Google Pixel 7: Questions Answered
Pixel 7 is priced starting at Rs. 59,999 in India. However, with bank discounts and offers, you can grab it for as low as Rs. 49,999. In the US, the Pixel 7 will cost you $599, around the same as Indian pricing after discounts. Here’s our experience with the phone in form of answers to your queries.
Does Pixel 7 Come With a Charger Inside the Box?
Google did not provide a charger inside the box with the Pixel 7 or even Pixel 7 Pro. However, you do get a good quality Type-C to Type-C cable, SIM tray ejector tool, USB Type-C to Type-A OTG adapter, and some paperwork.
Does Pixel 7 Come With a Screen Protector or a Case?
Pixel 7 does not come with any screen protection applied to the phone at all. Not even the plastic screen protector that you see with other smartphones. The case is also absent from the box and you will have to buy a third-party case for Pixel 7.
How Different is the Design Compared to Previous Pixels?
The design is very similar to the Pixel 6 series smartphones including the Pixel 6a which launched in India earlier this year. Google did a very subtle change in the camera visor this time, the whole visor is not glass but metal. The visor is a part of the frame now and it looks much better than before in my opinion.
How is the In-Hand Feel of Pixel 7?
The Pixel 7 has a ‘golden’ form factor that fits all hand sizes which greatly improves one-hand usage. The smartphone feels pretty solid but the phone is a bit slippery even with the matte frame. Overall, one-hand usage is great and it actually feels like using a premium flagship smartphone.
Does Pixel 7 Look Premium?
The Pixel 7 has this matte finish all over the aluminum frame of the device including the camera visor. The back panel is divided into two but you won’t see a dual-color combination this time around. Both the back panels on the Pixel 7 are Gorilla Glass Victus so you don’t need to worry about scratches anytime soon. The back panel is curved on the sides but it’s not seamlessly flush with the frame.
Is Pixel 7 Waterproof and Durable Enough?
Yes, the phone comes with IP68 water and dust resistance which is similar to the Pixel 6 but better than the Pixel 6a. Pixel 7 comes with all the flagship design and build features that you expect. You get an Aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus at the front and on the back. The smartphone weighs 197 grams which is still a bit on the higher side as most base flagship models come under 180 grams.
What are the Display Specifications of Pixel 7?
Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ display, slightly bigger than the Pixel 6a but smaller the than Pixel 6. The display is AMOLED and comes a with 90Hz refresh rate. The panel supports HDR 10+ and 24-bit depth for 16 million colors. The peak brightness is 1400 nits, higher than the predecessors.
Is the Display Better than Pixel 6a?
In one word, yes and many words, there are a lot of things that Google forgot to put in the Pixel 6a display that you get on the Pixel 7. The very noticeable difference is that the bezels are very thin this time and look more even on all sides. Furthermore, it’s a fast 90Hz panel, compared to the 60Hz display on the Pixel 6a. It’s not as fast as 120Hz phones in the range, yet feels very smooth and responsive.
Should You Upgrade to Pixel 7 for the Display?
Overall, I would say that the display is a big upgrade over the Pixel 6a and you are going to feel it when you see both smartphones side by side. The panel is AMOLED this time and flaunts a high refresh rate which is a big change that you will feel when using the phone. The brightness has been increased and the display protection is also a big bump from Gorilla Glass 3 to Glass Victus.
Is Tensor G2 a Big Upgrade Over G1?
The new generation of Tensor G2 processors by Google is fabricated on a 5nm process (and not 4nm as rumored earlier). The SoC involves two performance Cortex-X1 cores clocked at 2.85GHz, two A78, and four A55 cores followed by a newer Mali-G710 MP07 GPU. Besides higher clock speeds, the Tensor G2 offers 2x faster Night Sight processing. Furthermore, the new Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) here is touted to offer improved power efficiency. Google claims it’s 60% faster in handling the camera and machine learning tasks and about 20% more power efficient. Instead of focusing on raw performance, Google has tried to give it an overall bump including AI performance enhancements, power efficiency, and better image processing. And even though the Tensor G2 doesn’t match the likes of Snapdragon 8Gen+ 1m the performance is still flagship grade and you can feel that during usage.
How Does Tensor G2 Compare to Tensor G1 and Snapdragon 8 Gen1 in Benchmarks?
Pixel 6a AnTuTu Score via 91Mobiles We ran a couple of benchmark tests and compared them to Tensor G1 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The benchmark results are quite similar when compared to the Tensor G1. But as you can expect, the scores of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 are much higher in AnTuTu and Geekbench 5.
You can check the images above for the AnTuTu and Geekbench benchmark score comparison between the Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro.
Does Pixel 7 heat up During Gaming?
The Tensor G2 processor may lag behind the current Snapdragon processor in Benchmarks but real-life performance is great. I played a match in Apex legends on Pixel 7 and the phone got mildly warm like any other flagship phone. But since the camera visor is metal this time, it gets hotter than the rest of the back.
How Many 5G Bands Does the Pixel 7 Support?
Pixel 7 comes with 22 5G Sub-6 bands: n1/2/3/5/7/8/12/14/20/25/28/30/38/40/41/48/66/71/75/76/77/78.
When Will 5G Arrive on Pixel 7 in India?
Google has confirmed that they are working with the Indian carriers to bring 5G support as soon as possible to the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel 6a in the country.
What’s New with the Camera Compared to Pixel 6a?
Google hasn’t changed much except for a new 50MP main sensor, which, coupled with Google’s advanced image processing algorithms produces some great results (camera samples attached). The ultrawide sensor is similar to Pixel 6 and 6a with a 114-degree wide angle. Another big change is in the selfie camera. Pixel 7 gets a 10.8MP sensor which is a big bump over the 8MP in Pixel 6 and 6a. This selfie camera is capable of 4k video recording but it still uses a fixed focus sensor. You get excellent photo captures, and can further find some pixel exclusive photo editing options in Google photos app to fine tune them.
What’s the Battery Size and Charging Speed?
The battery has actually shrunk down a bit compared to the Pixel 6. Pixel 7 packs in a 4355 mAh cell and come with 30-watt fast charging support. As for the battery life, we’ll test the device over the course of the coming days and see how it fairs with heavy use. You can fast charge the phone with any compatible PD charger on the market. When plugged into a 30W adapter, the phone takes about 32 minutes to charge from 0 to 50%. There’s also wireless charging support with reverse charging. While it’s not the fastest charging phone, we love the fact that it carries wireless charging prowess. And for the fact, Google’s 30W Power Delivery charger costs about Rs. 2199 in India.
Final Verdict
The Pixel 7 is a complete package in my opinion and so far I am getting very satisfying results from the phone except for the battery. I think the device is new and the backup will get better after some time. But if you want an upgrade over Pixel 6a just for the camera and performance then I will say you should stick to it till next year.
