The Google Pixel 7 Pro is every bit as good as the best smartphones from Apple and Samsung. It looks great, takes amazing photos, and stands out in a crowd. Google made lofty promises for this phone, and it delivers on the most important, even though some features aren’t as good as we’d hoped (and others have yet to arrive). Google implements software features as art, and the Pixel 7 Pro improves the smartphone in areas we’d forgotten needed improvement. When the Google Pixel 7 Pro launched, Google didn’t just say it would be the best Pixel phone ever, as it has with previous Pixel phones. This time around it said the Pixel 7 Pro would be the best smartphone you can buy, period. It would also, somehow, cost less than the best.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro takes amazing photos with ease, night and day, but it also takes the photo experience further than ever before – it actually made our photos from older phones look better. For now, that’s something you can only do with a Tensor G2-enabled phone like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro; in fact, there are quite a few things the Pixel 7 Pro can do that none of its competitors even attempt. With the Pixel 7 Pro, Google has decided to keep the exact same price. 899 euro. A surprising fact considering that other brands –Apple and even Xiaomi– have raised the price of their products due to the macroeconomic conditions we are experiencing in Europe. This, again, plays in favor of the Google product. But, yes only if the product is capable of living up to it.
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Small changes with a big impact
Let’s start with the exterior design. I have to admit that the impression I had when taking the Pixel 7 Pro out of the box was better than what I felt with the Pixel 6 Pro at the time . And it is curious. The exterior of the phone, if you look at the press images, is not that different. Why, instead, was I liking this phone more in those first moments? This is fantastic proof that sometimes small changes can have a pretty big impact . In the Pixel 7 Pro we find, first of all, a flatter screen. It is not totally flat, but it does have a more subtle curvature. Curved screens, let’s remember, were booming for years, achieving some popularity and even consumer approval. The main key was aesthetics. In those years, the screens had thicker frames. And many saw in the curved panels a way to modernize the aesthetic although functionally they had some negative sides.
Over time, however, the fronts were modernized in other ways . And the curves, consequently, began to lose meaning. Proof of this is that Samsung, its main driver, has been reducing the radius of curvature of its panels with each generation, being much smaller in the Galaxy S22 Ultra and non-existent in the rest of the Galaxy S22. For Google to walk in this direction and reduce the radius of curvature of the screen is therefore a wise decision. The phone feels more comfortable than before both when holding and using it. And, also, it feels more current.
On the other hand, Google has redesigned the appearance of the photographic module , which is one of its main hallmarks. It is now covered by a sheet of metal that seamlessly joins the sides of the phone. And honestly, it suits her very well. Much better than the finish of the previous model, which never won me over. As far as colors are concerned, Google has made two changes: on the one hand, to put an end to the two-color backs; and, on the other, to present a new range of shades . The only one I have been able to see in person is the color white. And honestly, I find it quite nice. It reminds me a lot of the ceramic finish of the Huawei P40 Pro Plus , a phone with a very attractive rear.
The combination of that screen that occupies the entire front, with a much smaller curvature, the shiny aluminum sides, the white back and the renewed aesthetics of the photographic module make this Pixel 7 Pro transmit a better sensation nothing more take it out of the box . Proof, as I said, that small details can have a very significant impact on the overall perception of the product. This list of praise, yes, does not mean that the Pixel 7 Pro is the new benchmark in terms of design or finishes . The iPhone 14 Pro –or the Pro Max variant– continues to lead this ranking with its excellent quality of finishes and careful design. And, if you place them next to each other, you can see how Apple’s phone finishes off certain details better –the touch of the buttons, the millimeter symmetry of the frames, etc. However, I’m glad to see that Google evolves in this sense as well as to have found a phone that, unlike last year, has convinced me on the outside.
The Tensor G2 is once again peculiar processor
Another relevant point of the Pixel 7 Pro is its processor . Google insists that this is its own SoC, although the reality is closer to a co-development with Samsung than to something like what Apple does with its chips. In any case, that is not relevant to the consumer who considers buying this phone. The key question is: how does the Google Tensor G2 perform? Bottom line: The Google Tensor G2 is on par with a Snapdragon 888 CPU, has a new GPU that comes close to that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 , and packs a noticeably more powerful TPU than the previous model. It’s an unquestionably better chip than the previous generation , but the relative situation is the same: it’s, in general, a small step behind the best chips on the market.
How much does this matter? Well it depends who you ask. A gamer, for example, will tell you that those extra FPS provided by other chips are essential for him. But other people, on the other hand, are likely not to notice the difference between one chip and another. What people will notice is that your photos are better. Or your videos. And, there, the Tensor G2 is a fundamental part of the equation thanks to the GPU that Google has incorporated and its own TPU.
The camera is the star of the show
The Google Pixel are synonymous with excellent cameras. And this Pixel 7 Pro is no exception. The best way to describe my experience with it is simply to say that I could go on a trip with the Pixel 7 Pro, capture all the memories with it and be completely satisfied . And some may think that this statement is not such a big deal, but, in reality, it is, since there are many factors that come into play: consistency, reliability, quality of results, versatility… And, furthermore, I consider myself a person demanding in this regard. So to say that the Pixel 7 Pro is a camera you would trust something as precious as travel memories is a huge compliment. To test the Pixel 7 Pro camera, I had a fantastic setting: Las Vegas. Lights, night scenes, dynamism… It is a challenge for phones to make good images in these situations on a regular basis. And the Pixel 7 Pro sure does. The images are sharp, the processing is natural, the experience is consistent across all three cameras… A truly reliable camera.
I have also done some tests together with the iPhone 14 Pro Max to see what the situation is between both products . The one from Apple is not afraid of leaving the shadows dark, it balances the general lighting of the scene correctly, leaves less noise, etc. Meanwhile, the Pixel opts for a flatter image in terms of contrast, works on detail in a more neutral way, etc. We could spend hours explaining in this review each of the differences that I have seen in the photos that I have taken, but everything could be summed up in that I have seen details of the Pixel that I liked more than those of the iPhone and also vice versa. Neither is clearly ahead of the other.
However, the balance leans a bit more towards the iPhone side if we put ProRAW mode with the 48-megapixel sensor into the equation . With that mode, iPhone images are generally better. The processing is there, but it is less aggressive, it leaves more noise in the scene but also more natural sharpness, it works better with certain illuminated signs, etc. In auto mode, the situation is relatively even; in RAW mode, the iPhone is one step ahead. On the other hand, one facet I quite like about the Pixel 7 Pro is the zoom range . Thanks to the 50 megapixel sensor, you can take photos as if it were a 2X with less quality loss than usual – ideal for portraits. In addition, AI algorithms combine information from different cameras and intervene to improve results between 2.5X and 4.9X. They are not comparable to a dedicated lens with that focal length, but they are quite acceptable. And finally, you have the 5X for shooting from a long distance. Having all these options is very interesting from a creative point of view.
In video, Google has made a notable improvement in terms of quality , as well as stabilization. The latter, however, sometimes stabilizes certain sudden movements in a somewhat artificial way. However, in general terms, the evolution in this sense is appreciated, as it was necessary. It also debuts a new cinematic video mode that surprisingly works better than expected. It’s not perfect, obviously, but it’s a window that I’m glad Google has opened, as it’s probably one of the next barriers to be overcome by mobile phones.