And yet the popularity of its phones – or lack thereof – belies their quality, with the latest Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro having the potential to win over many more fans.
Design and hardware
On the outside, not much has changed in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro compared with the previous models. You can recognise a Google Pixel from a distance by the camera bar that runs across the entire width of the back.
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The Pixel 7 Pro’s recycled aluminium body comes in a choice of either white, black or grey while the Pixel 7 comes in white, black or light green. It all looks pretty premium.
Unfortunately, Pixel 6 and 6 Pro owners won’t be able to recycle their cases, as the control buttons have been repositioned on the side.
Besides the camera, the main difference between the two models is the screen. The 6.7-inch (170mm) display of the 7 Pro offers a very high resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels (QHD+).
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The LTPO-OLED at 512 ppi technology ensures that the picture appears ultra-sharp. Meanwhile, thanks to a high refresh rate of 120 hertz, animations on screen are smooth, as you’d expect from a flagship phone in 2022.
The Pixel 7 has a smaller display at 6.3 inches, with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and OLED technology at 416 ppi. The maximum refresh rate is 90 hertz. The difference is noticeable, but alone does not justify the considerable price difference of US$300 (HK$2,350) between the two models.
Software and features
Unlike their predecessors, the new Pixel models can be unlocked with facial recognition. However, this relies only on the image data from the selfie camera – unlike the iPhone, which uses additional sensors.
This unlocking method from Google is therefore less secure than Face ID from Apple.
The two Pixel 7 models are the first smartphones to be equipped with the latest Android 13 operating system out of the box. Google guarantees software updates for the next five years, including three major new Android versions.
Performance and battery life
The Pixel 7 Pro has better cameras than the Pixel 7. For one thing, the ultra-wide-angle camera on the Pro model offers a 21 per cent larger field of view than that of its less premium sibling. In addition, the Pro also has a telephoto lens with a 5X optical zoom.
With the help of clever software, the Pixel 7 Pro can even achieve a passable 30x zoom – but expect plenty of noise.
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Photo enthusiasts can look forward to a macro mode with autofocus on the Pro. The impressive motifs that are possible with this can not only be captured with the Google camera app, but also with apps like Snapchat or Instagram.
Overall, the Pixel 7 Pro has one of the best camera systems currently available on the smartphone market.
The excellent autofocus capabilities in both photos and videos are convincing, and they help enormously to get precise details when capturing complex scenes.
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Google’s Pixel-exclusive app Recorder converts spoken language into written text in real time, also relying on the AI power of the Pixel phones – a practical but potentially also creepy feature.
It may not always work perfectly, depending on the quality of the voice recording, but it is still much better than typing out every word of a conversation or lecture from scratch. Recorder now also recognises the different speakers and assigns the text to the respective person.
The battery life in the latest Pixels is slightly better than that of the earlier models, even if the batteries have slightly less capacity. In a continuous stress test the Pixel 7 lasted a good 10 hours, while the Pro lasted slightly longer. For everyday use, this is easily enough to last the entire day.
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Conclusion
Like Apple, Google is using on its own in-house processors – the Tensor G2 and its own security chip – which have once again been updated to be somewhat faster and more efficient. Google’s services, which rely heavily on artificial intelligence, are dependent on this computing power.With the many AI functions like unblurring photos and audio transcription, Google is setting itself apart from the Android competition with its smartest generation of phones yet.
The Pixel 7 is priced from HK$5,780 in Hong Kong and the Pixel 7 Pro from HK$7,780.
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