Google’s smartphones have been forging their own path since 2016 with the Pixel series by not following their competitors in the computing arms race, but instead employing many unique tools and smart software in their devices to enhance the experience.
With last year’s Google Pixel 6, the tech giant deployed its new System on Chip (SOC) called Google Tensor which was developed with Samsung and favoured AI machine learning capabilities over raw power.
Rather than any sort of huge leap on last year's models the Pixel 7 offers some modest improvements and a subtle redesign with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro that feels quietly confident.
The Google Pixel 7 is available in three colours Lemon Grass, a light green colour, Snow which is white, and Obsidian which is black.
The Pixel 7 doesn't look hugely different from the 6 at first glance but you do notice some nice flourishes that make the design feel tighter and the device look slightly more premium.
The two-tone look of the 6 series is replaced with a matching solid colour both above and below the visor which I personally prefer as the two slightly different tones on the 6 drove me crazy.
The Pixel 7 is a rather unassuming-looking phone as 155.6mm tall, 74.8mm wide, and 160.5mm deep, making it slightly smaller than the Pixel 6 with an inch smaller screen that doesn't really make much of a difference.
The camera visor has become more prominent and now sports a metal, matte finish rather than the solid black band on previous models.
The camera visor is also joined to the frame of the phone making it look nicer and more solid. This gives it a more premium look when compared to the Pixel 6. However, this visor jutting out slightly does collect dust easily which I found annoying.
Well built and sturdy the Pixel 7 sports an aluminium frame and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus front and back, so it isn't a phone I need to worry about handling, it feels very tough and solid weighing 197g making it heavier than the iPhone 14 but not enough to cause any fatigue.
It's also well protected from dust and water with its IP68 rating which means it should survive any accidental dunkings, getting caught in the rain and sweat with relative ease.
The 6.3-inch, flat display hasn't changed much from the Pixel 6 with the same glossy bright panel with very thin bezels at the top, left, and right sides and a slightly thicker chin at the bottom, there's also a small centred punch-hole selfie camera at the top.
The screen is bright and I found it easier to see outside in direct sunlight than the Pixel 6 which was a pleasant surprise. The resolution is a standard 1080 x 2400 which is sharp enough for gaming and films.
Just like the Pixel 6 has the same variable 90Hz refresh rate this means the phone will generally keep the refresh rate to 60Hz for most activities to save on battery and when needed for tasks like gaming. However, I had hoped for the 120Hz display from the pro would have trickled down to the 7.
Specifications
Processor: Google Tensor G2
2 x 2.85GHz Cortex X1
2 x 2.35GHz Cortex A78
4 x 1.80GHz Cortex A55
Screen: 6.3 inches OLED FHD+ 90Hz
RAM: 8Gb LPDDR5
Storage:128Gb / 265Gb UFS 3.1 storage
One thing that’s really interesting is that the G2 is not the usual leap in processing power we normally see in a mobile chip.
Rather than competing with raw power like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 gen 1+ or the Apple A16 Bionic chip, Google's second-gen chip continues its focus on AI and machine learning.
This doesn't give you any dramatic changes but it does make the phone snappier and more responsive than before and improve the quality of several of its unique features like transcription and its post-processing on images.
In Geekbench the Pixel 7 scored 1052 for single-Core and 3170 for Multi-Core which is a respectable score and put it higher in performance than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G.
For playing games like Call Of Duty, Genshin Impact and Apex Legends the Pixel 7 performed much better than I expected. I was able to run Call of Duty Mobile on the highest settings with no real issues and Geshin impact on high settings but I did experience some stuttering and frame drops.
The Tensor G2 really impressed me with its image processing, especially in low-light night shots, and HDR photos as well while not just offering fantastic quality it's much faster in processing pics.
There Pixel 7 only offers one RAM configuration of 8GB RAM which is fine for most regular use and for storage there are two storage options. Either 128Gb or 256Gb but unfortunately there is no micro SD slot to expand that further.
The Pixel 7 has a duel camera set-up featuring a 50-megapixel f/1.85 main camera on the Pixel 7 and a 12-megapixel ultrawide that appears to be the same as the Pixel 6, although the G2 chip has made some changes to how responsive the camera is and the quality of it's sharpening and noise reduction.
In low light conditions, the Pixel 7 is remarkable - using its clever algorithms to enhance the brightness and clarity without trashing the image quality.
Colours look great and yet natural and unnecessarily overdone especially in skin tones due to Google's Real Tone technology, which is incredibly accurate at skin tones.
The Pixel phones have also offered some fantastic tools for photography with the Magic eraser allowing you to remove unwanted or distracting subjects from photos, or the unblur tool which sharpens up blurred images and both can be used on old photos that weren't taken on the Pixel.
Despite not having a dedicated telephone like the Pixel 7 pro the Pixel AI manages to keep digitally zoomed images not only clear but also looking pretty good
It also has an 8.4-megapixel front camera which felt and little washed out sometimes but was fine for WhatsApp and Zoom calls.
It can also record video at 1080p 30 to 60fps and 4K resolution video at 60fps. It also has a Cinematic Blur mode that makes your videos look more professional and dramatic by keeping your subject in focus and adding a adds bokeh, blur effect to the background which looks great.
As with all Google’s phones, the Pixel offers the most simple and pure android experience unencumbered by unnecessary apps and unremovable bloatware, making it swift and as simple to use and very easy for those new to android.
The Pixel 7 comes with the latest Android 13 and will receive up to 3 years of major software updates and 5 years of security updates.
Face unlock has been added to the Pixel 7 giving you more options to secure your phone, also the fingerprint scanner has been
improved and is noticeably faster the last year's Pixel 6.
The Pixel can automatically transcribe audio files which was cool when I was interviewing people but it wasn't really necessary in my day-to-day life.
Nonetheless, I did notice the translation, transcription and even voice assistant were faster and more accurate than previously which isn't a huge change but does impact your day-to-day use more than you'd think.
The Google Pixel 7 will have a Built-in VPN via Google One to help keep personal data secure when online without needing to subscribe to one of their storage plans, while this is a fascinating idea, however, this wasn't yet available at the time of this review.
Pixel 7 is just as secure as last year's 6 as it's also sporting a dedicated Titan M2 security chip designed by Google that makes it more resilient against attacks.
For safety when out and about it's also equipped with the Personal Safety app. You click the power button 5 times quickly and this can then automatically call for help to your emergency contacts share your location or record a video.
Google claims the Pixel 7 offers an all-day battery with its 4,355-mAh cell, which is slightly smaller than the battery on the Pixel 6 but benefits from the more efficient Tensor chip. It has lasted me roughly 11 hours of moderate usage but with gaming and video playback this was knocked down to around 7 hours.
However, it does feature an Extreme Battery Saver which can squeeze around 72 hours out of that cell and that proved accurate.
It also supports fast charging up to 30W which while not the fastest out there when compared to Samsung's S22 45W and OnePlus's 150W charging, is still good, allowing it to get fully charged in about an hour.
It also supports Wireless charging up to 20W and another handy feature included is that it supports Reverse wireless charging which allows you to charge accessories or other even phones on the back of the device.
The phone strangely only comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable which is handy for initial set up and no plug or USB-C to USB-A which is inconvenient if you don't have spare plugs or cables.
Google Pixel 7 Verdict: 4/5
The Google Pixel 7 clearly isn't the quantum leap in performance that many were hoping for, its incremental upgrades and refinements have addressed some of the issues users had with the previous models.
There are so many refinements and enhancements going on "under the hood" that you'd be forgiven to think nothing has changed but you'd be wrong.
Rather than competing with raw power like some other chips, t he Pixel 7, like much of Google technology is designed differently, the Tensor G2 chip isn’t a fast sprinter and it is more like a stamina-based marathon runner.
It's a faster, smart and more reliable version of an already remarkable phone and as always, the Pixel 7 is a great option for less tech-savvy people or those who want to learn, offering a very simple, slick, user-friendly experience.
The Pixel 7 will set you back £599 or £849 for the Pixel 7 Pro and are available directly from The Google Store
