It might just be the sixth day of "Techtober" -- the wonderful name for the slew of tech announcements that drop annually in Oct. -- but Google is starting the month off with a band. Alongside finally making the Pixel Watch official,, the company also did the same for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
As the top of the line and flagship Pixel smartphones, these aim to offer the ultimate Android experience with an extra serving of Google (GOOGL) throughout. It’s clean Android with a bevy of exclusive to Pixel features and, if the trend continues, excellent cameras.
Let’s break down everything you need to know about the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, along with how to preorder Google’s latest smartphones.
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How to Preorder the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Google is wasting no time and is already offering preorders for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Delivers will begin on Oct. 13, so if you’re eager we’d recommend locking in an order soon.
The Pixel 7 starts at $599 for 128GB of storage and comes in Snow, Obsidian, or Lemongrass. Amazon is already discounting the Pixel 7 by tossing in a $100 gift card when you order -- it's a pretty incredible deal.
- Pixel 7 in Snow ($599 at Amazon and BestBuy)
- Pixel 7 in Obsidian ($599 at Amazon and BestBuy)
- Pixel 7 in Lemongrass ($599 at Amazon and BestBuy)
The Pixel 7 Pro is $300 more at $899 and for that price you get better cameras and a higher-end design. It comes in Snow, Obsidian, or Hazel and starts with 128GB of storage. If you preorder the Pixel 7 Pro from BestBuy, you’ll score a $200 gift card to the retailer as well. Amazon will toss in a $200 gift card if you preorder from them as well.
- Pixel 7 Pro in Snow ($899 at Amazon and BestBuy)
- Pixel 7 Pro in Obsidian ($899 at Amazon and BestBuy)
- Pixel 7 Pro in Hazel ($899 at Amazon and BestBuy)
Pixel 7: What You Need to Know
The Pixel 7 isn’t an all-new design, but rather a refinement over the Pixel 6. For starters it comes in a fun Lemongrass, Snow, or Obsidian and sticks with a 6.3-inch display size. Meaning that it is on the larger-end of smartphones, so if you’re after a smaller Pixel, the 6a is likely still the best bet.
It’s still a 6.3-inch Full HD OLED panel that is 25% brighter than the screen on the Pixel 6. And this should translate to the Pixel 7 being easier to use while outdoors on a bright sunny day. And unlike the iPhone 14 or 14 Plus, this smartphone features a 90Hz refresh rate which should make for a more life-like experience when taking in videos or gaming on the go. It keeps the pinhole notch on the top as well and fingerprint sensor is built-into the screen on the bottom. Google is also bringing back Face Unlock, though it’s not as advanced as Face ID on the iPhone.
Powering the Pixel 7, and the Pixel 7 Pro, is the second-generation of the Google Made chip. Tensor Gen 2 is a more efficient chip that requires less power to operate. And this should lead to the Pixel 7 offering better battery life, but still being swift for really any task. Tensor Gen 2 is made up of several CPU cores and paired with 8GBs of RAM on the 7. You can also get the Pixel 7 with either 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. The Pixel 7 also features the Titan M2 security coprocessor privacy and security.
The Pixel 7 features a 4,355mah non-removable lithium ion battery inside, which can be recharged wirelessly or through the USB-C port. Google isn’t being too specific about runtime, but says that the Pixel 7 will offer beyond 24-hour battery life. And with the “extreme battery saver” mode you can stretch that to 72-hours. The Pixel 7 keeps a SIM card slot, in fact a dual SIM slot, and supports E-Sim as well.
In terms of design, the edges here are still a matte aluminum, but the camera bar on the back—which sits horizontally across the top of the back— has a shiny matte finish. It contains the main cameras and an LED flash as well. Both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro offer dust and water resistance with an IP68 rating.
And let’s discuss the cameras. The main lens is a 50-megapixel wide and it’s paired with a 12-megapixel ultra wide lens. And like the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, Google will now offer a 2x shooting function which is essentially a zoomed in shot from the 50-megapixel lens. It should make the Pixel 7 more versatile to shoot with, and Google says it’s on-par with an optical 2x shot. In fact, the 2x shot here is a full 12.5-megapixel photo. You’ll also be able to capture video with the wide or ultra wide at up to 4K 60 frames-per-second.
It wouldn’t be a Pixel without some software tricks either. There is a new "Photo Unblur" function which will let you get more stable shots through edits and this works for photos you take on the Pixel 7 as well as older photos in your Google Photos library. Google is also promising Night Sight improvements.
The Pixel 7 will be running a clean version of Android and with Material You, you’ll be able to customize the experience to your liking. Features like Call Screen and Call Detection, expert Photo Editing tools, and auto transcription are all still here.
The Pixel 7 starts at $599 and that’s a pretty great price for what, on-paper, seems like an excellent phone.
Pixel 7 Pro: What You Need to Know
Just like the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, the Pixel 7 Pro adds a bit more functionality over the Pixel 7. And it’s mainly in the areas of performance and with photography, and let’s start with the latter.
Rather than just sticking with a dual-camera system, the Pixel 7 Pro features three cameras. It’s camera stack is a 50-megapixel wide, a 12-megapixel ultra wide, and a 48-megapixel telephoto. Like on the Pixel 7, that 50-megapixel shot is the main lens and also offers that new 2x shooting option. The upgraded telephoto lens is working double time as it can capture a wider shot, but you can also get up-close to objects and use it to capture Macro Focus. Just like the Pro iPhones, you can capture macro shots with this lens.
Last, but certainly not least, is the 48-megapixel telephoto which can let you shoot at up to 5x optical. However, when you want to capture something farther away it kicks into Super Res Zoom for up to 30x shots. This is similar to Samsung’s Space Zoom technology and uses a mix of optical and digital zoom plus AI enhancements to deliver a clear shot. New for the Pixel 7 Pro is a new stabilization technique which should make it easier to get clear shots even at intense zooms.
Similar to Cinematic Mode on the iPhone or Portrait mode for video on Samsung Galaxy phones, the Pixel 7 Pro (and Pixel 7) is getting Cinematic Blur. Which lets you add a portrait mode like effect to videos and it’s also getting an improved stabilization mode which is similar to action mode on the new iPhones.
Like the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro is powered by the Tensor Gen 2 chip and the Titan M2 security chip. It bumps up the RAM to a full 12GBs which should let it finish some more intense tasks with a bit more speed. We’ll need to put both devices through the paces though to see how much of a difference it makes.
The 7 Pro is also a larger phone with a 6.7-inch QHD+ OLED display that offers a full 120Hz refresh rate thanks to an LTPO panel. That also means it can scale to a slow 1Hz refresh rate and it boasts the same improved brightness. The Pixel 7 Pro comes in Obsidian, Snow, or Hazel. It offers a higher end design with stainless steel metal edges and the camera bar on the back is a glossy metal as well.
With a bigger display, it also gets a larger 5,000mAh battery, which Google also says will offer beyond 24-hours of battery life. You can also charge it with either a USB-C cable or on a wireless charger.
Google’s Pixel 7 Pro will start at $899 for 128GB of storage, but will scale higher for a 256GB or 512GB model. It’s a $300 price increase over the Pixel 7 for a telephoto lens and the ability to take macro photos, a larger display, and a higher-end design.
Let’s Recap the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Google’s flagship smartphones for 2022 seems pretty great on-paper with a focus on refining the experience, offer more exclusive software features, and elevating the camera experience. Year over year, I’m not sure it’s an immediate upgrade over the 6 or 6 Pro, unless you really care about the cameras which are more specific to the Pixel 7 Pro. I’m also really eager to go hands-on and see just how well each of these performs.
Still though, if you’re a strong Pixel fan or hanging onto an older smartphone (say a Pixel 5 or older), this is an excellent time to upgrade. Both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are up for preorder now and will begin shipping on Oct. 13. You can also get some cash for your current phone through a service like Decluttr and BestBuy is offering a $200 gift card if you preorder the 7 Pro.
Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.
