Google Pixel 7 And Pixel 7 Pro Review: Refined In Every Way

Google promises all-day battery life with the new Pixel phones, and that's fair, though you likely won't get much more than that. The Pixel 7 Pro keeps the same 5000mAh battery as last year's phones, but the Pixel 7 has shrunk slightly to 4355mAh. The smaller Pixel still lasts substantially longer, but it still delivers middling battery life. These devices will need to be on the charger every night, and topping up during the day won't be as effortless as it is on a device like the OnePlus 10T, which charges at unfathomably quick speeds with 125 Watt charging. The Pixel 7 tops out at 20W and the Pixel 7 Pro can manage 23W. They do not include chargers, but any sufficiently powerful USB-PD plug should be able to hit those speeds. You get the same speeds wirelessly with the Pixel Stand 2, though it's a bit overpriced at $79. A cheaper Qi-certified wireless charger can hit a respectable 15W, though. 

Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro Battery Life And Charging

The PCMark battery life test aims to simulate a standard day's workload by running the benchmark over and over over the course of hours. It's not always indicative of real world mixed usage performance, but it helps to compare devices with an always-on and active load test.  

Pixel 7 And Pixel 7 Pro Review Conclusion: The Best Of Google

For one of the most successful companies in the world, Google sometimes seems challenged both in terms of execution and commitment to product evolution. For example, it just recently capped off three years of questionable commitment to its Stadia game streaming offering by announcing the service would shut down. Though smartphones are not immune to Google's occasional lack of focus, these new flagship Google Pixel phones live up to the hype.

The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro feel like the start of a very good new trend for Google. These phones are better than the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro in every way—they're not huge improvements, of course, but Google brought a lot of refinement to the table here. Finally, Google learned from a modest success and built on it. Now, 15 years since the release of the first iPhone, there's not a ton of innovation left in the flat glass slab form factor. The iterative improvements like we see with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are what work to deliver a better overall user experience. Yes, that means new smartphones are less exciting than they once were maybe, but we would much rather see Google improve the Pixel year-by-year than swing for the fences and miss sometimes. 

If you've got a Pixel 6 or 6 Pro that you like, you don't need to upgrade to the new models because they're not vastly better. Google has said most of the AI enhancements from these phones will make their way to last year's models, and they've still got years of software support ahead of them. For those who are due for an upgrade, however, the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are excellent choices. They have superb software, class-leading cameras, and flagship-level build quality. Battery life between the two is more middling, but the positives vastly outweigh the negatives here. If you're choosing between the phones, the Pixel 7 for $600 is a really outstanding value. The Pixel 7 Pro is great if you want a larger phone and/or a telephoto camera, but its $300 premium over the standard Pixel 7 may or may not be palatable for everyone. 

Regardless, Google nailed it with the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, and we can easily recommend them.