Google Pixel 7 Pro review

Introduction

After last year's Pixel return to the flagship scene, 2022 brings more of an evolutionary upgrade to Google's phone lineup. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro come with the usual chipset upgrade, a camera tweak here or there, and a refined design, on top of a handful of software novelties.

Naturally, our eyes are drawn to the Pro more so than the vanilla, so we're starting our review journey with that one. One of the two key differences this year, looking at the spec sheet, is the new telephoto camera, which trades in the larger sensor size for a longer zoom reach - that doesn't immediately strike us as an entirely positive development, though the 5x zoom is appreciated.

The other new bit is the chipset. The tailor-made Tensor G2 comes with some new CPU cores and a new GPU, as well as who knows exactly how many under-the-hood improvements, but is still manufactured on a 5nm process, when competitors are at 4nm.

Physically, the handset is the same as last year, but also different. The camera strip on the back is still here and just as prominent, only now it's part of the aluminum frame and not a separate glass piece as last year.

And that's more or less what's changed for the 2022 Pixel Pro. Here are some of the important numbers before we get going.

Google Pixel 7 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 162.9x76.6x8.9mm, 212g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
• Display: 6.7" LTPO AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1440x3120px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 512ppi; Always-on display.
• Chipset: Google Tensor G2 (5 nm): Octa-core (2x2.85 GHz Cortex-X1 & 2x2.35 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G710 MC10.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
• OS/Software: Android 13.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 25mm, 1/1.31", 1.2µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 126˚, 1/2.9", 1.25µm, AF; Telephoto: 48 MP, f/3.5, 120mm, 1/2.55", 0.7µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom.
• Front camera: 10.8 MP, f/2.2, 21mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1", 1.22µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS, OIS, 10-bit HDR; Front camera: 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 23W, Fast wireless charging 23W, Reverse wireless charging, USB Power Delivery 3.0.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; stereo speakers; Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.

Google Pixel 7 Pro unboxing

The unboxing experience has remained the same as last year, when the charger went missing. Inside the white cardboard box, you're getting a USB-C cable and USB-A-to-C adapter for transferring data from your older phone (maybe an iPhone?).

It's only at this point that our Obsidian review unit was truly clean of smudges, but more on that on the next page.