We look at the latest release from Google in their Pixel series. They have released the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro, for this review we look at the Pixel 7 Pro. See more about the products in their store here.
Pixel 7 Pro reviewed
It’s that time again, the new iteration of the Google Pixel phone is upon us. This seems to come around quick enough too. This does suggest that the strategy is one to keep improving, building up and innovating around what they have created to date. It does now feel like we have come a long way since the earlier numbers of the Pixels. One good thing to report about the Pixel 7 Pro compared to it’s 6 Pro predecessor is that it is neither significantly bigger or smaller than it. For us we are going to call this a good thing as there didn’t seem to be any need for upward endless phone size creep.
Using the Pixel 6 Pro initially proved to be a bit of a challenge for a couple of reasons. Firstly it’s size, especially relative to the Pixel 4 & 5, meant that the 6 was endlessly sliding back out of our pockets. It was also super slippery, very much a gloss rather than a matt kinda feel to it. Super sleek perhaps, but darn tricky when you kept finding it slipping out of your hands. The 7 Pro doesn’t remedy this issue, or rather it suggests that the creators have decided to continue down this path.
The good thing therefore, is that if you have gone done the user experience learning journey with the 6 Pro, you at least know what to expect with the 7. Basically this means that you need to think about how you want to use the phone, and what strategies you may have already been employing to keep it safe(r). Even better too, the 7 Pro actually comes with a case this time. This always seemed like a missing but smart idea. If you are going to invest the serious amount of money that is required to get a Pro series phone, then why not just include a case too.
That said the particular one we got for it is a slightly brutally ugly light grey piece of casing. However it does do the job, so we can appreciate you might say we are asking to have our cake and eat it too, but then again longevity of your phone should be a decent factor too. Out of the box the phone boots up well, it takes, as you might expect, excellent photos. with some features. On previous iterations of the Pixel 3rd parties have asked us what phone we were using due to the sharpness and detail of images we took, and it seems like this excellence is only going to continue with the 7 Pro.
Overall our testers found it to work well and they enjoyed using it. The degree of slipperiness should be mitigated by the tailored case for it, and the audio to text functionality on the app is super useful, as well as the many other elements of cutting edge google tech that have been included in the phone too. It continues to be an interesting journey for the Pixel series, and it does feel like it has come of age and they are staking their own definitive place in the upper echelons of the smart phone market.
More about the phone here
The triple rear camera system includes a dedicated 5x telephoto lens and 30x Super Res Zoom for crisp, clear photos from far away. The upgraded ultrawide lens with auto-focus powers Macro Focus for amazing shots of the tiniest details.
Pixel 7 Pro starts at €899. And it’s available in Snow, Obsidian and Hazel.
Both phones are made with recycled materials. Pixel can handle water and dust with IP68 protection. The display is scratch resistant, with Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus.
Pixel’s Adaptive Battery can last over 24 hours. It learns your favourite apps,
so it doesn’t waste power on ones that you rarely use. Turn on Extreme Battery
Saver, and the battery can last up to 72 hours. With the compatible 30 W
USB-C® Charger (sold separately), your Pixel charges super fast – up to 50%
charge in around 30 minutes.
Pixel is more helpful than ever. At a Glance shows you useful info at the right time, like your baggage claim info at the airport or when a package is delivered to your door. With voice message transcription, you can read audiomessages. Assistant voice typing lets you type with your voice – now in Spanish, French and Italian.
Pixel search is faster and more powerful – it searches your entire phone and the web. Every few months, Pixel gets feature drops – software updates with new and improved features, tricks and tips.
For ‘over 24 hours’: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby and use of other features. Average battery life during testing was approximately 31 hours. Battery testing conducted on a major operator network. For ‘Up to 72 hours’: Estimated battery life based on testing using a median Pixel user battery usage profile across a mix of talk, data, standby and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity).
Battery testing conducted on a major operator network. For both claims: Battery testing conducted in California in mid-2022 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that for the ‘up to 72 hours’ claim only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and the usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.
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