**The Google Pixel 7: A Smartphone Review**

As I held the Google Pixel 7 in my hands, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. With its sleek design and impressive camera capabilities, this smartphone is sure to be a hit with anyone looking for a high-quality Android device. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Pixel 7's features, performance, and overall value.

**Design and Display**

One of the standout features of the Pixel 7 is its design. Unlike its curved competitor, the Pixel 7 Pro, which has a more angular design, the Pixel 7 features a flat display that makes handling much easier. The phone is slightly larger than my iPhone 14 Pro, but I had no issues using it comfortably with one hand. The build quality is excellent, with nice and tactile buttons that feel solid in the hand. The aluminum edges wrap around a massive camera bump at the back, which adds to the overall premium feel of the device.

**Color Options and Build Quality**

The Pixel 7 comes in several color options, including Vibrant Lemongrass, Snow White, and Obsidian Black. While these colors are certainly eye-catching, I think the phone looks best in its more subtle shades. The build quality is also noteworthy, with a nice balance of weight and ergonomics that makes it easy to hold and use for extended periods.

**Speakers and Audio**

The Pixel 7's speakers are another highlight of this device. With earpieces located at both the top and bottom of the phone, they provide excellent stereo sound that immerses you in music and other audio experiences. While the sound is certainly good, I did notice that it lacks a bit of bass compared to some of my other smartphones.

**Display Quality**

The Pixel 7's display is another area where this device shines. With an AMOLED 90Hz refresh rate, the screen provides smooth motion and vibrant colors. The only exception is the peak brightness level, which has been increased to up to a thousand nits for better outdoor visibility. This results in content that looks vivid and sharp, with punchy blacks that add depth to the overall image.

**Display Performance**

While the display performance of the Pixel 7 is certainly good, I couldn't help but feel that it was a bit lacking compared to some of my other smartphones. Specifically, I wished that the device had a 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and motion. However, for most users, this shouldn't be a major issue.

**Camera Capabilities**

The Pixel 7's camera capabilities are undoubtedly one of its strongest features. With improved sensors and software processing, the phone produces excellent results in low-light conditions and provides plenty of creative options for capturing stunning images. The built-in fingerprint sensor is also accurate and convenient to use.

**Google Tensor G2 SOC**

At the heart of the Pixel 7 lies Google's new Tensor G2 SOC, which is an improved version of the company's original Tensor chip. While it's not meant to compete with the latest and greatest from Qualcomm or Apple, the Tensor G2 brings several welcome improvements, including faster processing, better machine learning capabilities, and support for 10-bit HDR3 video recording.

**Battery Life**

Despite having a slightly smaller battery than its predecessor, the Pixel 7 has impressive battery life. I was able to squeeze almost two days of use out of this phone with moderate usage, which is a significant improvement over my previous experience with the Pixel 6 Pro.

**Charging and Accessories**

The Pixel 7 supports both wired and wireless charging, with the latter being exclusively fast on Google's own Pixel Stand. While I appreciate the convenience of wireless charging, it's worth noting that this feature comes at a higher cost. However, for those who want to experience the benefits of this technology, the Pixel 7 is an excellent choice.

**Value**

Overall, the Google Pixel 7 is a fantastic value proposition for Android enthusiasts and those looking for a high-quality smartphone without breaking the bank. With its impressive camera capabilities, smooth display performance, and powerful Tensor G2 SOC, this device delivers far more than its $600 price tag might suggest.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enabout a year ago I reviewed the Google pixel 6 Pro and quite frankly my experience with that phone wasn't the greatest to begin with I encountered a lot of bugs which was just really frustrating so I ended up switching to an iPhone but you know what it was Google's first smartphone with their custom tensor chip and they needed time to optimize and fix all the issues and I think a lot of those have been addressed with the pixel 7 and 7 Pro in fact I'm gonna go on record and say that Google really outdid themselves this year with the sound series now I'm gonna Focus this video on the smaller pixel 7 because for 600 there's just a lot of value packed into the smartphone now I've been playing around with this thing for the past four months and my experience so far has been great honestly using the pixel 7 day in and day out alongside my iPhone 14 pro made me realize how much I missed Android I still consider the software experience on Pixel phones to be the best it's a clean and uncluttered interface essentially you're getting the purest form of Android designed by Google tool and you're the first in line to receive updates directly from them unlike Samsung or OnePlus or any other Android smartphone manufacturer it also comes with some really useful features that I'm sure you'll appreciate like now playing for instance that identifies the music in the background and displays the name of the song and the artist on the lock screen super useful when you're in a public space where you just want to know what that song is you get a little notification on the top right hand corner if an app is accessing the camera I like the visual awareness if you're using RCS chat you can view a short transcript of any audio message that you receive and it's pretty accurate I was genuinely surprised by this feature guys assisted voice typing has gotten faster with the new tensor G2 chip and it now has automatic Emoji suggestions the photo unblur feature uses machine learning to analyze photos taken on any smartphone that may look blurry and convert it to a somewhat usable image now it won't work with super blurry photos but it is there at your disposal when you need it the voice recorder app can now automatically add voice labels when it detects different speakers and it's really accurate with the transcripts you also get free VPN through Google one that hides your IP address and it can simply be enabled through a quick toggle clear calling now uses machine learning to reduce the background noise when you're on a phone call Android 13 in general gives you some tasteful customization options especially with material U you get to choose the color palette based on your wallpaper of your choice but I've got some concerns so first of all I don't understand why themed icon setting is still in beta mode I mean if Google can't match the system theme throughout every icons that you may have installed you might as well just remove this feature in the first place I also feel like the Quick Settings toggle could be toned down a little bit personally I just think it takes up way too much space they could just give us symbols just like what Android 11 looked like the camera app interface is super straightforward all the settings and modes are right there at your fingertips I would say it's second close to what you get on an iPhone speaking of cameras the pixel 7 keeps delivering the best photos I've taken on a smartphone now for starters this phone is rocking a dual camera system so you get a 12 megapixel Ultra wide sensor and a 50 megapixel standard white sensor the ultrawide has a wider field of view as usual to fit as much subjects in the frame and the dynamic range is excellent and when you pair that with ois and Google's mind-blowing computational photography images are well detailed the white balance tends to shift a bit towards the cooler side but that has been one of the characteristics of a pixel smartphone which can easily be adjusted in post low light performance is just as impressive as last year's pixel 6 series now the main 50 megapixel sensor produces some of the cleanest well-exposed and detailed images guys Google did tone down the over sharpening and intense HDR processing from the pixel 6 series and part of that is thanks to the new machine learning algorithm built into the new tensor G2 chip it's just noticeably faster when it comes to processing photos compared to the pixel 6 Pro Now by default this sensor does bin images to 12 megapixels to save on file size as well as help clean up noise in low light environments and while you can shoot in raw Google doesn't allow you to take that full 50 megapixel shot which I think is perfectly fine because for most people they just want a camera that takes great photos out of the box without having to edit them in post and this phone just delivers that everything from the dynamic range to the depth you get with this master sensor is just awesome I actually prefer taking photos on the pixel 7 over my iPhone 14 pro because for my test HDR processing is much better it preserves the highlights whereas the iPhone just blows them out remember guys this is a 600 phone versus a thousand dollar phone that being said my biggest gripe with the pixel 7 is the shutter lag for faster moving subjects because this camera relies heavily on software processing which takes a few seconds so when you go to town with that shutter button it just falls behind the iPhone especially in low light and the end result is just a blurry unusable image and yes for those of you wondering Google's photo unblock feature doesn't really do any justice here pretty ironic right now through software you can optically zoom in on that main sensor by 2x which emulates the feeling of using a telephoto lens and I believe this is where having a master sensor comes at an advantage because you can crop in and still preserve details you can get away with some cool compositions and if you know me I just love shooting photos with this type of compression portrait mode is still there at your disposal when you need it although I do prefer the natural depth from shooting in standard mode the selfie camera is great you get a 10 megapixel sensor and it does a really good job capturing my skin tones accurately plus you can shoot at a wider field of view which I'm sure will come in clutch for those group selfies so we're expecting about 30 centimeters of snow today I've got to get to the office to finish up some work but yeah this is what the video quality looks like on the pixel 7. I am shooting in 4k 10 bit with all the super steady stabilization turned on so let's just go out for a quick walk and test out the dynamic range and all that stuff so this is what the front-facing camera looks like on the pixel 7. by default it does shoot at 1080p so you have to go manually with settings and switch to 4K also a lot of the settings are just basically disabled by Google I don't know why for instance if you want to enable super steady stabilization you got to do that manually if you want to enable 10-bit HDR video recording which now the tensor G2 chip can process you got to do that manually as well so yeah little things to keep note of but overall I'm actually really impressed with the quality coming out of the pixel 7 I mean you know I could easily use this alongside my iPhone when I'm shooting uh backup b-roll or anything like that products and stuff like that so yeah dynamic range is really good my skin tones are nicely exposed um it's really great guys I'm impressed with the stabilization you don't get fancy 8K shooting capabilities which is perfectly fine because honestly for capturing content for social media and stuff like that this phone is more than enough it'll get a job done by the way I also want to mention that speech enhancement is a new feature that has been added to the pixel 7 and it sounds really good I it was pretty shocked to hear the microphone quality as well so yeah overall I think they've really nailed the video quality on the pixel 7. so let me know what you guys think about it in the comments this is supposed to just so yeah Ford starts snowing crazy I gotta go back to the office and wrap up this video but first a quick word from this video sponsor be ready to be captivated by a fusion of vivid colors deeper blacks and a wicked fast 240Hz refresh rate with corsair's Xenia Flex gaming monitor featuring the world's first bendable Ola display in a stunning 45-inch wqhd ultrawide aspect ratio immerse yourself in gaming and other productive tasks you get all the extra goodies for ultimate speed and position within a game get quick access to a few USB ports at the front and plenty of other display connectivity options at the back and all this Tech is backed with their Advanced burning protection and a three year warranty if you're looking to flex your gaming setup look no further than Corsair senior on Flex learn more down below foreign foreign let's talk hardware and quite frankly there's not a whole lot of new features that Google has added to the pixel 7 compared to the pixel 6. what you're getting here is Gorilla Glass victis at the front and the back that's sandwiched in an aluminum frame for better durability and it feels great in the hands except for the slippery surface at the back which I'm sure case can take care of I love the fact that it comes with a flat display unlike the curved option you get on the 7 Pro it makes handling so much better it's slightly bigger than my iPhone 14 pro but I had no issues using it comfortably with one hand the build quality is excellent the buttons feel nice and tactile with no signs of rattling the aluminum edges beautifully wrap around this massive camera bump at the back and I think there's a good sense of continuity with this year's pixel 7 series versus the pixel 6 in the design Department my unit comes in this vibrant lemongrass color but if you're looking for something subtle you can pick it up in either Snow White or obsidian black the speakers sound great with the earpiece at the top and bottom facing Drive drivers to get that stereo effect the troubles are still rich but it still lacks a bit of bass just like the pixel 6 Pro did call Quality is also good and haptic motor inside has improved slightly shifting gears to the display there's not a whole lot to talk about here either it's essentially a copy and paste setup from the pixel 6 with the AMOLED 90hz refresh rate The Only Exception is the peak brightness level has increased up to a thousand nits resulting in better outdoor visibility but other than that content looks Vivid and sharp with those Punchy black stuff we all love I did wish if it had 120hz ltpo display because switching back and forth between my iPhone 14 pro I was instantly able to tell difference in terms of motion smoothness scrolling through Twitter Instagram YouTube and other applications that I use on a daily basis full disclosure this is coming from someone who has gotten used to higher refresher displays on laptops and smartphones but for the average user this thing gets a job done and for the price I really can't complain about the way how it looks guys you also get the built-in fingerprint sensor which from my usage has been pretty accurate and as a backup you can also set up face unlock which is a welcoming Edition this year and it works like a charm so about the new tensor G2 SOC it's Google's second generation custom chip that powers both the pixel 7 and the pixel 7 Pro it's essentially the same formula as Google's original tensor SOC but they've upgraded the GPU the GPU as well as the modem inside for better stability and you know what guys it's a noticeable Improvement compared to my pixel 6 Pro I've had no issues with network coverage the performance was Rock Solid during my usage I didn't have to break my head trying to make a phone call without having it hang up on me randomly believe it or not it was one of the most frustrating things about the pixel 6 Pro which made me switch to an iPhone in the first place you see the G2 isn't meant to compete with the likes of qualcomm's latest and greatest SOC but rather the focus for Google was to improve the little things like faster processing with machine learning being able to support 10-bit hdr3 video recordings and on top of all of that you get some really good power efficiency gains because battery life on the pixel 7 has been great now while it does boast a slightly smaller battery size compared to the pixel 6 I was able to squeeze almost two days worth of use on this phone now I'm not a heavy smartphone user because I spend most of my day on a desktop plus I've enabled dark mode so those are contributing factors but if I recall my average screen on time on the pixel 6 Pro was around five and a half to six hours so getting that kind of sot on the pixel 7 with a smaller battery just goes to show the Improvement tensor G2 brings to the table now this phone supports both wired and wireless charging I believe both of those support up to 20 watts with wireless charging being exclusively fast on Google's own pixel stand this is just basically Google's way of saying we're building out an ecosystem so feel free to spend a little bit more money to see the benefits you see Google is primarily a software driven company the pixel lineup in my opinion is just an extension mention of what software can do when you introduce some cool Hardware into the equation like the new tensor G2 chip and the improved camera sensors the pixel 7 isn't meant to be a flagship smartphone but I think it delivers beyond that for just 600 I've actually seen it go on sale for its low as 500 which makes it one of the best bang for the Box smartphones that you can buy right now so if you're rocking a pixel 7 or pixel 7 Pro what has been your experience like I'd really like to know your thoughts in the comments down below I'm Eber with Hardware connects thanks so much for watching and I'll talk to you guys in the next oneabout a year ago I reviewed the Google pixel 6 Pro and quite frankly my experience with that phone wasn't the greatest to begin with I encountered a lot of bugs which was just really frustrating so I ended up switching to an iPhone but you know what it was Google's first smartphone with their custom tensor chip and they needed time to optimize and fix all the issues and I think a lot of those have been addressed with the pixel 7 and 7 Pro in fact I'm gonna go on record and say that Google really outdid themselves this year with the sound series now I'm gonna Focus this video on the smaller pixel 7 because for 600 there's just a lot of value packed into the smartphone now I've been playing around with this thing for the past four months and my experience so far has been great honestly using the pixel 7 day in and day out alongside my iPhone 14 pro made me realize how much I missed Android I still consider the software experience on Pixel phones to be the best it's a clean and uncluttered interface essentially you're getting the purest form of Android designed by Google tool and you're the first in line to receive updates directly from them unlike Samsung or OnePlus or any other Android smartphone manufacturer it also comes with some really useful features that I'm sure you'll appreciate like now playing for instance that identifies the music in the background and displays the name of the song and the artist on the lock screen super useful when you're in a public space where you just want to know what that song is you get a little notification on the top right hand corner if an app is accessing the camera I like the visual awareness if you're using RCS chat you can view a short transcript of any audio message that you receive and it's pretty accurate I was genuinely surprised by this feature guys assisted voice typing has gotten faster with the new tensor G2 chip and it now has automatic Emoji suggestions the photo unblur feature uses machine learning to analyze photos taken on any smartphone that may look blurry and convert it to a somewhat usable image now it won't work with super blurry photos but it is there at your disposal when you need it the voice recorder app can now automatically add voice labels when it detects different speakers and it's really accurate with the transcripts you also get free VPN through Google one that hides your IP address and it can simply be enabled through a quick toggle clear calling now uses machine learning to reduce the background noise when you're on a phone call Android 13 in general gives you some tasteful customization options especially with material U you get to choose the color palette based on your wallpaper of your choice but I've got some concerns so first of all I don't understand why themed icon setting is still in beta mode I mean if Google can't match the system theme throughout every icons that you may have installed you might as well just remove this feature in the first place I also feel like the Quick Settings toggle could be toned down a little bit personally I just think it takes up way too much space they could just give us symbols just like what Android 11 looked like the camera app interface is super straightforward all the settings and modes are right there at your fingertips I would say it's second close to what you get on an iPhone speaking of cameras the pixel 7 keeps delivering the best photos I've taken on a smartphone now for starters this phone is rocking a dual camera system so you get a 12 megapixel Ultra wide sensor and a 50 megapixel standard white sensor the ultrawide has a wider field of view as usual to fit as much subjects in the frame and the dynamic range is excellent and when you pair that with ois and Google's mind-blowing computational photography images are well detailed the white balance tends to shift a bit towards the cooler side but that has been one of the characteristics of a pixel smartphone which can easily be adjusted in post low light performance is just as impressive as last year's pixel 6 series now the main 50 megapixel sensor produces some of the cleanest well-exposed and detailed images guys Google did tone down the over sharpening and intense HDR processing from the pixel 6 series and part of that is thanks to the new machine learning algorithm built into the new tensor G2 chip it's just noticeably faster when it comes to processing photos compared to the pixel 6 Pro Now by default this sensor does bin images to 12 megapixels to save on file size as well as help clean up noise in low light environments and while you can shoot in raw Google doesn't allow you to take that full 50 megapixel shot which I think is perfectly fine because for most people they just want a camera that takes great photos out of the box without having to edit them in post and this phone just delivers that everything from the dynamic range to the depth you get with this master sensor is just awesome I actually prefer taking photos on the pixel 7 over my iPhone 14 pro because for my test HDR processing is much better it preserves the highlights whereas the iPhone just blows them out remember guys this is a 600 phone versus a thousand dollar phone that being said my biggest gripe with the pixel 7 is the shutter lag for faster moving subjects because this camera relies heavily on software processing which takes a few seconds so when you go to town with that shutter button it just falls behind the iPhone especially in low light and the end result is just a blurry unusable image and yes for those of you wondering Google's photo unblock feature doesn't really do any justice here pretty ironic right now through software you can optically zoom in on that main sensor by 2x which emulates the feeling of using a telephoto lens and I believe this is where having a master sensor comes at an advantage because you can crop in and still preserve details you can get away with some cool compositions and if you know me I just love shooting photos with this type of compression portrait mode is still there at your disposal when you need it although I do prefer the natural depth from shooting in standard mode the selfie camera is great you get a 10 megapixel sensor and it does a really good job capturing my skin tones accurately plus you can shoot at a wider field of view which I'm sure will come in clutch for those group selfies so we're expecting about 30 centimeters of snow today I've got to get to the office to finish up some work but yeah this is what the video quality looks like on the pixel 7. I am shooting in 4k 10 bit with all the super steady stabilization turned on so let's just go out for a quick walk and test out the dynamic range and all that stuff so this is what the front-facing camera looks like on the pixel 7. by default it does shoot at 1080p so you have to go manually with settings and switch to 4K also a lot of the settings are just basically disabled by Google I don't know why for instance if you want to enable super steady stabilization you got to do that manually if you want to enable 10-bit HDR video recording which now the tensor G2 chip can process you got to do that manually as well so yeah little things to keep note of but overall I'm actually really impressed with the quality coming out of the pixel 7 I mean you know I could easily use this alongside my iPhone when I'm shooting uh backup b-roll or anything like that products and stuff like that so yeah dynamic range is really good my skin tones are nicely exposed um it's really great guys I'm impressed with the stabilization you don't get fancy 8K shooting capabilities which is perfectly fine because honestly for capturing content for social media and stuff like that this phone is more than enough it'll get a job done by the way I also want to mention that speech enhancement is a new feature that has been added to the pixel 7 and it sounds really good I it was pretty shocked to hear the microphone quality as well so yeah overall I think they've really nailed the video quality on the pixel 7. so let me know what you guys think about it in the comments this is supposed to just so yeah Ford starts snowing crazy I gotta go back to the office and wrap up this video but first a quick word from this video sponsor be ready to be captivated by a fusion of vivid colors deeper blacks and a wicked fast 240Hz refresh rate with corsair's Xenia Flex gaming monitor featuring the world's first bendable Ola display in a stunning 45-inch wqhd ultrawide aspect ratio immerse yourself in gaming and other productive tasks you get all the extra goodies for ultimate speed and position within a game get quick access to a few USB ports at the front and plenty of other display connectivity options at the back and all this Tech is backed with their Advanced burning protection and a three year warranty if you're looking to flex your gaming setup look no further than Corsair senior on Flex learn more down below foreign foreign let's talk hardware and quite frankly there's not a whole lot of new features that Google has added to the pixel 7 compared to the pixel 6. what you're getting here is Gorilla Glass victis at the front and the back that's sandwiched in an aluminum frame for better durability and it feels great in the hands except for the slippery surface at the back which I'm sure case can take care of I love the fact that it comes with a flat display unlike the curved option you get on the 7 Pro it makes handling so much better it's slightly bigger than my iPhone 14 pro but I had no issues using it comfortably with one hand the build quality is excellent the buttons feel nice and tactile with no signs of rattling the aluminum edges beautifully wrap around this massive camera bump at the back and I think there's a good sense of continuity with this year's pixel 7 series versus the pixel 6 in the design Department my unit comes in this vibrant lemongrass color but if you're looking for something subtle you can pick it up in either Snow White or obsidian black the speakers sound great with the earpiece at the top and bottom facing Drive drivers to get that stereo effect the troubles are still rich but it still lacks a bit of bass just like the pixel 6 Pro did call Quality is also good and haptic motor inside has improved slightly shifting gears to the display there's not a whole lot to talk about here either it's essentially a copy and paste setup from the pixel 6 with the AMOLED 90hz refresh rate The Only Exception is the peak brightness level has increased up to a thousand nits resulting in better outdoor visibility but other than that content looks Vivid and sharp with those Punchy black stuff we all love I did wish if it had 120hz ltpo display because switching back and forth between my iPhone 14 pro I was instantly able to tell difference in terms of motion smoothness scrolling through Twitter Instagram YouTube and other applications that I use on a daily basis full disclosure this is coming from someone who has gotten used to higher refresher displays on laptops and smartphones but for the average user this thing gets a job done and for the price I really can't complain about the way how it looks guys you also get the built-in fingerprint sensor which from my usage has been pretty accurate and as a backup you can also set up face unlock which is a welcoming Edition this year and it works like a charm so about the new tensor G2 SOC it's Google's second generation custom chip that powers both the pixel 7 and the pixel 7 Pro it's essentially the same formula as Google's original tensor SOC but they've upgraded the GPU the GPU as well as the modem inside for better stability and you know what guys it's a noticeable Improvement compared to my pixel 6 Pro I've had no issues with network coverage the performance was Rock Solid during my usage I didn't have to break my head trying to make a phone call without having it hang up on me randomly believe it or not it was one of the most frustrating things about the pixel 6 Pro which made me switch to an iPhone in the first place you see the G2 isn't meant to compete with the likes of qualcomm's latest and greatest SOC but rather the focus for Google was to improve the little things like faster processing with machine learning being able to support 10-bit hdr3 video recordings and on top of all of that you get some really good power efficiency gains because battery life on the pixel 7 has been great now while it does boast a slightly smaller battery size compared to the pixel 6 I was able to squeeze almost two days worth of use on this phone now I'm not a heavy smartphone user because I spend most of my day on a desktop plus I've enabled dark mode so those are contributing factors but if I recall my average screen on time on the pixel 6 Pro was around five and a half to six hours so getting that kind of sot on the pixel 7 with a smaller battery just goes to show the Improvement tensor G2 brings to the table now this phone supports both wired and wireless charging I believe both of those support up to 20 watts with wireless charging being exclusively fast on Google's own pixel stand this is just basically Google's way of saying we're building out an ecosystem so feel free to spend a little bit more money to see the benefits you see Google is primarily a software driven company the pixel lineup in my opinion is just an extension mention of what software can do when you introduce some cool Hardware into the equation like the new tensor G2 chip and the improved camera sensors the pixel 7 isn't meant to be a flagship smartphone but I think it delivers beyond that for just 600 I've actually seen it go on sale for its low as 500 which makes it one of the best bang for the Box smartphones that you can buy right now so if you're rocking a pixel 7 or pixel 7 Pro what has been your experience like I'd really like to know your thoughts in the comments down below I'm Eber with Hardware connects thanks so much for watching and I'll talk to you guys in the next one\n"