Google pixel 7 in-hand review

Even though the Google Pixel range receives a lot of media attention, its limited market availability keeps it in the niche market category. However, Google has been working extremely hard over the last few of generations to give some distinctive features in order to appeal to a wider audience. Even the basic Android that comes pre-installed on today’s Pixels isn’t truly stock because it includes a few cool customizations and unique features. Even further rumours claim that Google will ship a record number of Pixel devices in 2019.

The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro introduce various minor but significant upgrades while appearing to be largely similar to the Pixel 6 series. We believe the 7th generation has a high possibility of gaining new followers all across the world because of this, perhaps in part. Although, given the normal limited availability, “the globe” might not be the best choice of words.

Over the Pixel 6, the Pixel 7 provides a few significant upgrades. It now has a smaller display, a better selfie camera, a better selfie camera, and an enhanced Google Tensor G2 CPU with stronger AI capabilities. The fact that the Pixel 7 is a little bit smaller than the Pixel 6 shows that Google is going for the mini flagship market. The Pixel 7’s display is also noticeably brighter despite being smaller.

The back’s camera configuration is unaltered. A large 50MP sensor is working hard, while a 12MP ultrawide camera is assisting. To be fair, a telephoto camera in the small flagship class is still an uncommon find. However, Google claims that increased ISP capabilities and machine learning algorithms will result in greater picture processing and overall camera quality.

UNBOXING OF Google pixel 7

The Google Pixel 7’s retail packaging is rather compact, as would be expected, and only includes the user manuals, a USB-C to USB-C cable for fast charging, and a USB-C to USB-A dongle in case you need to use a regular charger that doesn’t have a USB-C port.

There is no charger, to speak of. Finding a Power Delivery charger that works with the Pixel 7 shouldn’t be too difficult because the gadget supports up to 20W of power delivery.

Design and build quality

Both the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro make small external alterations, primarily in relation to the camera bump. Except for the minor curves around the phone’s corners, it still covers the entire width of the device and is still fairly blocky. It is now composed of metal rather than glass, which highlights the camera module. Now that the hump itself is positioned a little lower, there is more room around the top. Everything else continues as usual.

And with that, we are somewhat content. The Pixel 7’s overall aesthetic is everything but standard. If you know at least a little bit about them, you can quickly identify when someone is holding a Pixel phone thanks to the camera strip. The advantage of this design is that it prevents swaying on a flat surface; the disadvantage is dust buildup. Where dust collects, the camera module develops substantial ridges. In this aspect, the Snow colour (white) we received is a little better due to the silver metal frame and white glass’ ability to conceal collected dust. Smudges might be difficult to see.

Speaking of colours, the two-tone appearance is obsolete. The metal frame and camera strip have a separate paint job depending on the colour scheme, and the entire glass component is painted in a single colour. The Obsidian has a darker silver accent, the Lemongrass has a goldish undertone, and the Snow has a silver accent. That’s a more straightforward strategy that facilitates colour selection for some folks.

The Pixel 7’s glass sheets are both Gorilla Glass Victus, unlike its predecessor, yet they still carry the iP68 water and dust resistance certification. As we already noted, the updated Pixel is slightly smaller in size because it has a 6.3-inch display rather than a 6.4-inch one. Additionally, it has a smaller 8.7mm profile. It weighs just under 200 grammes, which is a bit much for a device of this size. The Pixel 7 feels a little top-heavy, so we speculate that the camera strip adds to its weight.

When we look at the sides, we can see that Google chose to stick with the slightly rounded frame rather than the more popular flat design. It takes some getting used to because, once more, the power button is located higher than the volume rocker and we found ourselves pressing the volume up button far too frequently. To readily distinguish the power button from the volume rocker, we only wish it had a different tactile surface or was significantly bigger.

The USB-C port is located at the bottom, in-between the two speaker grilles. The secondary speaker is situated in front of the earphone grille.

The front design is very conventional with tiny top and side bezels, a bottom lip that is slightly broader, and a cutout in the centre for the front-facing camera. The earpiece grille is quite small and also quite broad. The metal frame completely encircles the display; there are no rounded corners.

The location of the fingerprint reader on the front is excellent. It makes no sense to put one so close to the bottom edge of a smartphone, especially one as small as the current models. The Pixel 7 gets it right by placing the button closer to the centre of the screen, where your thumb usually rests.

The phone feels excellent and high-end overall, is quite simple to hold because of its size, and isn’t quite as slippery as you might imagine. The dust accumulation around the camera strip and the rather irritating ridge where the back panel joins the side frame are our only complaints. Although we shouldn’t worry over it, we do believe that a high-end phone need to be held to a higher standard. Furthermore, it is reasonable to criticise ridges and uneven surfaces on a gadget of this class.

Display

The Google Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch OLED display with a 1080 x 2400 resolution and a refresh rate of up to 90Hz. The Pixel 7 delivers a modest but nonetheless noticeable improvement over its predecessor, especially in terms of brightness, despite the fact that the Pro model has a more advanced LTPO OLED screen.

On the other hand, nearly all of the Pixel 6’s rivals have switched to 120Hz displays, and 90Hz is now barely adequate for a flagship phone. Admittedly, for some people, the feature is not a deal-breaker.

Additionally, the display complies with the HDR10+ standard, which is compatible with Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube. During HDR10+ video playback, Google claims that the panel can attain a maximum brightness of 1,400 nits on a tiny screen area.

The screen reached a maximum brightness of 460 nits in manual mode and 974 nits in automatic mode during our standard testing procedure. This comes close to the claimed 1,000 nits and represents a rise of more than 100 nits from the previous generation. Additionally, it’s plenty to rank the Pixel 7 right up there with the top and even slightly outperform comparable devices.

Color accuracy

Additionally, even in the default colour option, colour fidelity is excellent. With whites and greys actually being whites and greys, the average dE2000 was only about 2.8. There was absolutely no colour tint.

An extra colour setting called Adaptive colour changes the colour scheme to match what’s on the screen right now. We only obtained an average dE2000 of 1.3 in that mode.

HRR Control

The Pixel 7’s HRR control is rather straightforward: when you touch the screen, the refresh rate increases to 90Hz; when you let the display go unused for a short period of time, the system tones down to 60Hz. I’m done now. Even in video players and streaming apps, the refresh rate is kept at 90 Hz, but since you are not touching the screen while watching a video, the refresh rate drops to 60 Hz.

If you wish to conserve battery life, a toggle in the Display settings limits the refresh rate to 60Hz. However, based on our own experience, the battery life difference between 60Hz and 90Hz refresh rates should be minimal.

Battery life

This is one of the few times when a lower battery capacity (4,355 mAh vs. 4,614 mAh in the Pixel 6) hasn’t had a negative impact on battery life. In actuality, the reverse is true. It it be due to the processor, display, software, or a combination of those factors, but the Pixel 6 is outperformed by this smartphone in terms of efficiency.

The Pixel 7 improves the endurance rating from 86 to 96 hours thanks to outstanding video playback and fantastic web browsing. The Pixel 6’s weaknesses are in the calls and standby tests.

Although smaller batteries typically perform worse in our standby test, this is to be expected. Furthermore, most of us use the phone at least a few times per day, so being on standby isn’t really necessary.

The Pixel 7 is doing fairly well in comparison to its rivals. The majority of smartphones, especially premium models, in the 6.0-inch display category don’t have the longest-lasting batteries. The Sony Xperia 5 IV and the Asus Zenfone 9 are the only devices that can match the Pixel 6 in terms of performance. If you dig a little deeper into the results, you’ll see that the Pixel 7 performs similarly in the screen-on testing but performs better in the standby component.

charging speed

Although Google’s Pixels have historically been a little slow to charge, the Pixel 7 is at least marginally quicker than its forerunner. However, the lesser battery is probably to blame for that. The Pixel 7’s 20W Power Delivery standard is simply too slow to be competitive today. Even the relatively slow Galaxy phones cannot keep up with the Pixels.

It takes a ridiculous 1 hour and 40 minutes to fully recharge from 0%, whereas a 30-minute charge would return 48%. Fair enough, the 30-minute charge goes by very quickly, which explains why the gadget was a little warmer than we would have liked until about 60%. Then, as charging slowed, the smartphone significantly chilled.

Speaker’s

The Pixel 7 has two stereo speakers with the customary placement of one at the bottom and another at the top that also serves as an earpiece. The one that is located behind the earphone grille is typically a little quieter.

The Pixel 7 received a “Good” score of -26.2 LUFS on our loudness test, which is about the same as the result for the Pixel 6. It’s generally safe to infer that the Pixel 7 uses the speakers from the Pixel 6 from a year ago given the similar sound quality. It’s actually rather decent for a phone of this size, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing. At loud settings, distortion is barely audible, the bass is somewhat strong, and the vocals are clear. Though not at the level of an iPhone, it is arguably a little superior to Samsung’s Galaxy S22 phones.

Software

The lack of cumbersome customizations and overlays and the clean, unburdensome Android experience are two of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro’s main selling features. exactly how Google had intended. However, this does not imply that the Pixel 7 Pro lacks any unique features. Actually, the reverse is true. In order to differentiate its products from the competition, Google has limited certain features to Pixel devices only.

The Pixel 7 is, of course, running Android 13, which brings us to the following significant benefit: updates. The business guarantees at least three years of major Android upgrades and five years of security fixes for its Pixel phones, which deliver the fastest Android updates on the market.

You will quickly feel at home if you are familiar with the standard Android appearance. The notification shade’s quick toggles are now pill-shaped, however there is still no toggle for the automatic screen brightness.

Support for theming, including for the icons, is one of the most significant new features of standard Android. These days, music players also adapt their appearance to the album image. Last but not least, swiping up from the home screen exposes the app drawer and keyboard for a quick search; however, you can turn off the auto keyboard functionality if that’s not how you prefer to use your app drawer.

Speaking of music, if you have the right headphones, Android 13 offers native support for spatial audio. The same is true with Bluetooth LE Audio, which enhances quality, provides connections with shorter latency, and allows broadcasting to several devices.

But those are characteristics of other Android 13-powered devices. Google made the choice to emphasise “smarts” in order to stand distinct. Some people even refer to the Pixel as “the smartest smartphone out there,” and they might have a point. The majority of the features make use of Tensor G2 SoC-based machine learning techniques. Although the SoC doesn’t seem particularly amazing on paper, it actually boasts a quite potent NPU.

Speech and calling are two of the most intriguing features. For instance, call screening enables Google’s voice assistant to answer the call and even informs you of its contents. The assistant will translate all alternatives listed on the screen by the robot when you call a service or business that asks you to make choices using the dial pad. There is no need to guess or memorise items from the voice menu. If you phone the company during a busy time, the dialer may even advise calling at a different time.

Another choice is call captions. During a class or meeting, you are not need to speak in order to answer a call. You can respond by typing as the AI transcribes what the person on the other end is saying. What you type will be read aloud to the caller by the voice assistant. Unfortunately, many of these services, like Call screening, are only available in specific regions and languages. The best aspect is that none of these capabilities need an internet connection because the Tensor G2’s NPU handles all the computational work locally.

We must highlight the stated noise-suppression feature during phone calls while we are still talking about calls. When you’re in a busy area, the other person can hear you more clearly, and the Tensor G2 can reduce background noise on the other end of the call that enters your ear.

The ability to transcribe a whole real-world conversation with speaker identification even when the phone is in your pocket is one of the other AI-based features. It’s a feature that the audio recorder app already has. For English speakers, it works incredibly well, and journalists or anyone who frequently record voice memos would find it useful. Additionally, the app has a search feature that may be used to locate particular conversational passages.

The long-standing “Now playing” feature is, of course, a part of the Pixel 7 Pro’s audio recognition capabilities. The built-in Shazam-like capability may surprise newcomers, but former Pixel users will be familiar with it. Simply flip a switch in the Sound settings menu, and the phone will start to listen for music nearby and display the track name on the lockscreen or Always-on display. If it is unable to identify the track, Google’s audio search will be used.

The AI can also instantly extract text and images. You will notice two buttons in the recent applications menu: a screenshot button and a “Select” button. Once you tap it, you may choose anything from the screen—even text that is contained in an image—and copy, share, or select it. Even photos can be extracted utilising this feature. It’s interesting to note that the choice is likewise operable with a tap and hold in the built-in recent apps menu.

Machine learning algorithms make it simple to correct blurry photographs in the Google Photos app, which is still the default gallery app. Let’s simply say that the results may vary from person to person.

It is said that the NPU is utilised to enhance the built-in face unlock. The latter, which makes use of a normal selfie camera, is nevertheless unreliable in dimly lit areas or when one half of your face is hidden. However, under perfect circumstances, it continues to be incredibly quick.

Speaking of quick, the fingerprint reader can still leave you wanting. Although it represents a significant advancement over the Pixel 6 generation, it is still noticeably slower than alternative optical fingerprint reader technologies. And the disparity is considerably greater when compared to ultrasonic fingerprint sensors. But don’t misunderstand us; the fingerprint reader is fairly quick. Simply said, we anticipated more from a high-end tablet like the Pixel 7. Additionally, we saw that even if there were still a few more tries left, the system would request us for a PIN input after a second unsuccessful attempt at unlocking. We would prefer the PIN input to appear only after all attempts have been made because it is a little bothersome.

The standard Android performed identically. There were no lags, hangs, or slowdowns that we could detect. During the time we had it, the equipment operated quickly and without a hitch.

Performance and benchmarks

The second-generation in-house Tensor chip, which powers the Google Pixel 7 series, was developed by Google’s engineering team and specifically for the Pixel. It was created in collaboration with Samsung and is produced in Samsung’s facility that makes 5nm 5LPE chips.

The Tensor G2’s CPU has the same basic setup as its predecessor (2+2+4 layout), which is still somewhat rare in the market. New mid-tier cores, Cortex A78 instead of A76, and cores clocked at 2.35GHz rather than 2.25GHz are among the modifications for this year. The speed of the high-performance X1 cores has been slightly increased from 2.80GHz to 2.85GHz. The 4xCortex-A55 at 1.8GHz quad-core efficiency-focused cluster is still in operation.

The Mali-G710 MP7 is the new GPU, which promises improvements in the graphics field over the model from last year. However, the Mali-G710 MC10 designation in the Dimensity 9000 has three fewer MP7 designations, and in this case, fewer cannot be better (not to mention the P vs. C discrepancy).

Google promises a significantly better Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), which is capable of some serious number crunching when it comes to AI-related activities, even though the CPU enhancements appear to be incremental on paper. Here, compared to the Tensor G1 TPU from last year, the camera and machine learning algorithms operate around 60% faster. The new TPU might be the only thing that makes some of the noteworthy features that we discussed in the software section viable.

Here is how the Pixel 7 Pro compares to competitors using the most recent chips from Samsung, Qualcomm, and MediaTek after we performed the customary suite of benchmarks on it.

The Tensor G2 is not a slouch, as you can see from the results, but it is also lagging behind the current competition. Sincere to say, Google Pixel phones have never consistently performed well in artificial benchmarks. Anecdotally, we can say that the Pixel 7 is wonderfully smooth to operate, therefore benchmark results may not be completely accurate.

Sustained Performance

The Pixel 6 series from last year had a little bit of a problematic heat management problem, but later upgrades mostly fixed it. Additionally, we discovered that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro both struggled under heavy workloads for extended periods of time.

WImage credit: GSMArena.come were pleasantly surprised that none of those problems existed with the Pixel 7.

Even if it’s still not very spectacular, the Pixel 7 in particular exhibits a significant improvement in sustained load scenarios compared to its predecessor. In the first 30 minutes of the test, the CPU throttled down to about 70% of the theoretical maximum performance, and the graph occasionally displays abrupt spikes.

The CPU Throttling test took an hour to complete, although there was little difference in overall performance. Throughout the whole test, the system maintained 70% of its maximum performance. The chassis doesn’t become very hot, which is another thing we noted. Although it is warm, far worse has been witnessed.

In terms of the GPU stress test, we obtained less-than-ideal but still passable results. Over the length of 20 loops of 3DMark’s Wild Life Stress Test, the GPU maintained roughly 68% of its potential performance, similar to the CPU.

Camera

The Pixel 7 builds on the significant camera advancements that the Pixel 6 introduced. First off, the primary camera is the same as the one from the previous year. There should be some improvements in overall photo quality and processing, even if the Pixel 7 appears to have the exact same camera system as its predecessor on paper.

The Samsung GN1 sensor, which has a 1/1.31″ optical format and a 4-to-1 conversion ratio to reduce its nominal 50MP resolution to 12.5MP pictures, is most likely the sensor used in the primary camera. The lens’s 82-degree field of vision, as specified by Google, roughly equates to a 25mm equivalent focal length, although the EXIF data indicates 24mm, and the crop factor of the sensor also indicates that. It has a stabilised lens.

Because numbers are no longer important, the ultra-wide camera continues to generate 12.5MP images with the same sensor specifications as its predecessor: 12MP, 1.25mm pixel pitch (thus 1/2.9″ optical format). And unlike the Pro, the plain 7 keeps its 114-degree field of view and lacks autofocus. The 7 Pro has a 126-degree field of view. There are therefore no changes from the ordinary Pixel 6 in the ultrawide category.

The selfie camera is now listed as having a 10.8MP sensor and a 92.8° field of view, which sounds remarkably similar to the former 11.1MP sensor and 94° field of view unit that has been slightly reduced. You would, however, receive 10MP selfies since, as we’ve already demonstrated, all of the numbers are fictitious. We would claim that the f/2.2 aperture lens’s absence of autofocus is no longer acceptable.

This camera app, which was completely redesigned for the previous generation, is now mostly unchanged from the prior year. The placement option, which enables you choose whether to save photographs or videos to the Photo Gallery or the Locked Folder, has been assigned to a long press on the gallery shortcut adjacent to the shutter release. The Settings cog is located in the upper left corner of the main viewfinder.

The “Camera” photo mode is the default setting for the camera app. Night Sight, Motion, Portrait, Camera, Video, and Modes, which gives you access to the Panorama, Photo Sphere, and Google Lens modes, are the shooting modes, from left to right. Translate, Text, Search, Homework, Shopping, Places, and Dining modes are available in Lens.

A number of sliders for white balance, shadow, and light will appear when you tap someplace in the viewfinder. If you’d rather, you can turn them all off. The ability to take RAW photographs is available, but you must first specifically enable it in the settings. There is no setting or mode that will force the Pixel 7 to photograph at the sensor’s natural 50MP resolution, just like last year.

The same shooting settings are available in the Motion camera mode that was first offered in the previous generation, which is still in beta. A fast-moving subject can be captured with Action Pan by using the phone to track it while blurring the background. The reverse is a long exposure: you squeeze the shutter to capture something moving swiftly, like a train or car trail lights, while the background is kept clear.

Daylight photos

Main camera

The main camera on the Pixel 7 performs admirably during the day, as one would anticipate. It is dependable and predictable. Predictable here refers to the fact that it does the standard Pixel preocessing in photographs. The stills are then processed in a way that emphasises textures and even the smallest elements in the scene. The tone curve sometimes results in shadows that are a little bit darker than we would like, but because that is a characteristic of the overall “Pixel appearance,” we don’t mind.

Without needing to touch them, colours are vibrant and presentable, perfect for Instagram. However, we cannot argue that the saturation is excessive. It brings to mind the way that the Samsung Galaxy handles colour. With the exception of the before mentioned shadows, dynamic range is likewise excellent. Those can be a little dark, but not to the point where the scene is ruined.

2X Zoom

The Pixel 7 doesn’t have a true telephoto camera, but the daytime 2x crop zoom examples from the main camera are good nonetheless. The improved Super Res technology, which enhances the clarity of digital zoom photographs, is something Google is really proud of. While the Pixel 7 settles for Super Res in 2x mode, the Pixel 7 Pro has a wider range. We observed no upscale artefacts or a significant decrease in sharpness as a result of the crop.

That is not to imply that other products on the market are not equally effective. We want to demonstrate that even without a 2x optical zoom camera, the Pixel 7 performs admirably.

However, due to hardware limitations, the Super Res feature on the stock 7 is restricted. The 7 Pro, for instance, stacks up anything between 2x and 5x zoom by using the focal point of the telescopic lens plus data from the primary sensor. Additionally, the Pixel 7 lacks a telephoto lens.

Ultra-wide camera

A good overall quality is provided by the ultrawide camera without excessive edge softness, colour fringing, or noise. The photographs show a considerable deal of fine detail and are appropriately crisp for an ultrawide camera. The processing of the ultrawide and primary cameras, including exposure, dynamic range, colour reproduction, and white balance, did not show any appreciable differences. We appreciate the overall constancy that the two cameras provide.

Unfortunately, there is no macro option or autofocus on the ultrawide, thus some close-up photographs may occasionally result in fuzzy subjects.

Low-light photos

Main camera

We’re not entirely sure how to move forward with our low-light testing approach in light of the development of the Night mode and the steadily rising popularity of its automatic use in the default photo mode. We found that the Auto Night Sight on the Pixel 7 Pro generated results that were virtually the same as those from the dedicated Night Sight option. In all except the brightest circumstances when Auto Night Sight doesn’t engage, those are generally better results than what the Camera mode can produce (explicitly – we can never be too sure what’s going on). As a result, we will use Night Sight photographs as the “default,” however we will also present samples without it.

Now that that is out of the way, we can state with confidence that the low-light samples, regardless of mode, are excellent. The dynamic range could have been larger because, once more, the shadows are a little darker than some would want and the highlights could use a little better processing. However, the noise, contrast, and colours are all perfect. While overall sharpness, clarity, and detail are flagship-worthy, the white balance tends to favour a warmer hue.

The Pixel 7 attempts to maintain a more natural appearance with darker shadows, in contrast to the competition, which frequently opts for brighter overall photographs throughout the night. In this way, the photographs won’t appear too manipulated or if they were created for a video game. Some could counter that brighter low-light photographs are more attractive.

Even though there is hardly any difference between the Night Sight and the regular Camera mode, there are circumstances where the Night Sight may be useful. In those situations, the Night Sight setting enhances the shadows, provides a hint of sharpness, and stacks all the frames quickly. It moves fairly quickly.

Additionally, you may switch to the maximum exposure time while in Night Sight mode via the toggle on the viewfinder, however we hardly notice a difference between the maximum exposure time and the usual one. Unless, of course, it’s very dark outside.

2X zoom

With the exception of a few samples where we saw a lot of noise, the 2x zoom at night is surprisingly good. Overall rendering is still identical to the 1x mode of the main camera, and we had a very difficult time distinguishing any difference between Night Sight and the regular Camera mode. A lot of pixel-peeping is necessary to detect the difference.

Ultra-wide camera

After dusk, the Pixel 7’s ultrawide camera performs satisfactorily but isn’t particularly stunning. It can resolve a respectable amount of detail, sharpness is acceptable for ultrawides, the dynamic range is sufficient, and noise is often controlled. Unless, of course, it’s pretty dark where you are.

For low-light ultrawide pictures, we advise turning on the Night Sight since it reduces noise and enhances colours in some circumstances.

Portrait mode

Two magnifications are used by the Pixel 7 Portrait mode, both of which are taken with the primary camera. Although they are marked as 1x and 2x in the Portrait mode viewfinder, if you match their field of view in Camera mode, they actually correlate to something like 1.6x and 3x. Additionally, if you hit the 2x zoom in Camera mode and then go to Portrait mode, the phone will only be zoomed in by 1.3x (which will match the FoV of the 2x in Camera mode).

All of this is a part of the Pixel phone’s (and no other, that we can think of) otherwise most gratifying habit, which is to keep the magnification you were using rather than defaulting to 1x whenever you go between modes. It might make sense if seen from that angle and using the consistency argument. However, the fact that the fields of view for the zoom levels in Portrait mode differ from those in Camera mode for the same ‘x’ designation still disturbs us.

Selfie camera

With the allegedly 10.8MP sensor capturing 10MP photographs at two zoom levels—the native 0.7x and what must be a crop-and-upscale-and/or-super-res 1.0x zoom level—there is also some crazy zoom action on the selfie camera.

You can take a good selfie in the correct lighting conditions, and by “ideal,” we mean outside on a bright sunny day. A strong illumination behind the individual will cause their face to appear soft. Again, sharpness suffers if the selfie is taken inside. Certainly in comparison to other premium flagship phones. At least, you can anticipate that your face will always be properly illuminated without the background being clipped, thanks to good HDR. Although the colours are fantastic, the detail may use some improvement.

Video recording

The Pixel 7’s cameras are all capable of filming videos in 4K@60fps, but there isn’t an 8K option. We don’t hold Google responsible because 8K recording is yet underdeveloped for smartphones. It’s really more of a tech exhibition. At least for the time being. The three cameras can all use stabilisation.

There is not much to fault about the outstanding 2160p@30fps video below. It offers a broad dynamic range, loads of colour, great detail, and no background noise. The crispness and contrast are excellent.

Verdict

The Pixel 7 is unquestionably among the top choices in the €600–700 price bracket. It is one of the best smartphones for mobile photography, if not the best-in-class, and has bright OLED, great-sounding stereo speakers, long battery life (keeping the size category in mind), and exceptional software ensuring timely updates and smart features. It has a flagship-worthy performance, albeit a little lower than you’d expect.

Sadly, there are a few restrictions to take into account. Some of the most cutting-edge software features are region-dependent, there is no true telephoto camera, the display can only run at 90Hz, and the charging system is simply too antiquated for a 2022 flagship release.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the best smartphones produced by Google overall, and that is significant in this context. Google has a history of botching smartphone releases. The Pixel 7 is thankfully not one of those occasions.

So, would we suggest it? Undoubtedly, yes! The Pixel 7 is the smartest smartphone on the block for that price because it combines an ultra-premium camera experience with lengthy battery life and AI-based capabilities.

Pros and Cons