Pixel 7 Vs Pixel 7 Pro: Which Should You Buy
These two devices are awfully similar in almost every way that matters. If you’re considering one over the other, it’s really going to come down to three factors: size, camera performance, and price.
Although it’s clear that the Pixel 7 Pro is, without a doubt, the more feature-packed phone, the Pixel 7 is undoubtedly a better fit for anyone with smaller hands. It’s hard to call it a “small” phone, but with a matte aluminum finish around the frame and a flat display, it’s arguably a better design than the Pro. That said, the larger, sharper display and the bigger battery on the Pixel 7 Pro will be tough for power users to ignore.
As for the cost of these units, not everyone should spend $300 extra to jump up to the Pro. The core specs are nearly identical, making it tough to justify the price increase if you’re solely focused on speed alone. That’s where the cameras come in. Really, the choice between the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro depends on whether the telephoto lens is worth it. I won’t underplay it the telephoto lens is really fun to shoot with, and we’ll never stop begging Google to bring it to the smaller phone. But if you aren’t much of a photographer or can settle for Super Res Zoom at up to 8x, it’s hard to beat the Pixel 7’s price.
Whichever one you pick, don’t forget to grab a case or two to protect your investment. They’ll keep that glass back from shattering into a million pieces and even improves some of those design issues on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Google Pixel 6 Pro Gets Longer Battery Life Option With Unofficial 1080p Display Mode
Developer @mile_freak07 has managed to backport a Pixel 7 Pro feature to the Pixel 6 Pro, which will remain Google’s current flagship smartphone for at least another month or so. When we reviewed the Pixel 6 Pro, the device could only muster meagre battery life with an 11-hour runtime in our Wi-Fi test. In short, the Pixel 6 Pro could not keep up with the iPhone 13 Pro, Oppo Find X5 Pro and the Xiaomi 12 Pro, despite its 5,000 mAh capacity.
For reference, @mile_freak07 is one of the developers behind the Kirisakura kernel, a popular custom kernel for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Now, a new version allows the Pixel 6 Pro to operate at 1080p or 1440p, an expected feature for the upcoming Pixel 7 Pro. As we have discussed previously, the Pixel 7 Pro is reputed to utilise a new version of the 6.7-inch AMOLED display found in the Pixel 6 Pro.
Once installed, the updated Kirisakura kernel makes it possible to switch between display resolutions on Android 13. It is worth noting that there are a few caveats and drawbacks. Currently, the feature will not stay active following a reboot. Hence, the Pixel 6 Pro will revert to 1440p if you restart it. Also, the system will error if you select ‘Show refresh rate’ within Developer options.
Camera: Capable But Short Of Captivating
- 50MP, LDAF, OIS
- 12MP ultrawide,
- 48MP telephoto, 4x optical zoom,
- 11.1MP front camera,
- 4K video at up to 60fps
Google has finally matched its flagship competition with a three-camera smartphone. Past Pixels have dallied with dual-camera setups with a secondary zoom or ultrawide shooter, but never the trifecta of a standard, ultrawide, and telephoto camera. Its long overdue, as Apple, Samsung, and other phone makers have relied on this triple-play configuration in their top phones for some time now. Why does this matter? It greatly expands the types of photos you can get from the phone as well as the quality of those photos. Its worth noting that the and has just a standard and ultrawide camera setup.
Equally important, Google for the cameras. The company has perhaps over-relied on 12MP sensors for its standard cameras dating all the way back to the original Pixel. In the 6 Pro, we get a 50MP standard camera, 12MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto. Pixel count isnt everything when it comes to photography, but it doesnt hurt. Mixing the lens selection, modern sensors, and Googles algorithms together should lead to picture magic, right?
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Moreover, the zoom is fairly usable through the 20x range. In particular, it was a surprise that the maximum 20x zoom took fairly sharp and colorful images that werent hot garbage. Some smartphone zoom cameras boasting high zoom numbers simply dont deliver. This one does.
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Performance Battery Life And Charging
Here it is, the main reason to upgrade to the Pixel 7 Pro: that powerful processor. The Pixel 7 Pro packs Googles latest Tensor G2 SoC, while the Pixel 6 Pro has the older chip. According to Google, the Tensor G2 is faster and more efficient than the base Tensor chip, though in reality, both devices are unlikely to struggle with anything you throw at them, from multitasking to playing the most demanding Android games. Both the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro pack in 12GB of RAM, with up to 512GB of onboard storage and, as expected, thats not expandable.
On to battery life, things are pretty similar, with the Pixel 7 Pros 5,000mAh battery and the Pixel 6 Pros 5,003mAh battery practically identical. Both batteries should easily see you through 24 hours of normal use, and with Extreme Battery Saver mode, you could push battery life to 72 hours. In testing, we were impressed with the Pixel 6 Pros battery life, though there were plenty of reports that others didnt have our rosy experience with the phone. The Pixel 7 Pro has been similarly divided, and it lasted around a day in our review period.
Youll be back up and running quickly with both phones supporting 30W fast charging, taking the battery to 50% in around half an hour though theres no charger in the box. Both devices also support 21W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging for your earbuds and accessories.
Winner: Google Pixel 7 Pro
Agree To Continue: Pixel 7 And Pixel 7 Pro
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it contracts that no one actually reads. Its impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people dont read and definitely cant negotiate.
To use the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, you must agree to:
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Google Pixel 7 And Pixel 7 Pro Camera
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pros camera upgrades are likewise small in scale, but I think they have a bigger impact. Theres no change to the main camera sensor this year both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro use the same 50-megapixel f/1.85 camera as last year. They both include a 12-megapixel ultrawide, too, though the 7 Pros version has autofocus and can double as a macro camera.
The 7 Pro also has a 48-megapixel telephoto camera with up to 5x optical zoom compared to last years 4x. The Pixel 7 still doesnt get the telephoto module, but its selfie cam does get upgraded to the same 10.8-megapixel sensor thats in the 7 Pro and the 6 Pro.
Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro sample gallery
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As Samsung and Apple released new flagships this year, I couldnt help wondering if the Pixel 6 Pro was getting left behind. Its portrait mode looked crunchy in comparison to the new competition, with less-precise subject cutouts. Samsungs 10x zoom was untouchable compared to anything Google could do with Super Res zoom, and Apple was way ahead with video quality and a decent bokeh video mode.
Over the past week with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, Ive managed to take some fantastic photos that remind me why we once crowned Google the king of smartphone photography. Portrait mode looks better, and shots of my toddler that I was sure would be blurry came out sharp. Top Shot captured a ridiculously sweet moment between my husband and child its a photo Im going to look at for years and years to come.
Check Android Battery Health
Pixel works on stock Android which is very optimized and helps to keep the battery performing at its maximum. But if your battery is not healthy, then it will drain up quickly. Before following any troubleshooting methods, its important to check the batterys health.
Open your Pixel phone and dial *#*#4636#*#*
It will open the tasting menu. Click on the Battery information option.
Here you can see the battery status. If it says poor or bad, that means your device needs a new battery replacement.
If you use to like to use Google assistant, then you can check for battery health by saying Hey Google, my battery is bad. It will give you details about the battery along with battery health status.
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Pixel 7 Vs Pixel 7 Pro: Display
The Pixel 7’s 6.3-inch display is a 90Hz 1080p panel, and it looks fantastic. At this screen size, there’s no reason to push the resolution any higher even pixel peepers will find noticing individual pixels on the screen difficult. The Pixel 7 Pro uses a 6.7-inch 120Hz 1440p LTPO panel, which allows it to scale as low as 10Hz in certain situations. That said, Google ships the phone running at 1080p, not its full resolution, to help preserve battery life. Aside from text, the 1080p and 1440p modes on the Pixel 7 Pro look identical to my eyes.
Comparing the phones, I had difficulty noticing any difference between the two panels, despite the difference in resolution and refresh rate. Either way, you’re getting an excellent display, equal parts bright and vivid. That said, it’s worth noting the panel on the Pixel 7 Pro seems to have some early issues, including scrolling problems and high levels of battery drain in direct sunlight. We’ll continue to monitor these problems as Google pushes out updates.
Google Pixel 6 Pro Cameras
- 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto
- 11.1MP front camera is fairly good
- Lots of modes including Magic Eraser
Google’s smartphones are built around the company’s camera technology, and on paper the camera setup in the Pixel 6 Pro looks like the best from the company yet, with a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 48MP telephoto shooter.
The good news is that the company has created another powerful camera setup here, and weve found it to be far more versatile than on previous Pixel phones, with more options to play around with.
Well start by talking about the camera tech, but the software here is another highlight, and something you wont experience on any other current phones although we might see Google roll some of these features out to older Pixel phones, while we might see other brands imitate them on future devices.
The 50MP main shooter, which has an f/1.9 aperture and 1.2µm pixels is the camera youll likely be using the most. We found it was able to take high-res photos with good detail and true-to-life colors.
Its an impressive point-and-shoot camera, and we found that it delivered great results in a variety of scenarios.
Night Sight, which enables you to get good pictures in darker settings, returns here. This is similar to the Google Pixel 5s ability to brighten dark scenes, but youll need to keep the camera still for this to fully work.
This is all done manually . Heres an example of what we were able to do:
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Pixel 7 Vs Pixel 7 Pro: Pricing
Like last year, there’s a whopping $300 difference between these phones. You’re definitely getting more “phone” with the Pixel 7 Pro if that isn’t obvious by now but that doesn’t mean the Pixel 7’s price tag isn’t alluring. $600 for this level of performance is nearly unbeatable, and that’s before you account for the usual round of sales that could hit as soon as Black Friday. That said, $900 isn’t unfair for a phone like the Pixel 7 Pro it’s just not as shocking of a deal.
As for availability, both phones are ready to buy in 17 countries, making the biggest launch for a Pixel phone yet. You can grab the Pixel 7 or 7 Pro in the US, Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the UK. In the US, both phones are on all three national carriers, as well as some select MVNOs and, of course, as an unlocked device directly from Google.
Pixel 6 Pro Review: Cameras
Now weve come to the thing that defines a Pixel: the cameras. Google pioneered what was possible with computational photography and although other phone makers have since caught up, Pixels regularly feature on our list of the best camera phones. This year, the Pixel 6 Pro ups the ante.
Google upgraded the hardware to complement the improved software algorithms and Tensor strengths. The main sensor is now 50MP, letting in 150% more light according to Google. The 12MP ultrawide camera has a 114-degree field of view and the 48MP telephoto sports a 4x optical zoom thanks to its folded optics. Overall, the Pixel 6 Pro can go up to a 20x digital zoom, with the AI-powered Super Res Zoom to help clean up the final images.
Among the new AI features powered by the Tensor chip, the highlight is Magic Eraser. This is an incredible feat of engineering, letting you effectively remove unwanted items from the background of your photos. It’s obviously not perfect, but the Pixel 6 Pro will automatically suggest things to remove. Google says it works best on beaches and at parks.
Without further ado, heres how the Pixel 6 Pro stacks up to the likes of the iPhone 13 Pro Max, the current king of our best camera phones list.
Similarly, heres Long Exposure on and off. Its a pretty cool and artistic effect, as you can see in this photo of a running fountain.
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You’re A Casual Smartphone User Who Still Wants The Latest Security Updates
One of the best things about Google’s Pixel line has always been that it is among the first to be updated with new Android features thanks to Google’s first-party ownership. While all of the flashy new toys those features often include may be fun to play with, the security features those updates also ship with are what keep you and your family safe. Since Google has committed to five years of security updates for all of its Pixel devices, this means you still have about four years of guaranteed security updates left on the Pixel 6 Pro, far more than most similarly priced, newer devices that originally launched as midrange smartphones are likely to offer you. If you don’t tend to upgrade your smartphone often, this is well worth noting.
You Have Pro Photographer Or Videographer Aspirations
Google’s Pixel smartphone line has been at the forefront of smartphone photo and video technology for pretty much its entire existence, and this generation is no exception. Features like enhanced low-light photography, 4K60 video support even for the front-facing selfie camera, and the ability to “unblur” both pictures taken by the Pixel 7 Pro itself and elsewhere all promise to make it one of the best photo and video smartphones ever. Features like Guided Frame even let those with vision impairments take great photos via audio and haptic feedback.
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Pixel 6 Pro Review: Software And Special Features
The Pixel 6 Pro debuts with Android 12, which arrived for other supported Pixels on October 19. Although you get the same OS-level features on any Pixel from the Pixel 3/3 XL and above, the Pixel 6 Pro is where Android 12 shines, especially with the new Material You design language and theming system.
Rumors leading up to the Pixel 6 Pro suggested that wed see longer support with the Pixel 6 series. While thats true in some respect the phone will receive five years of security patches Google has only committed to three years of Android updates at time of writing. Considering that the company now owns the silicon powering the Pixel 6 Pro, I find this to be in really bad taste. I expected platform updates rivaling that of Apple.
A full Android 12 review is outside the scope of this Pixel 6 Pro review. However, there are several Pixel 6-specific features that Google highlighted in its keynote. The company is touting the security and privacy aspects of the Pixel 6 Pro, with many of those powered by Tensor and its security core, which includes the new Titan M2 security chip.
Google Assistant is getting a lot smarter and more helpful with the Pixel 6 Pro. For instance, when you’re voice typing, you can insert emojis using your voice and issue commands like “Clear,” “Stop,” and “Send.” Ive never been big on voice texting, but the accuracy and convenience on the Pixel 6 Pro is unmatched right now. You might even consider me a convert.
Pixel 6 Pro Review: Video
Video has also seen a boost thanks to Tensor. You can record HDR live in 4K, offering vivid and punchy videos 4K video is also available on the front-facing camera. Selfie recordings get sound improvements, too, with Speech Enhancement. Google says the Pixel 6 Pro will better filter out background noise to make your voice come through clearly.
Pixels have always taken excellent photos, but have historically struggled with video. Thats changed this year, though Im not sure its as good as the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Theres certainly no Cinematic mode on the Pixel 6 Pro, but that isnt really a bad thing.
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