The Pixel 7 Professional seems to maintain up Google’s newfound momentum in top-flight smartphones, providing a robust digicam and AI options for considerably much less cash than Apple or Samsung.
The Pixel 7 Professional prices £849 ($899/A$1,299) – the identical because the agency’s prime 2021 cellphone – whereas competing with gadgets costing north of £1,100. It leads Google’s cellphone line for 2022, which incorporates the smaller £599 Pixel 7 and £349 Pixel 6a.
From the entrance, the Pixel 7 Professional seems similar to its predecessor, with a big, brilliant and great-looking 120Hz OLED display screen that measures 6.7in on the diagonal. Flip it over and Google’s digicam bar throughout the again is now wrapped in polished aluminium for a sophisticated look.
It's a very massive cellphone however its comparatively gentle 212g weight and curved sides make it a bit of narrower and barely simpler to carry than some rivals. It feels super-solid and nicely made.
Google’s newest Tensor G2 chip on the cellphone’s coronary heart has related common efficiency to final yr’s model however with considerably sooner AI processing. The cellphone feels very responsive, significantly when performing duties resembling dictating messages and different good programs, which may be as much as 2.5 occasions as quick because the already speedy Pixel 6, based on Google’s estimates.
Battery life can also be much like the Pixel 6 Professional, lasting about 34 to 36 hours between fees with the display screen set to its default FHD+ decision and actively used for about 5 hours. That may be a little in need of the competitors however adequate for a day of heavy use. Turning off the always-on show elevated battery life by about two hours.
Specs
Display: 6.7in 120Hz QHD+ OLED (512ppi)
Processor: Google Tensor G2
RAM: 12GB of RAM
Storage: 128, 256 or 512GB
Working system:Android 13
Digicam: 50MP + 12MP ultrawide + 48MP 5-10x telephoto, 10.8MP selfie
Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 6E, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2 and GNSS
Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for half-hour)
Dimensions: 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm
Weight: 212g
Sustainability
Google doesn't present an anticipated lifespan for the battery nevertheless it ought to final in extra of 500 full cost cycles with at the very least 80% of its authentic capability. The cellphone is repairable by Google and third-party outlets, with real alternative components out there direct from iFixit. Out-of-warranty display screen repairs by Google will value much like its predecessor at about £200, and battery replacements about £100.
The Pixel 7 Professional is made with 100% recycled aluminium, accounting for about 19% of the cellphone by weight. The corporate publishes environmental influence reviews for a few of its merchandise. Google will recycle outdated gadgets freed from cost.
Android 13
The Pixel 7 Professional runs the identical model of Android 13 as Google’s different smartphones. The most recent model launched better customisation choices for theming and numerous different additions leveraging Google’s experience in AI.
Unique options to the brand new cellphone embrace the power to unblur faces and objects utilizing AI within the Google Photographs app. It's a little hit or miss however is nearly miraculous when it really works, and may course of new and outdated photographs alike in just a few faucets.
It joins the “magic eraser” device that deletes or recolours undesirable objects in photographs from final yr. You can too insert emoji by voice whereas dictating messages, whereas Google’s at-a-glance widget on the house display screen can show new rain alerts, flight monitoring and notifications from a Nest doorbell.
Google will present at the very least 5 years of software program and safety updates, together with at the very least three main Android variations. Samsung helps lots of its telephones for 5 years, whereas Fairphone is aiming for six years, and Apple helps its iPhone for as much as seven years.
Digicam
The Pixel 7 Professional has three cameras on the again, which it combines into nearly one steady zoom vary from 0.5x to 30x.
The 12MP ultrawide digicam produces good photos at 0.5x magnification, with solely a bit of distortion across the edges. The primary 1x 50MP digicam is just glorious. It captures an amazing quantity of element throughout a broad vary of lighting situations, producing photos at 12.5MP. However new for this yr is the power to “zoom” to 2x optical magnification through the use of solely the centre pixels of the sensor, which works surprisingly nicely, matching what you'll usually get from a 2x optical zoom on rivals. Apple used an analogous method for the iPhone 14 Professional.
Photographs taken between 2.5 and 4.9x mix knowledge from a number of cameras to supply higher photos than less complicated digital zooms usually utilized at these intermediate distances.
Zooming additional, the 48MP telephoto digicam takes over with its 5x optical magnification, producing glorious photos with good element and sharpness at 12MP. Google repeats the centre-of-the-sensor trick for a 10x optical zoom, too. From there, Google’s Tremendous Res Zoom know-how digitally magnifies to 30x zoom. Photographs at 15x zoom are nonetheless excellent however begin to look overly processed nearer to the utmost.
The mixed system is spectacular, going additional than others in mixing a number of cameras into one clean zoom vary, whereas out-zooming all the competitors bar Samsung’s S22 Extremely, which has 4 separate cameras to attain related. I nonetheless received the most effective outcomes through the use of the native magnification of every digicam, so 1x and 5x, however having the 10x optical zoom meaningfully closes the space on these faraway objects. The selfie digicam shoots glorious 10MP photos in a wide range of lighting situations, too.
Google’s low-light mode remains to be the most effective within the business and is now considerably sooner. Astro-photography mode remains to be sensible. Video captured as much as 4K at 60 frames a second in HDR was good, whereas the cellphone options numerous new tips, together with portrait blurring for movies and extra management over white stability, publicity and focus.
Worth
The Google Pixel 7 Professional prices from £849 ($899/A$1,299) with 128GB of storage.
For comparability, the Pixel 7 prices £599, the Pixel 6a prices £349, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely prices £1,149, and the iPhone 14 Professional Max prices £1,199.
Verdict
The Pixel 7 Professional builds on the success of final yr’s mannequin, with significant upgrades to its digicam that put it on a degree with probably the most succesful and costly fashions from Samsung.
It's a well-made cellphone with a terrific display screen, good efficiency and cheap battery life. The sooner fingerprint scanner is welcome, as is the quick however much less safe face recognition for unlocking the cellphone. Google’s good programs from in-line dictation to unblurring tech are completely spectacular, and you're going to get at the very least 5 years of software program help from launch.
However actually, the Pixel 7 Professional is all concerning the digicam. The 10x optical zoom places it in a category that solely Samsung’s perfect £1,149 cellphone can match, and at a worth that completely undercuts the competitors at a time when costs are rising due to weak forex charges.
It might sound odd to name an £850 cellphone glorious worth however that's what it's. You gained’t discover a terrific cellphone with a digicam this succesful anyplace close to it.
Professionals: class-leading digicam, 5 and 10x optical zoom, good display screen, good efficiency, strong battery life, recycled aluminium, 5 years of safety updates, Android 13, spectacular native and photograph AI options, undercuts rivals on worth.
Cons: face unlock possibility not as safe as some rivals, no massive bump typically processor efficiency, battery life in need of best-in-class, pretty sluggish charging.
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