way it often handles light and shadow.
Furthermore, there is a remarkable degree of consistency between the main camera and the wide-angle camera, and the photographs taken in the Night Sight mode bring out a great deal of detail without losing mood or adding an excessive amount of smoothing. However, if you attempt to go too near to a subject, it may have difficulty focusing and will often warn you to step back so that it can focus more effectively. However, when it does find the appropriate distance, the images are quite professional looking. It is possible that the optical 2x zoom photographs do not have the same level of color and exposure as the photographs taken with the primary camera.
The most disappointing aspect of the device is the selfie camera, which, in my opinion, does not always accurately capture skin tone (despite Google’s efforts in this subject area) and may also be lacking in detail. It is not horrible; nonetheless, it is inconsistent when compared to the excellent selfie camera of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the front camera of the iPhone 14 Pro, which is guaranteed to be trustworthy. The Pixel 7 does not have the Super Res Zoom feature that is available on the Pixel 7 Pro. Instead, it can only digitally zoom up to an 8x level, which is where digital improvement is most noticeable.
When you go into the editing suite, you will find that there are a multitude of choices available to alter your photographs. Many of these capabilities are dependent on Google’s artificial intelligence, such as the capability to alter the color and appearance of the sky. There are instances when the new Unblur tool works quite well, but there are other times when it either smoothes everything out in an unsettling manner or seems to rearrange face features in a manner that is absolutely horrifying. Moreover, the Long Exposure and Action Pan modes that were available on the Pixel 6 series are now accessible again.
At the present, regardless of the cost, it is among the very finest cameras that can be found on a smartphone.
In the new video feature known as cinematic mode, the backdrop that surrounds a subject is blurred out somewhat. The effect is pretty convincing, despite the fact that I have not had many chances to utilize it. It is only accessible on the back camera, and it is completely available. Because it does not have the sophisticated refocus capability, it is not as “cinematic” as the Cinematic Mode that is identical to the one that is found on the iPhone. There is a sense that it is pretty gimmicky, and I am not sure when I would really use it on my own.
In spite of the fact that the Pixel 7 does not have as many functions as the Pixel 7 Pro, it is still capable of producing stunning photographs, and I have discovered that it is enjoyable to play about with the many editing suite possibilities. In contrast to some other parts of the phone, I have complete faith in the capabilities of the primary camera, which is recognized as one of the very finest cameras available on a smartphone at the present time and regardless of the price.
Screen, connection, and audio capabilities of the Google Pixel 7
This AMOLED screen is 6.3 inches in size and has a refresh rate of 90Hz. It also has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and is HDR10+ certified. The device is equipped with stereo speakers on the body, and it is compatible with Bluetooth 5.2 with AptX audio, as well as 5G and Wi-Fi 6e. The screen seems to be of high quality, and while the refresh rate of 90Hz is not considerably smoother than the 120Hz panels that I have used, it is far more desirable than a panel that operates at 60Hz. The audio quality is barely mediocre, with the tiny speakers experiencing confusion and muddy sound when sophisticated music is played.
Bluetooth is functioning without any issues, and the sound quality of music played via my Audio Technica ATH-M50xBT is outstanding. However, the phone displays a “Problem connecting” message on a consistent basis. According to the Bluetooth settings, I am receiving a warning that says “Turn device off and back on,” despite the fact that every Bluetooth headset I have used has been operating properly. In typical form for the IT Crowd, I did switch all of them off and then back on again, but the message continues to appear.
It seems that the Wi-Fi range of the Pixel 7 is fairly limited, or at the very least, it is less than the Wi-Fi range of the iPhone 14 Pro and the Google Pixel 5 that have been sitting beside it over the course of the last week. However, conversations and network connection have been flawless. The Wi-Fi connection has been interrupted on a frequent basis, despite the fact that the other two phones continue to display multiple bars of service. It has also come to my attention that covering the top-left corner of the phone might have an effect on the internet connection.
Battery life and charging for the Google Pixel 7
In light of the fact that the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro have a battery life that is just above average and the fact that the Pixel 7 only has a 4355mAh cell on the inside, many people will anticipate that the next series will be just as dismal. Nevertheless, there is some good news, as the battery life of my Pixel 7 has been sufficient even when I have been using it for an extended period of time. The Pixel 7 has been able to withstand use for around six to seven hours, beginning at approximately seven in the morning, on days when I used the phone for everything other than gaming, which includes using the GPS. that is much too late in the evening.
The lifespan of the Pixel 7 has come as a nice surprise to me, especially considering that it has also been linked to my Pixel Watch over this time period and has often switched between Wi-Fi, 4G, and 5G at various points. Using it vigorously will not allow it to last more than a day, but if it is used moderately, I believe it will be possible to use it for two full working days. The Pixel 7’s battery life is far greater than it ought to be, taking into consideration the performance of previous Pixel devices and the relatively tiny size of the battery. According to our observations and experiences with the Pixel 7 Pro, it is also far more efficient than that particular phone.
Considering that there are not a great deal of hardware changes between the two, and the fact that the Pixel 7 Pro has a battery that is much bigger on the inside, this comes as it does. If all goes according to plan, the 7 Pro ought to be the phone that has the longest battery life, while the Pixel 7 ought to be no better than average. In reality, the situation is exactly the opposite. It’s all nice, right? No. When playing games, the Pixel 7 is not pleased, and the negative impact that games have on battery life is more severe than any other activity. It is possible for a game to drain between five and ten percent of the battery in only fifteen minutes, and the days that I had the lowest battery life were always the ones in which I played for more than thirty minutes. On the other hand, even the worst days of my gaming experience have been fairly decent, with a completely charged battery lasting for five and a half hours, beginning at early in the morning and continuing until midnight.
Exactly what about the fees? There is no charger included in the package; nevertheless, the phone is compatible with USB Power Delivery 3.0 and is said to be able to charge up to fifty percent in thirty minutes. When you start from 0 percent, it takes approximately two hours to charge a device using a USB Type-C charger that is compatible with the device. A complete charge takes a much longer than this. In light of the fact that several other businesses are releasing fast charging devices, such as the OnePlus 10 Pro and the OnePlus 10T, this is not a wise strategy.
Hardware and software capabilities of the Google Pixel 7
Google’s latest Tensor G2 processor is used in the Pixel 7, which also has 8 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM) and either 128 or 256 gigabytes of internal storage space. The processor is constructed using a 5nm process, which means that it is not as efficient or “modern” as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 from Qualcomm or the Dimensity 9000 from MediaTek, both of which need a 4nm process to be constructed. Android 13, which is one of the original versions of Google’s mobile operating system, has been installed on this phone, making it one of the first phones available with the system.
In light of the fact that Google is in charge of both the processing and the software, you would anticipate that the Pixel 7 will provide a seamless experience, with the hardware and software seamlessly collaborating with one another. On the whole, this is what you get with the Pixel 7, at least according to my own experience with the device. Having said that, considering that I have been using the Pixel 7, I have compared my notes with those of Joe Maring, the Mobile Editor for Digital Trends, who has been using the Pixel 7 Pro. It has been a very different experience for him than it has been for me, and here is where my lack of trust in a consistent experience across all Pixel 7 devices begins to sneak in.
My experience with the Pixel 7 has been that it is dependable, quick, and enjoyable to use. The design of Android 13 is not all that dissimilar to that of Android 12, and it truly looks fantastic. On top of that, it has large, pleasant, well-designed icons and menus that make sense (in addition to a large number of customization options that have been smartly integrated). In spite of the fact that there is not much you can do with alerts from the lock screen, it is easy to interact with them in the pull-down shade since the cards are big and the buttons are obvious. Search is speedy, and all of my applications that are not related to gaming have functioned without any problems.
This is considerably different from how Android 13 functioned on Joe’s Pixel 7 Pro, and it is possible that this will imply that your personal experience will also be different. This does not encourage trust in the user. On my phone, it hasn’t been great either, but the annoyances that it has caused are rather small. The experience of scrolling through Google Discover and Twitter may be fairly “muddy” and not as fluid as it is when using powerful phones such as the Galaxy Z Flip 4 or the iPhone 14 Pro. It is also true that the YouTube app does have some audio issues on occasion. In spite of this, it seems that games are the most difficult thing for the Pixel 7 to understand.
Despite the fact that I am not a major gamer, I have noticed that Asphalt 9: Legends often crashes. Additionally, it has had problems connecting to the server and has also seen some strange auto-pauses, which I have never seen before. Despite the fact that I never experience the phone being hot, after thirty minutes of playing games, the area surrounding the camera sensor feels very warm to the touch. Based on the amount of heat that the phone generates and the amount of power that it draws from the battery while it is playing games, it seems that there is room for improvement in the gaming department. On the other hand, if gaming is a significant portion of your phone usage, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro may not be the ideal option for you. I am able to live with these issues since I do not play games very often.
The software support that Google provides is exceptional, and the Pixel 7 will be updated to the most recent version of Android for a number of years, in addition to receiving security updates for a period of five years. It is anticipated that the Pixel 7 will have a considerable amount of life if it is combined with the resilience that is supplied by an IP68 grade for resistance to dust and water.
In response to the Pixel 7, a second viewpoint
In accordance with what is said in the title, the Pixel 7 is a phone that is difficult to resist, but it also has the potential to be quite dangerous. On the other hand, Christine Romero-Chan, a mobile staff writer for Digital Trends who has been predominantly an iPhone user for the previous ten years, has been having a great time with her Pixel 7. In point of fact, she considers the Pixel 7 to be essentially Google’s iPhone, and she has a strong reason for this.
First and foremost, Christine, who is relatively new to the world of Android, has been enjoying the pure Android 13 experience on the Pixel 7. This is because the Pixel 7 does not have any unnecessary cruft in the user interface, which is something that can be found on other Android devices manufactured by other companies. According to her, the program has been quick, responsive, and dependable; she has not actually encountered any of the bugs and issues that other people have experienced up to this point.
In addition, everything operates smoothly, at least the majority of the time, thanks to Google’s very own Tensor G2 processor. Despite the fact that the Tensor G2 is not going to be able to beat out other processors in terms of benchmarks, it works really well for what I use my phone for, which is mostly for communicating and editing photos while I am on the go. Those who are interested in gaming may want to search elsewhere for a phone that is more tuned for gaming, such as the ASUS ROG Phone 6 Diablo Edition; nevertheless, if you do not intend to use the Pixel 7 for serious gaming, it comes highly recommended.
The fact that the Pixel 7 is equipped with picture editing tools like as Magic Eraser, which are made possible by the Tensor G2, is another reason why Christine adores the device. The majority of the time, Magic Eraser is an excellent tool for cleaning up photographs, particularly those photographs taken at Disneyland that have a few people in the background that are destroying an otherwise wonderful sight. But of course, after a little bit of experimentation, she came to the conclusion that Magic Eraser works most effectively when there are just a few individuals or just one person in the background. If you attempt to delete hundreds of individuals from a photograph, the image that you end up with is not going to look very good because of all the digital artifacts that are left behind. However, she does not consider this to be her favorite aspect of the picture editing experience on the Pixel 7. Other intelligent recommendations from the artificial intelligence on Tensor G2 do end up making the original shot seem better, which makes the process of editing photos much simpler overall.
Photos taken with the Pixel 7 are more accurate to the real world and do not have an overly processed or washed-out appearance.
Regarding photographs, the cameras that are along with the Pixel 7 continue to be impressive. Christine like the way the Pixel 7 manages its processing of colors and skin tones even better than she does the iPhone 14 Pro. Taking pictures is a fast and straightforward procedure. Photos taken with the Pixel 7 are more accurate to the real world and do not have an overly processed or washed-out appearance. The fact that the Pixel 7 and Android 13 come with additional built-in camera modes, such as long exposure, action pan, photosphere, and others, is also very appreciated. These are camera features that she wishes Apple would add to iOS, considering that Apple frequently emphasizes how the iPhone can be used for creative photography through its marketing.
Despite the fact that she does not use the Pixel 7 as her main phone because she cannot bear to give up iMessage, Christine has been having a great time using the Pixel 7 as her backup phone. Taking into consideration the fact that other people could have problems with the software’s speed and battery life, it is certainly a bit of a risk; however, Google makes up for it with the picture editing capabilities and other artificial intelligence technologies that are included in Tensor G2.
Both the pricing and availability of the Google Pixel 7
Both the 128GB and 256GB versions of the Google Pixel 7 are available for purchase at a price of $599 via Google. Due to the absence of a MicroSD card slot, it is important to carefully choose the amount of storage space available on the device. This is the United Kingdom. The price of the Pixel 7 is 599 British pounds, while the Android version is 699 pounds.
There is a significant price difference between the Samsung Galaxy A53 and the iPhone 14, yet both of these devices are fantastic options. Recently, we were impressed with the Motorola Edge (2022), which can be considered a little bit out of the ordinary. Even more intriguing is the fact that you can get certain outstanding phones for a price that is lower than that of the Pixel 7. There is a perfect example of a phone that offers a great deal of what makes the Pixel 7 attractive, but at a lower price point. This phone is the Google Pixel 6a. With its uncluttered software and one-of-a-kind design, the Nothing Phone 1 is likewise a device that should be taken into consideration in the United Kingdom.
If you own a Google Pixel 7, confidence is the most important factor
I would be more than pleased to suggest my Pixel 7 to anybody who is looking for a smartphone that is not only affordable but also has a fantastic camera, outstanding software, and, for the most part, a lengthy battery life duration. Have you noticed that I referred to “my” Pixel 7? This is due to the fact that I am not quite certain that everyone will have the same experience with the Pixel that is delivered to their doorstep. The experience that Joe had with the Pixel 7 Pro was considerably different from the one that I had with the Pixel 7, and other reviews that can be found online emphasize problems that I have not encountered at all.
I do not lack confidence in MY Pixel 7, but I do lack confidence in the Pixel 7 as a whole. It is uncommon to see and hear different perspectives and experiences regarding a new product, and the fact that this occurs raises red flags. Both the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro had the same irregularity, which meant that the situation was much more irritating. I want to tell you that you should get this phone with complete assurance, but for the time being, I can only do so with just one little qualification.
There are a few issues with the Pixel 7, the most notable of which are the sluggish charging and the problematic gaming performance; nonetheless, neither of these issues is a major detriment to the phone. Despite the fact that it is not a significant improvement over the Pixel 6, it is an excellent smartphone. The price makes it quite appealing, especially when one considers the capabilities of the camera and the quality of the software that is installed. My only concern is that I am not quite certain that the Pixel 7 that you will get will be the same as the one that I have. Is it worth taking the chance? In the event that it turns out to be a lemon, you should definitely make a note of Google’s return policy, which allows for a 15-day window.
Google Pixel 7a vs. Pixel 7: Do not purchase the incorrect Pixel
