{"id":10811,"date":"2022-10-14T19:07:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T17:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/plus.maciejpiasecki.info\/index.php\/2022\/10\/14\/google-pixel-7-review-the-android-phone-for-everyone\/"},"modified":"2022-10-14T22:14:46","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T20:14:46","slug":"google-pixel-7-review-the-android-phone-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/plus.maciejpiasecki.info\/index.php\/2022\/10\/14\/google-pixel-7-review-the-android-phone-for-everyone\/","title":{"rendered":"Google Pixel 7 Review: The Android Phone For Everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Google Pixel lineup has never been an incredible success for Google. It was recently uncovered that Google has only sold 27.6 million units since the Pixel\u2019s inception in 2016. However, the number of phones sold have been jumping each year. In May it was reported that Google sold 1.2 million units in 2021, that\u2019s up from around 200,000 from the year before. So Pixel is growing, but is the Pixel 7 the pinnacle for Google? Is this where the Pixel finally really starts to make Samsung and Motorola scared? Let\u2019s find out.
\nTable of contents
\nHardware & Display
\nBattery
\nPerformance
\nCamera
\nSoftware
\nVerdict
\nGoogle Pixel 7 Review: Hardware & Display
\nLast year, Google unveiled a new redesign with the Pixel 6. Finally getting away from the design that it has basically had since the Pixel 2. It morphed over the years, but the design was mostly the same all these years, up until the Pixel 6. That\u2019s where Google introduced the camera bar that goes across the top of the back of the phone. Well, now in 2022, Google is refining that design. And dare I say, it looks even better.<\/p>\n

So Google actually showed off the Pixel 7 series at Google I\/O back in May. So we knew what the phone was going to look like back then. Including the new redesigned camera bar. I wasn\u2019t a fan of the camera bar at first. I preferred the Pixel 6 camera bar which was all glass. Whereas the Pixel 7 is metal with cut outs for the cameras and the flash. Now that I\u2019ve seen it in person and used it for a week, I love it.
\nThe back is curved a little bit, making it easier to hold in the hands. The sides and the camera bare are also matte. Which is something I wish Google had used on the Pixel 7 Pro. So it does feel and look better in the hands than the Pixel 7 Pro does.<\/p>\n

The back and front are using Gorilla Glass Victus, which should keep it from getting destroyed as easily. But that does typically mean the glass is a bit softer, so keep that in mind for scratches. The Pixel 7 still has a flat display, and the edge is a bit sharp. Nowhere near as sharp as the iPhone has been in recent years. And if you pop on a case for it, you\u2019ll be just fine.
\nNow that display. It\u2019s a FHD+ 90Hz AMOLED display, and it looks amazing. It\u2019s 90Hz, which is a step down from the Pixel 7 Pro and most other Android phones. But it\u2019s still faster than the 60Hz that the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus use, which starts at $799 \u2013 $200 more than the Pixel 7. This display is amazing. It\u2019s vibrant, and very contrasty. It is not quite as bright as the Pixel 7 Pro\u2019s display, but it\u2019s still plenty bright for outdoor viewing. I\u2019ve had no issue using it outdoors on sunny and overcast days.
\nGoogle Pixel 7 Review: Battery
\nIf you look at the specs of the Pixel 6 versus the Pixel 7, you\u2019ll notice that the battery is actually smaller this year. It went from a 4614mAh battery in the Pixel 6 to a 4355mAh battery in the Pixel 7. About a 5% decrease in capacity. But you also can\u2019t forget that the Pixel 7 is also smaller this year, compared to the Pixel 6. Which is why it is important not to put a lot of faith into specs like that.
\nThe Pixel 6 sported a 6.4-inch display, while the Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch display. Going from dimensions of 158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm to 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7. So it\u2019s smaller in every aspect. Meaning a smaller battery was needed here.
\nSo how good is that 4355mAh capacity battery? As it turns out, pretty good. I was able to squeeze over 8 hours of on screen time on this phone a couple of times. And hit 7 hours pretty consistently. Now one of the battery life cycles shown below is in the 6 hour frame, and I believe that was mostly due to how much I used the camera that day. I used it a lot to shoot pictures of the changing leaves, since it is fall now. And naturally, the camera does use a good amount of battery.
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It\u2019ll get you through a full day without any issues. And for some lighter users, you may even get two days out of it. But then there\u2019s the charging. Google has been very conservative with charging speeds for quite some time now, and it\u2019s rather unfortunate. The Pixel 7 charges at 21W wired and wireless. That\u2019s pretty decent for wireless charging, but pretty terrible for wired. I used the OnePlus 10T a few months ago, which has 125W charging in the US, it can charge from empty to 100% in under 30 minutes. That\u2019s about how long it takes the Pixel 7 to go from empty to around 30%. That\u2019s a huge difference.
\nGoogle has battery life down, now they need to work on the charging speed.
\nGoogle Pixel 7 Review: Performance
\nLet\u2019s get this out of the way. Tensor G2 is not a powerhouse. It is not going to beat the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 or the A16 Bionic chipsets in benchmarks. The Tensor G2 was designed specifically for the Pixel 7, and therefore prioritizes what Google wants. Which is machine learning and AI. Don\u2019t get me wrong, the processor is plenty fast. I never noticed it really slowing down. And it really only got warm with long periods of using the camera or gaming. Which is the case on basically every phone.<\/p>\n

But many are wondering why benchmarks are so low on the Tensor G2, and well, that\u2019s why. It\u2019s not as fast as a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Because Google is looking to make a great overall experience, and not the fastest possible chip.
\nThere\u2019s 8GB of RAM paired with the Tensor G2 here, which is pretty decent. Of course, more RAM would always be better. I did notice that some apps were taken out of memory and had to be reloaded when I reopened them. And this happened a bit more often then on the Pixel 7 Pro, which does have 12GB of RAM. If that\u2019s something that will annoy you, then you may want to look at the Pixel 7 Pro.
\nGoogle Pixel 7 Review: Camera
\nIf you have ever used a Pixel phone before, then the camera here won\u2019t be a big surprise to you. It takes some incredible looking images, and with its computational photography, it does have some neat tricks up its sleeve. Like the new Photo Unblur feature, which is exclusive to the Pixel 7 right now. This works on any photo, even ones that Google Pixel did not take. Essentially, it can unblur faces in the image. The one caveat here is that the face does need to sorta be in focus. It can\u2019t be totally blurry. It\u2019s not a magic fix for those old photos, as expected.<\/p>\n

The camera on the Pixel 7 is basically the same as the Pixel 7 Pro, with the only features missing being Macro and the Telephoto lens. That means that you don\u2019t get the 5x, 10x or 30x zooms here. It only goes to 2x. Technically, you can zoom in further, but it only offers 0.7x, 1x, and 2x stops in the camera app. There\u2019s also no macro here, which is annoying since it has the hardware \u2013 it uses the ultrawide sensor \u2013 but Google needed more reasons for you to buy the Pixel 7 Pro.
\nPortrait mode, which is still one my favorite modes on a Pixel camera right now, has also improved since the Pixel 6 series. Noticing that it does a much better job with edges. Though it still has trouble with the edges of my glasses, when taking a selfie. Which is the case with just about every phone.
\nBelow, we have posted a ton of photos taken with the Pixel 7. And since it\u2019s fall, many of them are of the falling leaves.
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Google Pixel 7 Review: Software
\nThe Pixel 7 comes with Android 13 installed, which is what you\u2019d expect. Since that is the latest version of Android right now. Of course it does also come with a bunch of Pixel exclusive features, which we will be talking about here. If you want to see what\u2019s new in Android 13, you can check out guide here.
\nGoogle spent a good bit of time on the actual phone part of the Pixel this year. We have features like Call Screen and Direct My Call, which aren\u2019t really new. Call Screen has been around for a while, allowing you to screen calls when they come in. This is especially useful for telemarketers and scam callers. Direct My Call will show you the menu for automated calls. Say you called Comcast, and you need to press 1 to get to where you\u2019re going. Google will show you the entire menu on the screen, so you don\u2019t have to wait for the voice to tell you all the options. It\u2019s a very simple thing, but extremely useful. Direct My Call does not work for all businesses. But the big ones, it does.<\/p>\n

Continuing with phone calls, there\u2019s also Clear Calling. Basically, it\u2019s able to block out the background noise, and make it easier for those on the other end to hear you. This works well if you\u2019re in a club, or a noisy restaurant and get a call that you need to take. It\u2019s actually really useful, and done really well.
\nAnother favorite app of mine that is only on the Pixel is the Recorder app. I attend a lot of briefings ahead of products being announced, and other meetings, so having the Recorder app open and transcribing everything is so very helpful. And now, with the Pixel 7, the Recorder app is able to identify multiple speakers. It will label them, and later on, you can go back through and identify who Person 1 was and who Person 2 was. Making it even cleaner. Somehow this app continues to get even better.
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Google is also providing the Google One VPN for free to all Pixel 7 users, though it\u2019s not yet live. I have used it, since I get it with Google Fi and Google One already. And it works just like a regular VPN. Though it\u2019s worth noting that if you use sportsbetting apps like DraftKings or Fanduel, you will need to turn off the VPN first.
\nOtherwise, it\u2019s the usual Pixel experience that you have come to know on the Pixel 7. Google has also added the ability to see notifications from the Nest Doorbell in the At A Glance section. Ring doorbells will be supported soon.
\nFinally, Google is promising three years of Android updates and five years of Security updates. That means the Pixel 7 will get Android 14, 15 and 16, at the least. Google could also opt to keep it supported even longer.
\nGoogle Pixel 7 Review: Should you buy it?
\nThe Google Pixel 7 is the new default Android smartphone that everyone should consider. It\u2019s just $599 (or $699 if you\u2019re on Verizon, due to mmWave 5G). Which is super cheap for a flagship smartphone. Considering Apple\u2019s cheapest iPhone 14 model is $799, and Samsung\u2019s cheapest S22 model is also $799. Making it super competitive.
\nGoogle has checked just about every box with the Pixel 7 here. The only major drawback is really the charging speed. And if you\u2019re only charging at night, then it\u2019s not really a big deal.<\/p>\n

You should buy the Google Pixel 7 if:
\nYour phone is two years or older
\nYou don\u2019t want to spend a ton of money on a new phone
\nYou enjoy Google\u2019s take on Android
\nYou want a good camera in your pocket, but don\u2019t need telephoto
\nYou just need a phone that works
\nYou shouldn\u2019t buy the Google Pixel 7 if:
\nYou want a larger phone
\nYou want faster charging
\nYou want a faster refresh rate (120Hz is available on the Pixel 7 Pro)
\nYou can also check out review on the Pixel 7 Pro here, to find out which one is the better option for you.
\nThe post Google Pixel 7 Review: The Android Phone For Everyone appeared first on Android Headlines.
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\nSource: ndroidheadlines.com <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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