In addition to the Google Pixel 7 Pro, its top-end flagship, Google will announce the Pixel 7 as well. Both of those phones are expected to launch in Fall 2022, and the phone already surfaced at the FCC and REL Canada. In case you’d like to know more about the Pixel 7 Pro, feel free to check out our preview. In this article, we’ll talk about the vanilla Pixel 7.
The Pixel 7 series, in general, won’t be that much different than the Pixel 6 series, at least from the design standpoint. The design is actually the first thing we’ll talk about in this preview, as that is the first chapter below. Following that, we’ll talk more about their specifications, and about the cameras, in a separate section. Last, but not least, the price and availability of the Pixel 7. So, let’s get started, shall we?
This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Google Pixel 7 (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Android smartphone. The last update was made on August 29, 2022.
Very familiar design
The Google Pixel 7 will look very similar to its predecessor. The phone’s CAD-based renders surfaced, and Google even shown off the phone’s design during Google I/O 2022 keynote. The device will be made out of metal and glass, while it will have a centered display camera hole. Its display will still be flat, as was on the Pixel 6. The camera visor on the back will be covered by metal this time around, differentiating the Pixel 7 from its predecessor.
The button layout will remain intact as well, all the physical buttons will sit on the right. The power/lock button will be placed above the volume rocker buttons, as that is the layout Google usually goes for. The color of the camera strip will extend to a part of the phone’s frame. Where the camera strip extends to, that’s where the black color will be as well.
Now, in regards to its glass back. Based on the renders Google shared during Google I/O 2022, some of you may expect soft-touch glass to be included on the back. Well, that won’t be the case. Google itself confirmed that. We’ll get a glossy back on the back, and not the matte glass from the Pixel 3 and 4 series devices.
Google may reshuffle rear camera sensor placement
Another thing you’ll notice is that the camera sensors are laid out differently inside that camera strip. A 3.5mm headphone jack is not present here, while a Type-C port sits at the bottom, along with the phone’s main speaker. At the top you’ll see the antenna for the mmWave 5G, some may confuse that for a pop-up camera. The phone may be a bit smaller than its predecessor, but we’ll talk more about that in the next chapter.
Official renders:
CAD-based renders (less accurate):
Pixel 7 prototype
Believe it or not, the Pixel 7 prototype actually ended up on both eBay and Facebook Marketplace for a while. Along with those listings, we got some images to check out, which you can take a look at in the gallery below. Someone from Texas put it up for sale way ahead of time. This prototype doesn’t even have Google’s logo on the back just yet.
The very same Pixel 7 and 7 Pro prototypes that appeared on eBay and Facebook Marketplace actually surfaced in a YouTube video as well, together. You can check out that video down below.
2nd-gen Google Tensor chip & Android 13
We don’t know much about the Google Pixel 7 specs at this point, but some information did surface. The Pixel 7 will, allegedly, feature a display that is between 6.2 and 6.4 inches in size. Ross Young, a well-known display analyst, is convinced we’re looking at a 6.3-inch panel. That will likely be a fullHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Google probably won’t bump it up to a 120Hz, it may even use the exact same display as in the Pixel 6. It will be a flat display, by the way, with a display camera hole.
The phone will be fueled by the second-gen Google Tensor processor, that’s even something Google confirmed already. That chip will, much like the first-gen model, be manufactured by Samsung. On top of that, a new Samsung modem is expected to be thrown into the mix. Google will likely utilize LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage once again, though you won’t be able to expand the phone’s storage. Some rumors mentioned an under-display camera, but that won’t be the case, it seems. Android 13 will come pre-installed on the device, while Bluetooth 5.2 is expected out of the box. WiFi 6 support is also expected, while the phone will be able to connect to 5G networks.
Let’s hope the charging will be faster
The battery capacity is still a mystery when it comes to this phone, but let’s hope Google will offer faster charging this time around. The Pixel 6 supports 21W charging, but it slows down considerably at 50%, so it takes around 2 hours to fully charge the device. Wireless charging will be supported on the phone as well. The Google Pixel 7 is said to measure 155.6 x 73.1 x 8.7mm (11.44mm with the camera bump).
Google won’t keep the same camera sensors
Google is expected to keep things similar to the Pixel 6 camera setup, but not identical. If you take a look at the CAD renders above, you’ll notice that the Pixel 7 has two cameras on the back. That is the same amount the Pixel 6 had. Chances are that the phone will utilize the same 50-megapixel ISOCELL GN1 camera as its predecessor, as a tip suggested. We all know Google doesn’t have a tendency to change camera sensors often. And yet, thanks to its software, the cameras end up performing better with each generation. That’s exactly what the company will do this time around, but it will boost the camera software.
Two cameras will be placed on the back
The secondary camera on the back will likely be an ultrawide camera. That camera will stay the same as well. The same cannot be said for the selfie camera, though. Google is expected to upgrade to the Samsung ISOCELL 3J1 sensor. That is an 11-megapixel camera sensor with 1.22um pixels. That same camera is expected in the ‘Pro’ model as well.
The Pixel 7 is set to arrive on October 6
What about the availability? Well, a trusted source has shared plenty of info in that regard. According to that info, the Pixel 7 series will become official on October 6. That includes both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. It was also stated that pre-orders will kick off on that same day, while the phones will go on sale on October 13.
Not long after that info surfaced, a different tipster offered different information. October 9 was suggested as the launch date for the Pixel 7 series. The release date was not mentioned, though.
Let’s hope for an unchanged price tag
The Google Pixel 6’s pricing starts at $599. Google was praised for this price tag, and let’s hope that its successor will be priced similarly. If Google is able to keep this price tag, that would be excellent. If not, let’s just hope that the price won’t be much higher, as this is really competitive, to say the least.
2022-08-29 15:06:42