After a long wait of almost three years, Google recently launched a flagship smartphone series in India. Well, the new Pixel 7 series is good news for all those Android lovers who had to move on to Samsung because of the lack of options and those Pixel loyalists who are still dearly holding on to their Pixel 3 series handsets!
For the uninitiated, the tech giant sells its mid-range Pixel 6A handset in India, which is now available at Rs 34,199. But photography enthusiasts looking for a flagship Pixel phone at a not-so-sky-high price can consider buying the new Google Pixel 7 that made a debuted in the Indian market at a price of Rs 59,999.
Did the Pixel 7 manage to crawl back into the hearts of the buyers, or is it just here for its five minutes of fame? Find out in my detailed review below.
A big phone with a striking design
Google had introduced its horizontal camera stripe and a dual-tone back with its Pixel 6A in India, but with Pixel 7, the company has fine-tuned the design, and it has just gotten better. The metallic aluminum stripe, polished edges and single-tone glossy back give it a quite refreshing look. In a market saturated with rectangular camera module designs, this one is bound to stand out. Because of the thoughtful design language, the phone doesn’t wobble, unlike so many other premium smartphones, when placed on a plane surface. It comes in White, Black and Lemongrass colour variants.
Although the handset looks like a stunner, but it is not exactly a goldilocks situation when it comes to the design. The silver stripe’s top edge is the house for dust and debris. But using the White colour variant helped as the fingerprint fest and the dust was not very visible.
Pixel 7 is just 197 gm in weight and although it is a tall phone (6.3-inch display), the slim edges (8.7mm) made it handier and more pocketable. As mentioned earlier, the phone has a glossy back, hence it can be a bit tricky to handle. Now, I am not as elegant as Daphne from Bridgerton, well quite the opposite to be honest, so my recommendation to those who are even slightly clumsy, is to throw in a back cover. As for the button placement, Google has tried to be the rebel kid by placing the volume rocker below the power button, which is quite the opposite in other phones. So, it might take time for you to get used to this design aspect.
For protection, Pixel 7 comes with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. Pixel 7 also bears the IP68 water/dust resistance rating, hence, it can survive a dunk in the pool!
The power button and volume button are placed neatly on the right edge of the phone. It comes with a Type-C port for charging and ditches the headphone jack, owing it to the trend.
As for the display, the bezels are slim, but not as sleek as you’d like them to be, especially the chin. Pixel series is yet to enter notch-ville hence, unlike others like Apple that has redefined the notch design also with its new “dynamic island”. With Pixel 7, you will still get a tiny punch hole camera placed at the top center of the display, not that I am complaining!
Overall, the smartphone is a head-turner with minor gripes.
Gorgeous display with a brand-new processor
Google Pixel 7 features a behemoth 6.3-inch display with Full-HD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels), HDR10+ support, and a 90Hz refresh rate. Although these are not the top-notch specs on paper when compared to Samsung Galaxy S22. It offers good colour accuracy and the refresh rate also makes it smooth. The smartphone offers remarkable brightness of up to 1400 nits.
As for the in-display fingerprint sensor, it is quite responsive, but I have seen quicker sensors on other phones.
Moving on to the processor, the smartphone is powered by the Tensor G2 chipset, the same as the Pro model. Now, the SoC offers great performance when it comes to tasks including switching between apps, endless scrolling on Instagram, playing Asphalt 9 or editing pictures or videos. The last smartphone that we saw did not perform well, but with Pixel 7, Google is finally putting money where its mouth is.
That said, don’t expect lightning-fast performance, but it will hardly matter once you start using the phone. The smartphone offers 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage, and that is all about it. The handset does not offer any expandable memory.
The Android 13 is just the cherry on top. With a few apps on home screen and rest in the app drawer, it is cleaner and uncluttered to use. And there is no bloatware, unlike many in the market that are stuffed with unwanted apps. With Material You, users can change the font size, colour theme and more on the phone which makes it even more fun!
Camera: One thing that will tip the scales
Let’s be honest, if you hear about a Pixel phone, the first thing that pops in your head is its camera! With the in-house Tensor G2 chipset, Google has proved that it means business. The Pixel 7 comes with a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera.
In broad daylight, the images captured are crisp and detailed with excellent colour accuracy. The camera takes gorgeous photos with superb dynamic range, without losing out on the details.
When compared to the Galaxy S22 camera, Pixel 7 produced far better sharp images than its competitor, which says a lot about the camera capability and software optimisation of the smartphone. But Galaxy S22 was one step ahead when it comes to colour balance. In my opinion, Pixel 7 tends to capture a lot of shadows and contrast.
So pleased to see that Google hasn’t lost touch! This applied to indoor lighting and portrait shots as well. The subject separation was impressive as well.
In low-lit environments, the camera manages to produce a good image, however, in some instances, I could notice fuzzy details. Since they are fairly bright and are colourful, these images too are passable for social media posting. The light exposure while capturing nighttime images were hit-and-miss, but in some pictures, the saturation was quite remarkable.
Google Pixel 7 has a few camera tricks up its sleeves this time, including the famous cinematic Blur for videos, talk about taking on Apple! In this mode, the video keeps the focus on the subject while blurring the background while recording a video, just like we see in portrait mode. This mode is definitely fun to use!
Battery: Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve been better
Google Pixel 7 houses a 4,355 mAh battery that supports 20W charging. Now, you won’t exactly struggle to get through the day, but it won’t be enough on a long day. Also, I’d suggest sitting near a plug point if you are playing a game or streaming videos for a long time. Better make sure to steer clear of the battery-hogging apps and features like 90Hz refresh rate, and always-on display to get the most out of it.
It is a good enough battery, but the charging capacity is slower than the competition like Galaxy S22 Ultra which supports 45W fast charging or the OnePlus 10T which comes with 125W charging speed. The battery department is something that I will consider a weak point for the Pixel 7.
Google does not offer an adapter in the box, instead, you will get a USB Type-A to Type-C adapter, and Type-C to Type-C cable.
Verdict: The moment of truth!
Google Pixel 7
With excellent camera capability, stunning design, Tensor G2 chipset and capable software at Rs 59,999, Pixel 7 is giving serious competition to the iPhone 14 and the Galaxy S22.
I’d easily recommend Pixel 7 for all Android users who want an affordable flagship phone with remarkable camera capability and are ready to compromise on the battery aspect.