the Google Pixel 7 made a surprise appearance at Google I/O this week as Google previewed its next flagship. Thanks to an on-stage preview of the next device, we know there will be a Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro with a slightly revamped camera bar and a next-gen Tensor chipset will power both phones when they come to autumn.
Here’s what we don’t know about the Pixel 7 – everything else.
You can’t blame Google for sparing detail on the Pixel 7. We’re probably five months away from its arrival, and there’s a completely different phone out there – the Pixel 6a — to be placed on the market in the meantime. Google probably just wanted to build anticipation for its flagship phone and get people used to the slightly tweaked look. Oval camera lenses replace the more conventional round lenses found on the Pixel 6and the camera bar will be aluminum on the new phone.
Clearly, there’s a lot more to the Pixel 7, and we expect to hear most of it by the new device’s fall launch date. But until those details emerge, here are the biggest questions we hope to get answered by the time the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro arrive.
How does Google plan to fix the Pixel’s battery life?
If you ask Pixel 6 users what is their biggest issue with the phone, I’m willing to bet battery life would be at the top of the list. Neither the Pixel 6 nor the Pixel 6 Pro performed well in our battery test, in which we have phones surf the web via cellular until they run out of power. The Pixel 6 ran out of juice after 8 hours and 13 minutes, while the Pixel 6 Pro and its larger battery offered even less longevity at 7 hours and 49 minutes. The average smartphone takes about 10 hours to die.
Google therefore has its work cut out for it if it wants the Pixel 7 to last longer. Part of that could come down to battery size and the increased 4,614 and 5,000 mAh power supplies found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro respectively. Or maybe the Pixel 7’s new Tensor chipset will be more adept at power management.
Whatever the solution, it’s been a long time since Google landed an entry on our better phone battery life list, and something has to change if the Pixel 7 is going to break that streak.
Will the fingerprint sensor be different from the Pixel 6?
There’s at least one other common complaint about Pixel 6 phones, and that involves the under-display fingerprint sensor used by both devices. While testing the Pixel 6 last fall, I found the sensor to be quite sluggish and inconsistent, only working reliably if I held my finger down on the screen for what felt like much longer than what other phones needed. My colleague Jordan Palmer also found the Pixel 6 Pro’s sensor to be picky about where you put your finger.
On the one hand, Google seems to have acknowledged that the Pixel 6’s sensor isn’t up to snuff, as the company has confirmed that the newly announced Pixel 6a uses a different sensor than its more expensive sibling. We won’t be able to determine if that means more consistent performance until the Pixel 6a starts shipping in July.
Then again, Google also attributed Pixel 6 fingerprint performance to “Improved security algorithms.” In other words, this is a feature, not a bug. Still, some Pixel software updates seemed to improve the performance of the fingerprint sensor, so maybe Google can continue to iron things out with the Pixel 7.
How will the Pixel 7’s cameras improve?
Google’s Pixel flagships have earned a reputation for superior camera performance, though it’s usually the phone’s AI-powered software that wins the praise. Yet for the Pixel 6 lineup, Google has beefed up the camera hardware as well. After years of using a 12MP wide-angle lens as the primary camera on its phones, Google has moved to a 50MP sensor.
Only Google can say if there will be camera upgrades with the Pixel 7, let alone if they will be as spectacular. We’d pay attention to the Pixel 7 Pro’s telephoto lens. While the current Pro model offers 4x optical zoom, it’s safe to say that Google Galaxy S22 The phones offer the best telephoto features, with Super Resolution Zoom on the S22 Plus and S22 Plus producing a relatively clear image at 30x. It will be interesting to see how the Pixel 7 Pro tries to match that, if at all.
What new features will a next-gen Tensor chip enable on the Pixel 7?
We know a new Tensor chipset is coming to Pixel 7 phones. This will likely mean performance improvements over the current chip, although performance is honestly only part of the story here. The silicon includes a dedicated tensor processing unit that powers many machine learning-based features that help the Pixel stand out from other Android phones.
We don’t yet know what new capabilities will be possible with an updated Tensor chipset. But we’re pretty sure Google won’t rest on its laurels here. magic eraser – one of my favorite Pixel 6 tools – is coming to the Pixel 6a, but rather than just enabling the same version as before, Google has tweaked it. Now, in addition to removing unwanted people and objects with just a tap, you can also change the color and tone of objects so they won’t be as distracting in your shot. An updated Magic Eraser makes us think that Google isn’t quite done finding things the Tensor chip can do.
Can we expect the Pixel 7 to offer expanded Android support?
Buy a Pixel 6 model and you’re guaranteed to update Android versions until October 2024 – basically three years in which you can expect to pick up the newest version of Google’s operating system. That sounds pretty generous, until you consider that Samsung changed its update policy with the arrival of the Galaxy S22 this year.
Now, Samsung’s flagships from the past two years as well as this year’s mid-range Galaxy A models can expect four years of Android updates. This is attractively approaching iPhone territory in terms of support.
If I were Google, I’d be a bit embarrassed if another phone manufacturer promised more updates for my software than I did with my phones. The launch of the Pixel 7 gives Google the chance to do something about it.
Will Google keep the Pixel 7 price low?
Google has found a way to undercut the competition with the Pixel 6 lineup. The Pro model is $100 less than the iPhone 13 Pro and Galaxy S22 Pluswhile the Pixel 6 is $100 less than the cheapest iPhone 13 model.
Google might have to work hard to keep those prices in place for the Pixel 7. Component prices are up, like everything, and that’s putting a strain on phone makers’ bottom lines. According to persistent rumors iPhone 14 Pro models will cost $100 more than their predecessors.
Assuming that claim isn’t out of line, Google is going to have to work hard to make sure the same economic pressures other phone makers face don’t affect its prices. Any price hike on the Pixel 7 would negate one of the phone’s biggest advantages.
Pixel 7 outlook
With the Pixel 7 not arriving until later this year, it will be a while before we can definitively answer any of these questions. But the fact that we have so many questions about what’s to come with the Pixel 7 suggests that Google has done a good job of sparking interest in the next phone.
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