was revamped last year and the introduction of customized Tensor chips, Google has relatively slowed down the pace of updates this year, with only minor changes in the appearance and hardware of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. However, despite this, with the help of a powerful Android system, the Tensor G2 processor with powerful AI computing power, and a small number of upgraded lenses of the Pixel 7 Pro, this year's new phone is pretty good.
hardware
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro continue the most "recognizable" designs in the Pixel 6 series. However, since the horizontal bars are changed to metallic and directly connected to the middle frames on both sides, the visual effect is not very similar to the previous " goggles ", and it also reduces the glassy feeling on the back.
is the same as last year. Pixel 7 Pro has a more mirror metal texture, while Pixel 7 has a more matte metal texture. In addition to the camera protrusion on the back, this also extends to the middle frame. In terms of visual effects, the two are evenly matched, but in terms of holding, the matte feels quite comfortable. In addition, the Pixel 7 Pro's front glass curvature is reduced by 20%, which means that although the surface is not as large as the 6 Pro, it can improve grip stability and reduce mistouching. Although the curvature of
is reduced, the screen size of the Pixel 7 Pro is exactly the same as before, and it is still 6.7 inches. On the contrary, the Pixel 7's screen has slightly dropped from the original 6.4 inches to 6.3 inches. The difference is not big at all. On the contrary, the Pixel 7 is more grippy than the Pixel 6's narrow middle frame.
As for the screen itself, the Pixel 7 is a OLED panel with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. However, putting aside this little difference in refresh rate, both have excellent performance in terms of brightness and color. Like the previous generation, both machines also have the waterproof and dustproof level of IP68.
It is also worth mentioning that in addition to the under-screen fingerprint of Google on Pixel 7, it also brought back facial unlocking. But I always feel that the face unlocking of the Pixel 7 is not that reliable. According to the Pixel 7 design, when you pick up your phone, even if your face is unlocked successfully, you have to press the unlock key on the screen or swipe up gesture to enter the main page. If it is the former, it might as well just use the under-screen unlocking directly; if it is the latter, since the face unlocking is not reliable, you either need to carefully look at the small words below to see if it says "The device has been unlocked through the face", and then slide upward, otherwise there is a certain chance of entering the password input screen, which will be even more troublesome.
performance
From the perspective of flagship phones, the new Tensor G2 chip is somewhat subtle. On the one hand, its main Cortex X1 core is not much faster than the previous generation, it is just slightly overclocked by 5MHz; the audio and video of the core replaced by Cortex A78 in is not large; while the small core A55 has not changed at all. On the other hand, Tensor G2 has improved its computing capabilities in machine learning and AI, unlocking some AI functions limited by Pixel 7.
can be said that just for the phone itself, last year's Pixel 6 can also be asked about it as a flagship phone, while this year's Pixel 7 is not bad in performance and will not have any lag in gaming or operation. However, compared with Apple 's latest A-series processor, or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Tensor G2 is a bit reluctant to say it is a "flagship". This reflects that Google finally regards popularizing AI functions as the top priority of Pixel phones. Other functions cannot be left behind, but it will not deliberately pursue absolute top-level.
In addition, the Pixel 7 seems to be a little better than the Pixel 6 in terms of heating. Also taking photos outdoors on hot days, the subjective feeling on the back of the Pixel 7 Pro is not as hot as the Pixel 6 Pro. But even so, the Pixel 7 Pro still has a certain "popularity", and it cannot be said that it completely solved the problem of fever in previous generations.
camera
Pixel phones use "ancestral" 12MP lens. Last year's Pixel 6 finally saw a significant change. What is somewhat surprising is that this year Google is still adjusting the camera combination, especially the camera of the Pixel 7 Pro. The Pixel 7 continues to use the same 50MP main mirror and 12MP wide angle as the Pixel 6, but the front is increased to the same 10.8MP as the 7 Pro; however, the Pixel 7 Pro not only has the 48MP lens increased from the 4x optical focal range to the 5x optical focal range, but the wide angle of 12MP has also become wider, and the autofocus capability is added.
This ultra-wide-angle lens with autofocus brings the first unique feature of the Pixel 7 Pro camera - "Macro focus". When your lens is close enough to the subject, the Pixel 7 Pro will automatically switch to this ultra-wide lens and allow you to focus until the last 3 cm. But this is a bit strange. The reason why I want to use macro is that I want to greatly enlarge the subject's subject. However, when switching to ultra-wide angle, the subject is reduced and at the same time, it will also bring in a lot of surrounding debris interference. Take the above two pictures as an example. The left picture shows the effect of taking photos with "macro focus" open and the minimum focusing distance allowed by the camera. You can see that not only the subject is not big, but also a large number of side branches and backgrounds are included. In contrast, the picture on the right was taken with a 5x lens of the Pixel 7 Pro at about 50cm away, and the theme is clearer. Of course, ultra-wide-angle macro exists, and it also has its own special applications and effects, but every time it gets close to the subject, it will automatically cut to the ultra-wide-angle, which is not necessarily what the photographer wants. It's better to turn off macro focus.
As for the part of the telescope, the upper half of the picture above is from left to right, with the main mirror and the main mirror enlarged twice. Telescope, the telescope is magnified twice; and below is a 100% screenshot of each picture above. Overall, the performance of 0.5x, 1x and 5x is good, while the others are not satisfactory.
Not to mention the resolution issue, Pixel cameras can have excellent results whether they are facing comparison scenes during the day or streets taken at night. However, Pixel phones have always been extremely powerful in taking pictures, and I believe everyone is already familiar with them. Speaking of night shooting, benefiting from the powerful AI computing power of Tensor G2, the processing speed of night shooting can be as fast as before, and when using night vision mode, shooting can be completed faster.
Another new AI camera function is "fix blur". Strictly speaking, this should be one of the editing tools of Google Photos, so it is not used at the moment of shooting, but can be corrected after the photo is taken. This is also because of this. Basically, as long as you upload photos to Google Photos, you can use the function of fixing blurs whenever you use any camera to take them.
. In the video, Google introduced a new feature of "movie dynamic blur". In the simplest way, this is to bring the "portrait" mode of the photo into the film. However, the success of the movie's dynamic blur will largely depend on the position of your subject and its relationship with the surrounding objects. If the subject can remain relatively fixed and the objects in the background are kept at a certain distance from the subject, the movie dynamic blur can blur the background quite naturally. But if the subject is moving, or the background and foreground intersect, the dynamic blur of the movie will be "disorganized". You will start to try blurring in different parts of the picture, which will destroy the picture in an instant.
battery life
standard video playback test, Pixel 7 17 hours 54 minutes, while Pixel 7 Pro is 16 hours 42 minutes. The reason why the Pixel 7 is a little longer is because its screen is a little bit more cost-effective. In terms of actual daily use, the Pixel 7 Pro can still have about 25% of the remaining amount when used in moderate to severe day; while the Pixel 7 can have about 30%. Some of the two phones that charge
have also remained unchanged from last year, including 30W wired charging, wireless charging support, and wireless reverse charging capabilities.It is worth mentioning that the Pixel 7 series can only have 23W (Pixel 7 Pro) or 20 (Pixel 7) wireless power supply when paired with the Pixel Stand 2. If you only use a standard Qi wireless charger, it will only be 12W. Compared with domestic mobile phones, just take a look.
Conclusion
Pixel 7 and 7 Pro should be discussed separately. The appearance difference between the Pixel 7 and the previous generation is a bit larger. The overall feeling is closer to the Pixel 7 Pro, but in terms of hardware, there is only the Tensor G2 upgrade, and other cameras remain roughly the same. The Pixel 7 Pro has a smaller appearance difference compared to the previous generation, but it has made considerable adjustments to the lens part. The biggest problem with
is what different new features do Pixel 7 and 7 Pro bring. As of now, the most important thing is to use Tensor G2 to fix blur, movie dynamic blur, accelerated night vision mode, etc., plus face unlocking that is not related to Tensor G2 and Google One VPN that is uncertain when it will arrive. Google has indeed achieved that each generation is smarter than the next, and the price remains the same, but ultimately it depends on whether these functions attract you, which is the key factor in the final decision whether they are worth buying.
