Google Pixel 7: Is this the Best Pixel Yet?

Google Pixel Phones always attract Android phones primarily because of the AI-powered camera brilliance that has no rivals in the class.

The Pixel 6 Series, however, marks the company’s brave move to incorporate a brand-new design, an iconic visor camera, and a refreshed interface.

The great news is Google decided to continue with these landmark developments in the Google Pixel 7 phone.

This blog will be the only guide that you need to go through to have a complete understanding of how this Google phone can be the device of your dreams.

Let’s start digging.

Price and availability

The price of the Google Pixel 7 in Australia starts from AU$ 571. Skyphonez offers exclusive deals on Google Pixel 7 and other phones from the 7 series including the Google Pixel 7a and Google Pixel 7 Pro. These devices are in excellent condition and are refurbished which makes them look like a new phone. 

If you are in the market looking for a reliable online store for buying new and refurbished Apple iPhones, Android phones, tablets, and other gadgets at the best market prices in Australia, then Skyphonez Australia is your go-to place to shop. 

You will avail of free home delivery across Australia along with the benefit of sourcing your device from a 100% Australian marketplace. You can get the best Google Pixel 7 price in Australia. This will save you money on flagship features.

Distinctive Design

Considering the design of modern flagship phones, that carry huge camera bumps at the rear, the Pixel 7’s design is a welcome change. If you ask us, it is one of the best smartphone designs at present.

The phone has an aluminium bar housing the rear camera. The bar stretches the width of the device. This time around, Google decided to swap last year’s plastic bar with the one made of aluminium, giving it a better-looking design. 

The phone is lighter than the Pixel 6. It weighs 6.9 ounces while the Pixel 6 weighs 7.3 ounces. The device is heavier than the iPhone 14 (6.1 ounces) and Samsung Galaxy S23 (5.9 ounces).

Another visible change to the design came in terms of a single colour for the camera bar and the rest of the body. Earlier models used to have a two-tone colour philosophy, with the bar having a slightly brighter colour than the body. Our honest opinion is that Google should have continued with the two-tone colour design.

And lastly, the edges are rounded which I like as I find it more comfortable to grab than the sharp edges that tend to offend the palms. If you want more options, then you may love to read our Pixel 7 vs Pixel 6a blog to find the better pick. 

Gorgeous OLED Display 

The Pixel 7’s screen is marginally smaller than the Pixel 6. You will get a 6.3-inch OLED display while the Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch screen. Of course, you have to place the two phones side by side to notice this tiny difference in sizes. The screen offers an adaptive 90 Hz refresh rate and not the 120 Hz that you will get with the Pixel 7 Pro. However, you will enjoy smooth scrolling no matter what you watch.  This is a Full HD+ screen with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels. 

One of the significant improvements over its predecessor is that it can reach a peak brightness of 1,400 nits which makes it extremely useable in sunlight. The brightness reaches 1000 nits while watching HDR videos. Google claims the phone has 25% better experience in the sun compared with its predecessor.

Signature Camera Power

Cameras remain the top-selling proposition for the Pixel 7. The improvements are not in terms of hardware, though. It offers the same camera set up as the Pixel 6; a 50 MP main camera and a 12 MP ultrawide camera. The phone misses a telephoto camera which is a Pro-only feature. The new Tensor processor makes the whole difference by improving Google’s Super Res Zoom capability to an 8x digital zoom.

The selfie camera offers big wins here. The 10.8 MP sensor brings a 92.8-degree field view while the Pixel 6’s selfie camera only has an 84-degree field of view. This essentially means you will be able to capture more people in the frame when taking group photos with friends and family. 

You will love the colour accuracy of the Pixel 7, especially in not well-lit scenarios. It reveals better and more natural-looking hues when compared to the Galaxy S22. As per Google’s claims, the Tensor chip boosts the Night Sight mode that allows the camera to capture photos in the dark twice as fast. This gives you the added advantage of taking great-looking low-light pictures when there is a chance of shaking hands that can pull in noise to the shots. 

Tensor Performance

The new Google Tensor G2 is a brilliant processor with powerful capabilities that power the enhanced photography features mentioned above. Google continues to rely on its own technology and the new processor takes on board the in-house built CPU that uses machine learning and AI to bring forward unique user experiences to its users. 

There is a new exciting tool for editing photos – Photo Unblur. It does an excellent jo of removing non-fancy background blurs that undermine the wow factor in your shots.

The best part is that you can use this tool to glorify not only the photos captured by the Pixel 7 phone but also those taken by other devices. As long as you have the photos inside the Photos app, you can edit them using the Photo Unblur feature.

It feels so good to have so many great and unique features thanks to the Tensor G2. Having said that, the silicon is not mature enough to fuel the ultimate phone experience. Just recently, the gap between this chip and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor has shrunk. But yes, the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor in the latest flagships has taken a wider lead.

Now finally, let us compare the Pixel 7’s performance to other phones with a 4K video transcoding test. While transcoding a 4K video to 1080p in the Adobe Premiere Rush app, the Pixel 7 took 47.6 seconds which is almost the same as the Galaxy S22, which took 47 seconds. The iPhone 14 crushed this test and completed the task in just 28 seconds. This shows the Pixel 7 is giving great competition to top Android phones in raw processing talents. 

Battery life and charging

Another area where the Pixel 6 failed to shine was its battery life. In our battery test — where phones are tasked with continuously surfing the web until they run out of power — last year’s Google phone finished roughly 90 minutes behind the average time for smartphones.

The battery is not very impressive, we regret to say that. While the Tensor G2 chipset promises improved power efficiency, the Pixel 7’s battery continues the Pixel phones’ trend of underperforming in this domain.

In terms of the battery capacity, the Pixel 7 cut it down, offering a 4355 mAh battery while the Pixel 6 has a 4614 mAh battery capacity. The processor has to do extra work to make up for the capacity shortage. In our tests, the battery struggles to perform the same way as other phones in the category.

With the 90 Hz refresh rate turned off, the battery managed to last over 7 hours before drying out. This is at least 3 hours short of the average we will find in the modern smartphones.

Software and support

The Pixel 7 is powered by Android 13 software which doesn’t embrace any significant upgrades. There are some minor improvements, though. You will get some permissions and privacy options that were not available in the Pixel 6. Google does a great job of showcasing what an Android phone should be like by offering a brilliant user experience. 

If you are looking for a phone that can last a couple more years then the Pixel 7 is a solid choice. Google has committed 5 years of security updates and 3 years of software updates. So, your long-term plans will dictate your decision to go with the phone or move away to another device that will last longer.

On general, Samsung is offering 4 years of Android updates for most flagship phones and some Galaxy A midrange devices. Also, OnePlus is pushing its software support to attract those users who like to stick with a phone for at least 4 to 5 years.

Conclusion

The cameras alone are great enough a reason to buy the Google Pixel 7. This is a solid phone that boldly faces the iPhone 14 and surprisingly enough, wins at some venues. When you consider the camera results, you will find it one of the best camera phones out there. Not to forget, the Tensor-powered features along with a bright and colourful display make it an even more compelling gadget to grab and brag about. Surely, the Pixel 7 is one of the least expensive phones in the category.