Google Pixel 7 preview: Our expectations

Last year, Google reestablished its commitment to the flagship space with the release of Pixel 6-series, a duo of phones that from the get-go put the focus on software features and overall user experience instead of purely relying on flagship specs. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were generally received well, despite multiple reports of bugs and issues that acted as the proverbial ointment in the soup. 

With the Pixel 7-series expected to mostly offer the same hardware but updated software and new features, the Pixel 7 will essentially be a slightly updated version of the Pixel 6 that will thankfully cost the same at launch, but slightly more compact, which will be an welcome change for those wanting for a more manageable device.

Although it might not be a powerhouse at all, Google’s Pixel 7 will act as a landmark juxtaposition to the iPhone 14, which also didn’t score an exciting amount of improvements and upgrades over the previous iPhone 13 generation. 

• Smaller display
• Larger battery
• Newer Tensor chipset
• Refreshed design
• New Extreme Battery Saver
• New camera features

So, how does the Pixel 7 differ from the Pixel 6? Let’s check out by comparing the Pixel 7 specs against those of the previous model:

Google Pixel 7 Models 

Aside from the Pixel 7, Google has another Pixel in the lineup, the Pixel 7 Pro, which differentiates itself with an additional camera, larger display and battery, as well as a slew of exclusive software features. Aside from that it’s got the same Pixel 7 DNA in it. Google is also rumored to be teasing a foldable Pixel during the event, so we’ll see how this goes. 

Google Pixel 7 Design & Colors

Subtle changes here and there

We expect Google to once again grace the Pixel 7 with IP68 water and dust protection, but also lack a 3.5mm audio jack or microSD card slot for some additional memory. 

Google Pixel 7 Display

Due to the overall smaller size of the Pixel 7, its display will also be become slightly smaller than before. Indeed, down from the 6.4-inch display on the older device, the Pixel 7 will be coming in with a 6.3-inch screen, which would surely help it achieve a more manageable size. 

Aside from this small (and welcome) change in the overall size, the rest of the Pixel 7 display specs seem to remain mostly unchanged. As such, Google’s next small phone will still come with a 90Hz flat OLED display, which would sit in a nice juxtaposition to the larger Pixel 7 Pro, which would feature 1-120Hz curved OLED display. 

From a quality standpoint, we were quite satisfied with what the Pixel 6 offered in the display compartment. It was a bright, slightly colder display that featured three different display color profiles which let you fine tune the experience to your liking. Despite the slight color shift visible when looking at the display from an angle, overall the Pixel 6 satisfied us. 

And that actually outlines out expectations for the Pixel 7! If Google could address the above shortcomings and slightly improve on all fronts, we’d have a great display experience on the Pixel 7. 

Google Pixel 7 Camera

Dual-camera trooper

Well, it seems that not much will change on the camera front as well. Similarly to the Pixel 6-series, the Google Pixel 7 will be relying on a dual-camera setup, consisting of a 50MP 1/1.3-inch main camera sensor with an f/1.85 aperture (an ever-so-slight update over the Pixel 6’s f/1.9) and a ultra-wide 12MP camera that has an f/2.2 aperture. At the front, however, we will be getting a 10.8MP selfie camera, an improvement over the 8MP one on the Pixel 6. 

Despite mostly reusing the same hardware, the Pixel 7 is hyped up to be a much more potent mobile camera Well, this hype comes from Google’s own Rick Osterloh nonetheless, but given our experience with previous iterations of the Pixel camera, we are mostly confident that Google might indeed pull out even better image quality out of the same hardware. After all, Big G has always come up with exceptional camera algorithms and software that always bring it on an even field with the competition (and often way ahead).

Google Pixel 7 Performance & Benchmarks

Same old, but better!

Okay, so the Pixel 7 will come with the Google Tensor G2 chipset on deck, its second-gen custom silicon. The first generation of the chip debuted alongside the Pixel 6 with a focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, which had to make up for its lack of raw performance in comparison with its closest Qualcomm, Exynoss, and Apple rivals. 

The Tensor G2 will be using two performance Arm Cortex-X1 cores, then two mid-range Cortex-A76 cores, and four efficiency Cortex-A55 cores. The Pixel 7 Pro achieved a 10% better multi-core score than the Pixel 6 Pro in popular benchmarking app Geekbench, which suggests a slight improvement in performance. It’s more than welcome, as long as the overall efficiency does not suffer much. 

In terms of software support, we expect at least three to four years of major software updates and security patches to grace the Pixel 7, which should generally outline the lifetime of a Pixel device. 

Google Pixel 7 Battery

So, with the Pixel 7 being smaller, it’s natural to expect the battery inside to be smaller as well. Rumors point out that a 4,700mAh battery would be used inside the Pixel 7, a slightly denser cell than the 4,614mAh one inside the Pixel 6. In any case, the two phones should mostly offer the same battery backup. 

Charging-wise, we don’t really expect any big changes—30W fast wired charging is what the Pixel 7 will most likely use, as well as wireless charging.

Google Pixel 7 Competitors

Google Pixel 7 Summary and final verdict

We are merely two days to the unveiling of the Pixel 7, but it’s unlikely that many of these leaked specs and other details will change in any dramatic way. We expect the Pixel 7 to generally continue the strong legacy established by the Pixel 6 series, though we hope that the Pixel 7 doesn’t get as much negative press as the Pixel 6 did with the software bugs and issues that marred its release.