We have tested the photography, software, battery and main features and this is the result
Google has been warning for some time, stomping in the camera sector. Speaking in megapixels, not everything is “big donkey walk or not walk” and the Pixels prove it . But the arrival of the new model, the Pixel 7 Pro, has taken a leap over other brands (read Apple) that until now had a monopoly on the visual.
As for the specific technical part, we are dealing with a smartphone with a 6.7-inch screen. It weighs about 210 grams (the excuse is that what it has inside is very heavy). 120 Hz refresh rate, a Google Tensor G2 processor, 12 GB RAM and up to 256 GB of storage. 50, 48 and 12 MP main cameras and 10 MP selfie. 5,000 mAh battery and a fast charge of 30 W. There is facial recognition, fingerprint reader under the screen and three models: white, black and green (the materials are very friendly with fingerprints and dirt, yes). For all this Google asks us for an emolument of 900 euros. It’s worth it? Let’s go to it .
At first impression, we are facing a last generation mobile in design , except for the aluminum band on the back, the design is the same. The same layout of the buttons (somewhat uncomfortable in the choice of unlocking above the volume buttons, an insistence from Google against the current), a slightly curved screen with very good visual behavior and a selfie camera that does not bother at all when looking at content. He responds quickly in video games and is very enjoyable.
Its microchip, the second generation Tensor, from its own factory, is not the best on the market, it may reach the podium, surely a diploma but no more. This does not mean that it is bad, but it does not reach the performance of the Apple Bionics or the Qualcomm draconians. And this makes it pay a very sensitive toll… to the dermis: they heat up quickly .
In the 5,000 battery, it is already the minimum we ask of a mobile for this price, together with an effective fast charge (30 W is barely decent) and a charger… which it does not come with. And here is an important section. While it is true that we must take care of the environment and we all have chargers at home, the reality is that chargers work with algorithms to make charging more effective, not only in speed but also in battery protection. More than ignoring the charger, companies should facilitate the recycling of old ones to gain time, performance and sustainability. Not just Google, all of them. That said, the heat of the battery and a very powerful software (ergo, demanding) makes us finish the day very fair if we give it a go.
And speaking of cane: that’s what photography is on the Pixel 7 Pro . Yes, it is true that 50 MP lenses (when there are already 200 MP) are not very surprising, but this is where the importance of the software and AI used by Google begins to be seen. Its selfie camera, for example, is capable of recording in 4K,something that is hardly seen. Night mode is bright (in a good way, without burning photos), when using the wide angle, the images of the main lens are combined by the proprietary software so that the image does not appear blurry. It has two very notable programs: Face Unblur and Magic Eraser. The first is a program to treat old images (which may be a year old) but with blurred protagonists and remasters them with great success. No matter what camera took them. The magic eraser allows us to point out the objects or people that we want to erase from a photo and with a touch it erases them, composing a very well achieved background thanks to the AI.
The zoom, up to 30 X, gives results that are not professional camera, but they are not amateurish either, seeing what we can achieve, largely thanks to its image stabilization. In short: a camera capable of competing and being familiar with the best on the market . If Google works together with Instagram or Tik Tok to facilitate the quality of uploading photos and videos on the networks, it can replace Apple, which until now were the mobile phones chosen for these details.
Two details before the verdict: it has a program to measure sleep that is quite effective in terms of data collection. And the simultaneous translator, to 50 languages, works much better than other versions… Tarzan, to put it in some way.
Now yes: on the negative side the battery and its not fast charge . Its approved but not outstanding processor, its thermal response to the demand, a somewhat fair storage capacity (taking into account the importance of photography) and, if we put ourselves in exquisite, its materials “that leave their mark”.
The positive is its photographic aspect, very positive. Not only the camera but also the software. Better or the same as the latest Apple but for several hundred less (a part of which will go to external battery).
The best news is that Apple is finally being challenged in its own monopoly in years.
