With the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional being out for practically a 12 months, Google is getting ready the Pixel 7. Google formally teased the Pixel 7 collection at its I/O convention this Might, and since then, anticipation has solely grown. The Pixel 7 is launching towards the tip of the 12 months and shall be Google’s reply to the iPhone 14.
Alongside Google’s official announcement, particulars in regards to the cellphone have trickled out over the previous few months, giving us a considerably clear have a look at what to anticipate. As with all leaks and pre-release info (even from the producer itself), take this with skepticism.
Fashions
As has been customary with all Pixel telephones besides the Pixel 5, Google shall be launching at the least two fashions of the Pixel 7. These shall be known as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional. They’ll share related designs to final 12 months’s Pixel 6 handsets, however with the standard spec upgrades scattered all through. It is a launch technique Google has often used for the Pixel collection. Final 12 months gave us the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional; earlier than that was the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, and so forth.
There are rumors making the web rounds that a third Pixel 7 model could potentially be launching alongside the 7 and the 7 Pro, but there hasn’t been much to support that. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro both received FCC IDs, but there wasn’t any mention of the mysterious third phone. If it does exist, it seems unlikely to launch alongside the two new Pixels. Instead, it could possibly be launched with separate marketing.
Design
The Google Pixel 7 is to inherit a lot of what Google built into the Pixel 6. It looks quite close to the Pixel 6, with the exception of slight changes to the camera visor or camera bar (or whatever you want to call it). This means the visor-like rear camera will thankfully remain a design fixture. Despite that, the two tone-design on the glass is sadly gone. In the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, there was a slightly different sheen of color above the camera bar that served to add a splash of color. With the 7 and 7 Pro, the camera bar adds that extra touch of color this time around.
For a company that moved away from a distinct design with the Pixel 4 and 5, to take ownership of such a striking look can only be a good thing for brand recognition. The Pixel 6’s design truly stands apart from other smartphones. Iterating on it means carving out a look. It’ll be a good choice if Google can keep it going.
Specs
Google is expected to be making some changes to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Notably, the screen size of the Pixel 7 is coming down to 6.2 inches. The Pixel 7 Pro is expected to go up a little and ship with a 6.8-inch display. When compared to the previous models, the Pixel 6 is slightly taller than the 7, as seen in an early hardware breakdown posted to YouTube by Unbox Therapy. The Pixel 7 Pro is much closer in size to its predecessor than the base model, but according to the video, it seems to sport a slightly slimmer vertical bezel than the Pixel 6 Pro. It’ll be a bit more like Apple and Samsung, which have gone to clearly demarcate their big phones from their regular phones. The Pixel 6 came in Large and Xtra Large sizes with no reasonably-sized option. The Pixel 7 is rectifying that error.
Inside, Google is expected to continue eschewing Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and keep working with its own in-house Tensor chips with 8GB of RAM and 12GB of RAM, as confirmed by the Unbox Therapy video. There have been reports of a Tensor 2 chip in the works, which Google has confirmed. While that would undoubtedly be more powerful, power is not the area where Google’s first Tensor floundered. The company’s choice of modem resulted in an inconsistent signal performance that has led to a deleterious effect on the battery, as shown by battery tests run by both GSMArena and DXOMark. Hopefully, the second-generation Tensor chip fares a bit better.
That said, questions have been raised about how much more powerful Google’s Tensor 2 would be. Analysis of a Pixel 7 Pro prototype that has been circulating from eBay has revealed that the chip would keep the same CPU core configuration as the last one. The GPU could still see upgrades, as could the image signal processor and custom Tensor Processing Unit, but the CPU performance gap between Tensor and Apple or Qualcomm’s processors isn’t expected to narrow.
Cameras
Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are expected to keep the same rear camera layout and specs as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, as detailed by a handful of leakers. This implies the Pixel 6 can have a 50-megapixel major digital camera and a 12MP ultrawide digital camera, whereas the Pixel 7 Professional will add a 48MP telephoto lens to the structure.
Google has achieved this earlier than with the Pixel 3, Pixel 4, and Pixel 5 all sporting the identical digital camera. To be clear, the {hardware} is sweet, and the digital camera expertise of each telephones is superb. The reasoning right here could possibly be the identical, with Google specializing in getting probably the most use of the digital camera {hardware} earlier than transferring on to newer ones.
Across the entrance, although, a brand new report claims the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Professional will each assist 4K video recording with their front-facing cameras. The report relies on variations of the Google Digicam app that comes bundled with all Pixel telephones. The Pixel 6 Professional additionally supported 4K video with its selfie digital camera, although the baseline Pixel 6 didn’t. Seeing how the Pixel 6 Professional used an 11MP selfie digital camera whereas the Pixel 6 received an 8MP one, we are able to safely assume the Pixel 7 and seven Professional will each get 11MP selfie sensors this 12 months.
Worth and availability
Google’s Pixel 7 is predicted to interrupt cowl on the firm’s annual #MadebyGoogle occasion in October. In keeping with the most recent info shared by reliable tipster Jon Prosser, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will be launching on October 6. The devices are expected to go up for pre-order on the same date, and they are touted to start shipping on October 13. All of these dates align with the historical Pixel release dates, so they are likely to be true.
As for pricing, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were aggressively priced, leading to Google making gains in the premium market (at least in North America). It would be wiser for the company to stick with the $600 and $900 starting prices rather than raising the prices to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung, both of which still retain substantial mindshare and ecosystem advantages over Google’s products.
Anything else?
Other Google Pixel-branded products expected to arrive this year are the Pixel Notepad and the Pixel Watch. Google also released the Pixel 6a, which it announced alongside the Pixel 7. While in the Pixel 7’s generation, it takes some design cues from the Pixel 7 and stands as a mid-cycle release for those who want the Pixel experience for less money.
As for the Pixel Watch, it will be coming with the Pixel 7 later this year. Google has yet to share pricing and availability on that, however. And for the Pixel Notepad — Google’s long-rumored foldable — it remains a mystery. Some people believe it could make a surprise appearance before 2022 is over, but we could also be waiting until 2023 (or later) before that shows up.
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