The Android Smartphone to Beat

Lately, the Google Pixel line has established itself as a worthy competitor to Apple and Samsung smartphones, however its previous gadgets have had a couple of points. Google’s Pixel 7 Professional, launched in October 2022, treatments these points and takes middle stage because the Android cellphone to beat.

The Pixel 7 Professional brings collectively an expert digital camera system, a streamlined consumer interface, and a smooth design that is likely to be sufficient to transform Apple loyalists. Its digital camera setup and high-speed efficiency alone justify the $899 worth level in case you’re in search of the most recent professional handset.

Since I’ve been utilizing the Google Pixel 7 Professional, I haven’t been in a position to put it down, and there’s little or no to complain about when utilizing it. This smartphone offers the iPhone 14 Professional a run for its cash, combining the most effective of what Android has to supply with Google’s capabilities and comfort.

Beautiful Trendy Design

I’m not the kind to drool over a cellphone design until it’s in some distinctive coloration just like the Samsung Galaxy S22’s Bora Purple. However enter the Google Pixel 7 Professional with its strategically positioned triple digital camera system, Corning Gorilla Glass back and front, and a 6.7-inch display screen, and I’ll eat my phrases.

My Pixel 7 Professional is Hazel, a gray-green shade that makes the aluminum digital camera housing pop. The aluminum strip is a significant step up in design in comparison with the Google Pixel 6 Professional, which didn’t have any particular materials encasing the housing. I additionally acquired a grey Google Pixel 7 Professional case to maintain it secure and guarded.

On the again of the cellphone, the rear triple digital camera system sits half an inch down from the highest. In the midst of the again is a clear “G” Google brand. The entrance of the Pixel 7 Professional has a front-facing digital camera centered on the high of the display screen and an in-screen fingerprint sensor on the backside third of the show, whereas the quantity button sits proper beneath the ability button on the correct fringe of the smartphone. On the highest edge is a single speaker together with the highest microphone.

The opposite speaker is positioned on the underside fringe of the cellphone to the left of the USB Sort-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, which permits for a 10GB/s switch pace. To the correct of the charging port is the underside microphone.

The Pixel 7 Professional’s design feels snug in your hand regardless of the cellphone’s heft. If I may change one factor, I’d transfer the quantity button up greater (or to the left fringe of the cellphone). It may be awkward attempting to regulate the sound ranges together with your proper thumb, so I had to make use of my left (or each fingers) for it to really feel pure.

Working System: Android 13 Is Simple, Breezy With the Pixel UI

In contrast to different Android telephones, the Pixel 7 Professional combines the Android 13 working system with the Pixel consumer interface (UI). Whereas it’s clearly an Android cellphone, the simplicity within the Pixel’s UI harkens again to Apple iOS’s streamlined consumer expertise.

Google’s easy-to-use UI blends effectively with Android 13’s structure. Your entire Google apps are simply accessible, and the whole lot is conveniently linked to your account. It’s a one-stop store as an alternative of a extra sophisticated consumer expertise, a criticism I’ve heard from Apple customers who discovered UIs like Samsung’s One too convoluted.

Tapping, swiping, and organizing my apps had been all a breeze with the Google Pixel 7 Professional. Between the enjoyable customization choices like Android 13’s “Materials You” themes and the refined Pixel UI, this smartphone’s consumer expertise is high tier.

Show and Graphics: Vibrant, Crisp, Quick

From the minute I began utilizing the Pixel 7 Professional, I used to be impressed with its vibrant show. The machine is able to crisp, high-quality graphics because of its QHD display screen. One of many coolest options of the Pixel 7 Professional’s show is the inclusion of LTPO or low-temperature polycrystalline oxide.

LTPO can be used on the iPhone 13 and 14 Professional smartphones and helps maximize your battery life by dynamically adjusting your display screen’s refresh fee. So, for instance, after I was enjoying the cell recreation Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, I watched the display screen refresh fee go all over the place from 50Hz to 120Hz. When utilizing much less demanding purposes, the refresh fee went as little as 10Hz.

The variable refresh fee doesn’t go all the way down to 10Hz usually—it’s primarily for the Pixel 7 Professional’s At all times-On Show (AOD). With AOD, you possibly can reap the advantages of seeing the time, date, and climate when your cellphone is locked. Your Pixel 7 Professional will then mechanically drop its refresh fee all the way down to as little as 10Hz to protect battery life. That is additionally useful for the Pixel’s At a Look performance, which reveals up to date climate data and occasions on your house and lock display screen all through the day.

As for the colour distinction, the Pixel 7 Professional blew me away with its vibrancy and wealthy coloration palette.

From streaming to enjoying cell video games to scrolling by means of photographs or 4K movies you’ve recorded, this smartphone’s show shines in readability, distinction, and brightness.

The Cameras: See It to Imagine It

The Google Pixel 7 Professional surpasses expectations with extremely detailed photographs and movies. I felt like I used to be utilizing an expert digital camera, not a smartphone. If you need top-of-the-line cellphone cameras in the marketplace proper now, the Google Pixel 7 Professional is it.

The Rear Cameras: I Couldn’t Cease Taking Images and Movies

First, let’s evaluate the Pixel 7 Professional’s digital camera specs to the Apple iPhone 14 Professional. The iPhone 14 Professional has a 48MP predominant digital camera, a 12MP ultrawide digital camera, and a 12MP 2x telephoto digital camera. The Pixel 7 Professional’s predominant and telephoto cameras characteristic an additional 2MP and 36MP, respectively, whereas the ultrawide digital camera differs within the discipline of view.

Most significantly, the Pixel 7 Professional’s digital camera system delivers wonderful particulars because of its predominant 50MP Quad digital camera and the inclusion of the 48MP telephoto lens, plus Google makes use of some AI machine studying to fill within the gaps when utilizing its Tremendous Res Zoom.

With its Portrait Mode and Night time Sight, you possibly can take photographs wherever, anytime and make them look good. Night time Sight (as with every night time mode) has its limits, although. In case your atmosphere is too darkish, the photographs will begin to look murky.

The macro images was significantly efficient. When aiming your digital camera at material, meals, or different objects, the element is astounding, particularly contemplating it comes from a smartphone.

The Pixel 7 Professional’s zoom is a sizzling subject. I discovered that the whole lot from 2x zoom to 10x zoom offers you detailed photos, however going past 10x means you’re going to lose a little bit of readability. That stated, at 15x Zoom I used to be nonetheless actually impressed with the Pixel’s capability to seize a picture with low distortion or blur. Whereas I wouldn’t see myself utilizing the 30x Tremendous Res Zoom usually, it additionally does higher than I assumed it might, although some element positively will get misplaced.

I beloved recording movies with the Pixel 7 Professional. The digital camera pulls out the stops with its sharpness. Recording a video of a pet or an outside scene in 4K was too enjoyable—I may see delicate particulars like particular person strands of fur or ripples in water.

The opposite recording options, like Cinematic mode, do in addition to you’d count on. The Cinematic mode is a pleasure to play with, however it’s nonetheless in its early days for telephones. Some edges seemed a bit too fuzzy when a topic, aka my canine, moved quite a bit.

The Entrance Digicam: Nice for Most Customers

The place the Pixel 7 Professional outshines Apple within the triple-camera system, it falls slightly bit quick on the front-facing digital camera. That isn’t to say it’s dangerous, although. The front-facing digital camera nonetheless weighs in at 10.8MP; that is lower than the iPhone 14 Professional’s 12MP, which additionally has a greater aperture.

That being stated, most informal customers will nonetheless just like the Pixel 7 Professional’s entrance digital camera. It supplies detailed photographs with first rate gentle seize, giving selfies an 8.3MP decision. Images and movies with the entrance digital camera will preserve you glad, and a few end up so brilliantly that you just’ll be shocked.

The entrance digital camera additionally has some cool options like Portrait mode, Night time Sight, and Face retouching. My favourite choice was Selfie Illumination, which is principally like having a built-in ring gentle in your smartphone, much less the golden glow.

I most popular the rear digital camera system when taking photographs and movies, however any informal selfie taker, myself included, can be pleased with what the Pixel 7 Professional brings to the desk in its front-facing digital camera.

Efficiency: A Cellphone That Does It All

Regardless of how you employ your cellphone day-to-day, the Pixel 7 Professional retains up. Its speedy efficiency means that you can change from app to app seamlessly, whereas its handy interface retains it easy.

The Tensor G2’s pace is unimaginable; the processing time for many operations was minuscule, so multitasking in your Pixel 7 Professional is straightforward as pie.

I trusted the smartphone for all my each day duties, and it additionally dealt with free-time actions, like gaming, very effectively. The Google Tensor G2 processor is a big improve for Google, with a rise in pace and energy effectivity throughout actions like photograph and video processing, translating language or speech to textual content, and lessening background noise on calls.

Battery Life: Nice, however May Be Higher

Google’s Pixel 6 telephones didn’t have the most effective battery life, in response to critiques, however Google seems to have remedied this…principally. The Pixel 7 Professional usually lasted me a few 12-hour day, and this was by means of heavy use, together with gaming and taking photographs and movies. Though I anticipated to get extra out of the battery life, it wasn’t horrible. I needed to cost it up by bedtime.

When utilizing the Pixel 7 Professional’s Excessive Battery Saver, my battery lasted 24 hours regardless of utilizing the GPS, digital camera, and the web. With out turning on the battery saver, the battery drains noticeably faster. Should you barely use your cellphone, I do imagine you would get 48 to 72 hours of battery life, however I used it so closely that it by no means occurred to me.

Working example, although Google promotes its 24-hour battery life potential, don’t count on this if you’re utilizing your cellphone quite a bit.

Calls, Audio, and Microphones Move With Flying Colours

The Google Pixel 7 Plus has a stereo speaker system that does the job after which some, however I can’t say that it surpasses most different smartphones in the marketplace proper now. I measured a max of round 112 decibels when enjoying rock music at max quantity utilizing the Sound Meter and Decibel X apps from Google Play, however the common studying was round 88 to 90 decibels.

My favourite half? The Pixel 7 Professional didn’t exhibit any indicators of sound distortion at excessive volumes, so you possibly can crank it up with out the headache of crunching audio.

Utilizing Bluetooth audio system or earbuds with the Pixel 7 Professional was straightforward. With the Samsung Galaxy Buds Reside, the connection remained sturdy and steady by means of music and streams. You may as well stick with the Google ecosystem with equipment just like the Pixel Buds Professional.

The microphones did effectively at choosing up my voice, even at a distance above background music. The noise suppression characteristic works to restrict distracting sounds round you, so if you make cellphone calls in noisy environments, your voice comes by means of loud and clear.

Google Pixel 7 Professional Microphone Take a look at

Reported Glitches

Google’s Pixel lineup hasn’t had the most effective monitor file relating to reviews of glitchy software program. Nonetheless, my Google Pixel 7 Professional exhibited not one of the claims of buggy software program, and it seems Google has mounted most of the problems with the previous.

On the most, I seen a quick lag in Google Images whereas enhancing giant movies or switching between information. When swiping to a special picture or video, the display screen froze momentarily, however it rapidly resolved itself.

There was additionally a noticeable delay when turning off Excessive Battery Saver. It takes app icons a second to wake from their slumber, however it isn’t an obnoxiously lengthy wait. Not as soon as did I have to restart my Pixel 7 Professional to resolve a problem.

Steadily Requested Questions

Ought to You Purchase The Google Pixel 7 Professional?

At its sub-$1,000 beginning worth, the Google Pixel 7 Professional is value each penny. For many who are afraid to step away from the Apple ecosystem, consider the Pixel 7 Professional as corresponding to the iPhone 14 with a fair higher digital camera setup. The Pixel 7 Professional combines Google’s UI and Android in a single, so that you get the most effective of each worlds in a streamlined consumer expertise.

Should you’re in search of a smartphone that may do all of it, the Pixel 7 Professional received’t allow you to down. It’s well worth the worth for the digital camera system alone; seize one as we speak in Hazel, Obsidian, or Snow, beginning at $899.

And in case you’re in search of an Android smartphone with comparable software program and digital camera efficiency however wish to save a few {dollars}, make sure that to take a look at our assessment of the Google Pixel 7.