Google made the unusual move of giving us a fairly extensive tease of the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro at Google I/O in early 2022, before officially announcing the devices in the Made by Google Event on 6 October.

The two new devices see an update over the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, broadly sitting in the same position, but looking to enhance the experience for users.

Here's everything you need to know about the new Pixel 7 family.

Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google Pixel 7 Pro

Pixel 7 Pro builds on the foundation of the Pixel 6 Pro, offering a more refined design, stunning camera performance and clean software.

Pixel 7 release date and price

  • 6 October 2022 pre-orders
  • 13 October 2022 on sale
  • Pixel 7 from $599 / £599 
  • Pixel 7 Pro from $899 / £849

The Made by Google event took place on 6 October, which also saw the pre-orders for these devices open. General availability will start from 13 October.

The Pixel 7 starts at £599 / $599 / €649 in Europe, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at £849 / $899 / €899, so there's no increase in price over previous years.

Design

  • Pixel 7: 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm, 197g
  • Pixel 7 Pro: 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm, 212g

The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have a similar design to their predecessors but with a couple of small alterations.

Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro: What's the story so far? photo 4
Google

The camera housing that spans the rear of both devices is here to stay for 2022, but will now wrap into the frame for the Pixel 7 handsets. More metal is elevated here, with 100 per cent recycled aluminium used with the Pixel 7 having a blasted matte finish, while the Pixel 7 Pro is a little more bling with a glossy finish.

There will be a range of colours available for each device: the Pixel 7 will come in Obsidian, Lemongrass and Snow, while the Pixel 7 Pro will offer Obsidian, Hazel and Snow options.

The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are both IP68 water and dust resistant, and have Gorilla Glass Victus both front and rear. The design hasn't changed hugely over previous devices, so they can easily be identified as a tweak on the Pixel 6 models - although the new Pixel 7 has been designed to be more compact than the Pixel 6.

Both offer stereo speakers.

Display 

  • Pixel 7: 6.3in, 2400 x 1080 pixels, 416ppi, 90Hz
  • Pixel 7 Pro: 6.7in, 3120 x 1440 pixels, 512ppi, 10-120Hz

The display sizes on these two phones really divide them, with the Pixel 7 sticking to the smaller 6.3-inch AMOLED display, while the Pixel 7 Pro has the larger 6.7-inch display. 

They have different resolutions, with the Pro stepping up to offer Quad HD+, with a higher ppi, so it's going to be the more capable of the two. It also has an adaptive refresh rate between 10 and 120Hz to suit the content you're consuming, designed to increase power efficiency.

Hardware and specs

  • Pixel 7: Google Tensor G2, 8GB, 128/256GB, 4355mAh, 20W
  • Pixel 7 Pro: Google Tensor G2, 12GB, 128/256/512GB, 5000mAh, 23W

There's new hardware powering the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, with the second-gen Google Tensor chip at their heart. Called the Tensor G2, Google is promising that the new hardware will make the phone faster, more efficient and more secure. It has been designed to integrate Google's AI (artificial intelligence) and ML (machine learning), so everything happens on the device rather than in the cloud. There's a Titan M2 chip to boost security. 

Google is also saying that the new hardware drives the new features in the phone, powering many of the clever features that are in the camera. 

The Pixel 7 will get 8GB RAM and come with a couple of storage options, while the Pixel 7 Pro will have 12GB RAM and storage up to 512GB. 

The phones respectively support 20 and 23W wired charging (the charger isn't supplied) and there's support for wireless charging too. The Pixel 7 has a 4355mAh battery, while the Pixel 7 Pro is a little larger at 5000mAh. There's the promise of all-day battery life.

There's also fingerprint and face unlocking, with a new VPN by Google One designed to help secure online activity even further.

Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro: What's the story so far? photo 5
Google

Camera

  • Pixel 7 dual camera system:
    • Main: 50MP, 1/1.31in, 1.2μm, f/1.85, OIS, 8x Super Res Zoom
    • Ultrawide: 12MP, 1.25μm, f/2.2, OIS
  • Pixel 7 Pro triple camera system:
    • Main: Main: 50MP, 1/1.31in, 1.2μm, f/1.85, OIS
    • Ultrawide: 12MP, 1.25μm, f/2.2, OIS, AF
    • Telephoto: 48MP, 0.7μm, f/3.5, OIS, 5x optical, 30X Super Res Zoom
  • Front: 10.8MP, 1.22μm, f/2.2, FF

The camera is where Google will out most of its focus and the camera arrangement reflects that which we saw on the Pixel 6 models. That sees the Pixel 7 with a dual camera and the Pixel 7 Pro with a triple camera.

In terms of the hardware there are few changes, but there's a new front camera on both devices, which will now offer 4K/60fps capture. 

Turning to the back of the phone, the Pixel 7 is basically the same as the Pixel 6, but there's the promise that things will be fast, as well as new software-powered features that we'll come to in a second. 

The Pixel 7 Pro has a new lens on the telephoto camera, so it's now offering 5x optical zoom - with Super Res Zoom out to 30x. In addition, the ultrawide now offers autofocus, which will be used to power the macro mode. 

Outside of the hardware changes, Google has put new machine learning models into place to boost the camera experience. That's going to see Night Sight getting faster on these models, while there is new processing to deliver better zoom results across the full range. You'll also get Photo Unblur which is again ML-powered, so not only works on new photos, but on your existing photos too. You can also dual capture from the front and rear cameras, to give more sharing options.

On top of the stills photo experience, there are boosts to video capture with a new Cinematic Blur function that will bring smooth bokeh to your video at 24fps, just like the movies. 

Software

  • 5 years security updates
  • 4 OS updates

The Pixel 7 models will launch with Android 13 and offer a stock experience. They will be front of the line when it comes to updates and we'd expect them to get 4 OS updates from the date of launch. 

Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro rumours: A timeline up to launch

Here's everything that happened before the official launch of the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.

3 October 2022: Google Pixel 7 spec sheet leak leaves little left to learn

A new leak from a mobile carrier in Taiwan appears to reveal many of the juicy details surrounding the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

28 September 2022: Google Pixel 7 Pro shown from every angle in official video, plus specs leak

The video doesn't reveal anything new as such - we already knew what the Pixel 7 Pro would look like - but it gives a close-up of the design details and the craftsmanship we can expect, with particular focus placed on the rear camera housing.

23 September 2022: Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro pricing leaked

New information has surfaced showing the expected pricing of the devices, specifically with Target in the US.

21 September 2022: Google Pixel 7 Pro pre-order date leaked by... Google

Pre-orders for the Google Pixel 7 Pro will seemingly open on 6 October 2022 - the day of the Made by Google event.

6 September 2022: The next Made by Google event will take place on 6 October - with plenty getting launched

Google has confirmed when the Made by Google event will take place, with Pixel 7 on the menu.

5 September 2022: Google Pixel 7 Pro unboxing video surfaces ahead of launch

An unboxing video showing what appears to be a retail version of the Google Pixel 7 Pro has appeared on Facebook.

17 August 2022: Google Pixel 7 devices appear on FCC ahead of launch

MySmartPrice reported that the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro could have appeared on the FCC certification website, suggesting launch is near.

1 August 2022: Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro could launch 6 October

Jon Prosser claimed "very reputable sources" told him the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro would be available to pre-order from 6 October and available to buy from 13 October.

27 July 2022: Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro camera sensor specs have leaked

Key specifications about the camera hardware on Google's upcoming flagship phones were revealed after a deep dive into the brand's code.

26 June 2022: Source code suggests brighter display on Pixel 7 models

Source code extracted from a Pixel 7 Pro prototype suggests that it will have a display with higher peak brightness than the Pixel 6 Pro.

23 June 2022: Google Pixel 7 Pro suggests some Tensor 2 details

Android Police published a report diving a little deeper into the Tensor 2 chip based on a Pixel 7 Pro prototype.

30 May 2022: Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro display specs leak

According to a 9to5Google report, which comes from finding details in the code of the Android Open Source Project, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will feature the same displays as their predecessors with a few tweaks.

11 May 2022: Pixel 7 and 7 Pro announced at Google I/O

Google used its conference to tease the phones and showcase their designs briefly.

24 February 2022: Pixel 7 Pro leaks out: New renders reveal Pixel 6 Pro-like design

OnLeaks and SmartPrix revealed some renders of the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, along with some expected specifications.

Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro: What's the story so far? photo 1
@OnLeaks

19 February 2022: Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro could pack Tensor 2.0 with Samsung modem

According to 9to5Google, who dug into the Android 13 developer preview and spoke to "trusted" sources, Google has a second-generation Tensor chip in the works called Tensor 2.0.

3 January 2022: Google patents under-display camera

LetsGoDigital spotted a patent for under-display camera technology, filed by Google.