Google’s best phone for the year is the Pixel 7 Pro. It competes with the Galaxy S22 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro series, two of the best Android phones of 2022, for the title of best smartphone. At first glance, the Pixel 7 Pro may not seem like a significant improvement over the Pixel 6 Pro from 2021.
But it has been improved in many ways and fixes problems that plagued its predecessor. So, is it worth moving up to the Pixel 7 Pro from the Pixel 6 Pro? Or should you save money and keep using your Pixel phone from last year for another year? Find out by reading our comparison.
| Phone | Google Pixel 7 Pro | Google Pixel 6 Pro |
| Chipset | Google Tensor G2 | Google Tensor |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 128, 256, 512GB | 128, 256, 512GB |
| Display | 6.7″ QHD+ (1440×3120, 19.5:9) LTPO 120Hz, 1,500 nits peak brightness, Always-On Display, Gorilla Glass Victus | 6.7″ QHD+ (1440×3120, 19.5:9) LTPO 120Hz, 800 nits brightness, Always-On Display, Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Battery | 5003mAh, up to 30W fast charging, up to 23W wireless charging | 5003mAh, up to 30W fast charging, up to 23W wireless charging |
| Rear Cameras | 50MP f/1.85 primary (82° FoV w/OIS); 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide with autofocus (125° FoV); 48MP f/3.5 5x telephoto w/OIS; LDAF, Spectral and flicker sensor; 5x optical and up to 30x Super Res Zoom | 50MP f/1.85 primary (82° FoV w/OIS); 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (114° FoV); 48MP f/3.5 telephoto w/OIS; LDAF, Spectral and flicker sensor; 4x optical and up to 20x Super Res Zoom |
| Camera Features | Magic Eraser, improved Real Tone, Face Unblur, Macro Focus, Photo Unblur, Cinematic Blur, 10-bit HDR video | Magic Eraser, Real Tone, Face Unblur |
| Front Camera | 10.8MP f/2.2 (92.8° FoV, fixed focus) | 11.1MP f/2.2 (94° FoV, fixed focus) |
| Connectivity | 5G (mmWave supported in the US), Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Ultra-Wideband, Dual-band GNSS, Dual SIM (nanoSIM + eSIM) | 5G (mmWave supported in the US), Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Ultra-Wideband, Dual SIM (nanoSIM + eSIM) |
| Dimensions | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm, 212g, IP68 certified | 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, 210g, IP68 certified |
| Biometric unlock | Face unlock, in-display fingerprint scanner | In-display fingerprint scanner |
| Software | Android 13 | Launched with Android 12, currently running Android 13 |
| Software Support | Will receive OS updates until October 2025 and security patches until October 2027 | Will receive OS updates until October 2024 and security patches until October 2026 |
| Colours | Snow, Obsidian Black, and Hazel | Sorta Sunny, Cloudy White, and Stormy Black |
| Price | Starting at $900 | Started at $900 |
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Google Pixel 7 Pro vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Design and Build
Google first showed off the look of the Pixel 7 series at I/O 2022. Since then, it has released some teasers and videos that show how the phone looks. The Pixel 7 Pro looks almost the same as the Pixel 6 Pro, with a few minor changes.
This means the Pixel 7 Pro still has a camera strip that looks like a visor, but it now has a pill-and-dot cutout. And unlike the 6 Pro, the camera bar on the new Pixel is made of polished aluminium instead of glass. That’s good because the metal surface won’t get scratched as easily as glass.
As with the Pixel 6 Pro, the 7 Pro has a polished aluminium body with Gorilla Glass Victus panels on the front and back. This phone is also IP68 certified. When you put the Pixel 7 Pro next to its predecessor, you can see that it is a little bit shorter but more comprehensive. Many people find it hard to use the Pixel 6 Pro daily. The Pixel 7 Pro’s slight size change should help to some degree.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs. Pixel 6 Pro: Display
Both Pixel phones have 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz OLED displays that can stay on all the time. But Google seems to be using a Samsung display panel from a newer generation, saying that the Pixel 7 Pro’s screen is 25% brighter than the Pixel 6 Pro’s. That should be enough to make sure you can see what’s on the screen when you’re outside in the sun. The screens on the two phones are not curved, but the edges of the Gorilla Glass Victus are curved.
On the Pixel 7 Pro, Google uses a newer fingerprint scanner built into the screen. So the Pixel 6 Pro’s poor fingerprint performance, which has been a problem since last year, shouldn’t be a problem here.
Chipset and Connectivity: Google Pixel 7 Pro vs. Pixel 6 Pro
Google’s Pixel 7 Pro has a semi-custom Tensor chip, like the Pixel 6 series from 2021. The Samsung 4nm Tensor G2 has an octa-core CPU. It should be more efficient than Samsung’s 5nm Tensor chip. Google uses power-efficient “medium” Cortex-A78 cores.
Google’s second Tensor SoC prioritises AI and GPU performance over CPU power. The chip’s Mali G710-MP7 GPU improves graphics and Vulkan performance. The Tensor G2’s TPU is 60% quicker and 20% more efficient at ML tasks. The TPU powers Cinematic Blur, Photo Unblur, and other Pixel camera capabilities. Google says Pixel 7 Night Sight is twice as quick and takes clearer photographs.
Google’s pledge of three years of OS updates and five years of security patches for the Pixel 7 series is disappointing. Samsung promised to update its mid-range and flagship devices with four OS updates.
Poor Pixel 6 series connectivity is no secret. The original Tensor chip uses Samsung’s Exynos 5123 modem, which causes difficulties. Google may use a newer, more efficient Samsung modem on the Tensor G2 to remedy these issues.