Here’s Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, starting at $599 and $899

Google's Pixel 6 was a moment of rebirth. After several generations of trying — and mostly failing — to distinguish itself as a late-comer to the smartphone game, the device finally had a breakout season. Under a new guard, Google’s longstanding attempts to cut corners were out, and the company had finally delivered a premium product at a low price point.

No longer is it possible to make a name for a company based on its name alone. Flagship smartphones perform consistently well across the board. Manufacturers who want to drive sales must keep up with the Apples and Samsungs of the world. That goes double when you’re producing a budget version of the same product.

The Pixel 6 was a remarkable confluence of software innovations, premium hardware, and new first-party developments, such as the Tensor chip. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, announced at this morning’s Google Hardware event in Brooklyn, continue their predecessor’s breakthroughs. Given how massive a departure the 6 was from the 7, it ought not come as a huge surprise that the new models are a refinement of what worked about last year’s models.

The adjustments here mostly arrive by way of the camera system and the Tensor G2 — an upgrade from last year’s first Tensor chip, which contributes both to some of those imaging advances as well as security upgrades, among others.

Image Credits: Google

Design-wise, the 7 looks a fair bit like the 6, though the handset’s signature camera bar has been refined a bit — polished aluminum on the Pro and matte on the 7. The new models are made from around 19% recycled materials. They have glass backs and Gorilla Glass Victus fronts. They are IP68 dust/waterproof.

The Pixel 7 has a 6.3-inch 1080×2400 OLED display at 416 PPI and a 90Hz refresh rate. Its brightness is 1,400 nits. The 7 Pro is 6.7 inches at 1440×3120, with a 512 PPI pixel density and up to 1,500 nits of brightness. The 7 features a pair rear-facing cameras, a 50-megapixel wide angle camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. The Pro adds a 48-megapxiel Telephoto to the mix. Google:

The Pixel 7 front camera has the same features as the Pixel 7 Pro. This allows for better low-light photography and stunning 4K60 video. It also offers a wider field of view for group selfies. Cinematic Blur creates Hollywood-like videos. With Real Tone, all skin tones are represented beautifully and accurately – now in Night Sight and Po trait mode too. Photo Unblur improves your blurry pictures – new or old. Guided Frame is a tool that helps low-vision people take great selfies using audio and haptics. With Pixel camera favorites such as Motion Mode, Magic Eraser and Face Unblur, photos can match your vision.

The G2 chip powers some of the key camera upgrades, such as the Super Res Zoom on Pro and improved Night Sight and Face Unblur. It also brings long-awaited face unlock and the under-screen fingerprint scanner. While face unlock can be used for a number of different features, Google notes that it restricts use for some highly sensitive features, as it’s not quite as secure as fingerprint biometrics on the device. The handsets will also ship with VPN by Google One built in, for additional security, and the company is promising “at least” five years of security updates for the devices.

Image Credits: Google

Google rates both devices’ batteries at “over 24 hours.” The 7 has a 4355mAh on board, and the 7 Pro has a healthy 5000mAh. They can both get nearly half a full charge in 30 minutes, courtesy of the 30w USB-C fast charging (the charger itself doesn’t come in the box). The new “Extreme Battery Saver” mode, meanwhile, can boost life all the way up to 72 hours, per Google. Both offer Qi wireless charging and Battery Share to charge other devices.

The Pixel 7 has 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage. The Pro has 12GB RAM and 128,256, or 512GB storage. The 7 starts at $599, while the Pro starts at $899 (flagship-wise). They’re both up for preorder today and will start shipping later this month.