The Google Pixel 7 was announced on 6 October 2002 and made available beginning on October 13 of the same year alongside the flagship-level Google Pixel 7 Pro. This device was anticipated to offer new improvements in its camera performance while providing the same clean and straightforward user experience of its Android operating system. This article provides a quick review of the pros and cons of the Google Pixel 7.
Pros of Google Pixel 7: Reasons Why You Should Buy
It is important to highlight the fact that the Google Pixel 7 is a mid-range Android smartphone. The retail price during its introduction was USD 599.00 for the base model. This price tag is within the price range of mid-rangers. However, considering its camera performance, it can also be considered a more premium mid-range smartphone that can even compete against some flagship Android smartphones.
There are two camera sensors on its rear camera system. These are a 50-megapixel wide camera with multidirectional PDAF, laser autofocus, and optical image stabilization, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The front-facing or selfie camera is a 10.8-megapixel ultrawide sensor. Both the rear and front cameras can record up to 4K videos at 30 to 60 fps.
At the heart of this device is the newer Google Tensor G2 chipset. This second-generation system-on-a-chip competes against top-tier chips from Qualcomm and MediaTek. It was also designed with computational photography as one of its core strengths while also powering custom artificial intelligence applications to include the Android System Intelligence and native machine learning or deep learning and large language processing tasks.
Below are the specific selling points of this smartphone from Google:
• Impressive Camera Performance: The cameras of this device might not be as good as those used in Google Pixel 7 Pro or top-tier flagships such as the Vivo X90 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra but they remain one of the best within the mid-range and flagship categories. The rear cameras capture clear and bright images and record shareable videos while the front-facing camera has a decent sensor for taking or recording above-average selfies.
• Computational Photography Features: It is also important to highlight specific camera features and computational photography capabilities because they are one of the advantages or strengths of the Google Pixel 7. These include Photo Unblur which rescues blurred images, Cinematic Blur feature for recording videos with a depth-of-field effect, Super Res Zoom for better 8x digital zoom, and Real Tone which is a tuning feature that improves the skin tones of photo and video subjects.
• Bright and Adaptive OLED Screen: This device also features a 6.3-inches always-on OLED display that produces around 84.9 percent screen-to-body ratio. It has an adaptive refresh rate that maximizes to 90Hz for smoother scrolling and a more fluid user experience and a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels at around 416 ppi. The screen is relatively bright too. It peaks at around 1000 nits to make it viewable even under harsh outdoor sunlight. The display supports HDR10+
• Clean Software and Strong Support: Pixel devices are known for running a simpler or cleaner version of the Android operating system. There are no needless features and gimmicks. There are also no unnecessary apps and bloatware that come preinstalled on the device. The entire user experience is similar to a stock Android. Google has also promised to provide three years of major operating system updates and five years of security updates. The Pixel 7 can last until 2026.
• Notable Design and Solid Built Quality: Another interesting characteristic of this device is its clean design and acceptable form factor with dimensions measuring 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7 mm. The rear cameras do not follow the left-aligned placements used in most smartphones nowadays. Furthermore, for durability, the front and the back are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus. This device also has an IP68 rating for dust resistance and water resistance of up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.
• Acceptable Processing Capabilities: The Google Tensor G2 is a flagship-level chipset. It is a capable hardware component that powers the cameras and computational photography capabilities of this device. It also powers different smart features and functionalities such as the local Android Systems Intelligence. This chip can also handle most apps and tasks without a problem. Its processing prowess is similar to the Snapdragon 888 and the Apple A14 Bionic.
Cons of Google Pixel 7: Reasons Why You Should Not Buy
The Google Pixel 7 might sound too good to be true for a mid-ranger but it is not perfect. Comparing it with flagships such as the Pixel 7 Pro and the entire iPhone 14 lineup would reveal its most notable drawbacks that center on performance shortcomings. The vanilla Samsung Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S23, and the OnePlus 11 can be its closest competitors in terms of branding but its entire specifications are comparable to the mid-rangers from the Galaxy A series and the Nothing Phone 1.
It might have capable cameras but it would pale in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy s23 Ultra, the iPhone 14 Pro, and the Vivo X90 Pro. The processing capabilities of this device are acceptable but it would lag behind dedicated Android smartphones designed for mobile gaming such as the devices from the Asus ROG series and the more affordable but lesser-known brands such as the Nubia Red Magic series of gaming phones.
Below are the issues and limitations of this smartphone from Google:
• Limitations of Google Tensor G2: The Google Tensor G2 is a good chip but it is not as powerful as the flagship chips from 2022 such as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Dimensity 9000. Benchmark scores showed that its capabilities are similar to older flagship chips such as the Snapdragon 888 and mid-range chips such as the Dimensity 8100. Real-world uses cases further reveal that the Pixel 7 struggles to run resource-demanding apps and mobile games while keeping its internal cool.
• Issues with Battery and Charging: A 4335 mAh lithium-ion battery powers this smartphone. This is relatively enough for a device of this size but it is considered a downgrade from the Pixel 6 with a 4614 mAh battery. Furthermore, based on actual usage, it turns out that this device can last only up to 7 hours under moderate use. There are other mid-rangers with bigger batteries and more power-efficient chips. This device only supports up to 20 watts of fast charging.
• Head Phone Jack and Card Slot: Another disadvantage of the Pixel 7 is the absence of a headphone jack and expandable storage via a memory card slot. These features have been omitted in most flagship smartphones but they are still present in several mid-range Android devices such as the Samsung A series of smartphones. Users would need to purchase either a wireless headphone, a Type C wired headphone, or a USB Type C adapter to connect traditional wired headphones.
Google Pixel 7 Review Verdict: The Good and The Bad
There are a few things not to like about this device. Remember that it is far from perfect. It is also important to underscore the fact that this is still a mid-range Android smartphone and it cannot be completely pitted against flagship smartphones in terms of premium features and capabilities. Nevertheless, considering its selling points, notable features, and advantage, the Google Pixel 7 is one of the best and most affordable photography-centric smartphones one can purchase for its particular generation.
