Everything we know about 2022 Google Pixel 7 & 7 Pro

25/6/2022

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro won our hearts when Google dropped them back in October 2021, and we've already had a glimpse of the upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro that will arrive later in 2022.

Even though the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are among the best Android phones you can buy, they aren't without their flaws. By swapping to its Tensor custom chipset, the company maximized performance for all sorts of AI-related features — seemingly at the cost of a slew of bugs and delayed updates. But it's a brand new year, and with the experience of 2021's flagships under its belt, Google is already teasing its Pixel 7 series.

In mid-May, the big Google I/O 2022 keynote was where we saw the introduction of the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro alongside the new Pixel 6a, Pixel Watch, Pixel Buds Pro, and even more. This was just a teaser for the upcoming flagship Android phones, though, and while we've had imagery of the two new handsets from Google, we don't yet know all of the details. Expect to learn more about the upcoming handsets throughout the next few months, but for now, here's everything we know about the phones so far.

Google Pixel 7 series: Hardware
Last year, Google swung big with its design for the Pixel 6, giving the series a complete overhaul. From the controversial under-display fingerprint sensor — a first for the series — to the massive camera bar on the back of the phone, it seems like the company has finally cemented a new design for its in-house smartphones. The first pictures of the Pixel 7 confirm that the design is largely similar for 2022, but there are some important tweaks on each phone.

The visor-like camera strip remains here, but its cameras are changing to a pill-and-dot cutout. The glass rear of the Pixel camera bar has changed to metal, which was previously glass on the Pixel 6 series. We're hoping this camera change may mean less of an issue with lens flare in photos from this next pair of phones as there's less glass around the shooter itself.

The two phones differ here, with the Pixel 7 sporting two cameras in a pill cut-out while the Pixel 7 Pro adds a third dot cut-out to the mix. We expect this to be a telephoto camera, but we've yet to hear from Google any specifics on the camera technology here. Leaks have previously suggested the camera technology will stick to the same as the Pixel 6 range. If that's true, expect 50MP f/1.85 GN1 primary and the 12.5MP f/2.2 ultra-wide on both phones with an additional 48MP f/3.5 telephoto on the Pro variant.

Colors differ between the two models, and there are changes from the Pixel 6 range. Both phones will come in Obsidian and Snow, basically black and white color options. The Pixel 7 also comes in a unique Lemongrass shade (top right of the image below), and the Pixel 7 Pro comes in Hazel as a third color option (bottom middle below). We don't yet know if there will be any market limitations to each color.

Leaks have suggested that the mmWave window along the top edge of both models has been redesigned from the unsightly transparent window we saw on the Pixel 6 Pro (and specific carrier versions of the Pixel 6). Google's official images don't show this part of the phone, so I'm unsure if it's true. A leaked Pixel 7 prototype put up for sale on eBay shows a cleaner, smaller window built into the metal rail of the smaller model, suggesting both phones will include the feature this time around — no carrier markup necessary.

Apart from these changes, the Pixel 7 series seems to sport a similar design to the Pixel 6. It has a glass rear — confirmed to be glossy, just as with the previous generation — the bottom edge features a USB-C port, and the right-hand edge is home to the power button and the volume rocker. The left-hand edge is feature free, apart from the phone's SIM tray. We don't yet know anything about protection or an IP rating, though it seems safe to assume it'll line up with last year's phone.

Whether or not the displays have been changed remains a mystery. Early reports suggested that the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro retained identical panels as last year's models, albeit with the latter adding support for a 1080p mode to save on battery life. However, a bricked Pixel 7 Pro prototype revealed it was using a newer generation of Samsung's display, possibly setting up for some slight improvements year-over-year. We'll have to wait until the device is in our hands to find out.

We don't yet have exact dimensions for either phone, but by comparing the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro images, finding a difference of about 3-4% in height. That's around the same as the Pixel 6 series. Some previous rumors suggested the Pixel 7 would have a smaller screen than the Pixel 6, but it's difficult to tell whether that's the case here or not. We'll have to wait for Google's official confirmation and any more news about the phone's weights.

Likewise, it's unclear if Google is using the same fingerprint sensor as last year's phone. Software updates have solved most of the Pixel 6's bugs, but the under-display fingerprint sensor has only improved a modest amount since it launched last year. Google is confirmed to be using a different sensor in the Pixel 6a, though we don't know if that'll make for an improvement or not. We don't know if that different sensor — if it is better than the one used last year — will show up in the Pixel 7.

Inside each phone is what the company refers to as the "next-generation" Tensor. That's the sequel to the company's in-house chipset that debuted on the Pixel 6 series, and this is expected to be a new variant of the chip. We don't yet know what it'll offer, but Google promised it would feature faster performance and new improvements.

This GS201 chip, internally known as "Cloudripper," is rumored to be paired with an unreleased "g5300b" Samsung modem. Early rumors suggest it's being manufacturered by Samsung on the company's 4nm node, with mass production starting in June. That bricked Pixel 7 Pro prototype suggests it's using Cortex-A55 cores again for low-power tasks, though it's unclear what make up the other cores in Google's architecture. Expect the usual round of performance gains and improved camera processing, though we'll have to wait for more clues to make further predictions.

Google Pixel 7 series: Software
Google's annual Pixel launch has often served as the perfect time for a major Android update to roll out to users, but it's unclear if that'll happen this year. We're still early into betas for Android 13, but the dev timeline suggests an earlier release date than usual this year. It wouldn't be the first time Google has launched an update in the summer. Android 8.0 Oreo's announcement was timed perfectly to a solar eclipse in August 2018, launching just a few days later.

Whether or not Android 13 arrives alongside the Pixel 7 doesn't really matter to prospective buyers. One way or another, these phones will come running the latest and greatest OS version when they arrive on store shelves. Android 12 brought along a considerable redesign with Material You, so we don't expect many visual changes with this year's update.

Google Pixel 7 series: Availability & Price
Pixel flagships have always launched in October, and with the Pixel 6a on track for its July release date, it seems like that pattern will continue for another year. Google has said we should expect the Pixel 7 release date in the Q4, so we'd expect it around the standard October window.

As for how much the phones will cost, that's just speculation. The Pixel 6 debuted at SGD $999 and the Pixel 6 Pro at SGD $1,299, and while inflation is rampant at the moment, Google appears pretty set on undercutting the competition with its device pricing. We wouldn't be surprised to see the Pixel 7 series debut at or slightly above their predecessors. The Pixel 6a is confirmed for the same price as the Pixel 5a, so that may be a sign that Google will keep the same prices as the last gen for these new devices.