Google Pixel 7 vs Pixel 6: what are the differences?

Google has officially launched its next-generation smartphones with Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. After kicking off a revolution in the smartphone range last year between a completely original new design and a homemade chip, the Mountain View company is taking the foundations laid by its successors, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. a few points. Learn the key differences between the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel 6 series.

Design

While most of the Pixel 6 design has been inherited for the Pixel 7, Google still brought some personalization touches to its new terminals. In the back, the particularly enthusiastic photo block is back. However, it abandons its black color for a lighter silver effect hue. This highlights the less noticeable photo sensors in black-on-black. Otherwise, we have the same number of modules as before: two optical + LED flash on Pixel 7 and 6, three optical + LED flash on Pixel 7 Pro and 6 Pro. The other rear-panel level change is the merging of colors on both sides of the photo block on the Pixel 7, while Google plays on a contrast on the Pixel 6.

Pixel 7’s dimensions (155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm) are smaller than Pixel 6’s (158.6 x 74.8 x 8.9mm) in terms of height, width or depth. The smartphone thus becomes an interesting option for lovers. compact size. Google took the opportunity to reduce the size of the borders around the slab. The Pixel 7 Pro (162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm) is lower but wider than its predecessor (163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm) for the same thickness.

All models are water and dust resistant according to the protection index IP68, anti-fingerprint coating and aluminum frame. The protective glasses do not change: Gorilla Glass Victus on the screen and back in Pro models, Gorilla Glass Victus on the screen in standard versions and Gorilla Glass 6 on the back.

The front camera is housed in a central punch, which is also integrated into the plate. Finally, the colors change:

• Available in Pixel 7 Snow White, Volcanic Black and Lime Green, Pixel 6 Ocean Gray and Carbon Black.
• The Pixel 7 Pro is available in Snow White, Volcanic Black, and Sage Green, while the Pixel 6 Pro is available in Carbon Black.

Screen

Pixel 7 screen is smaller than Pixel 6: 6.3 inches and 6.4 inches. Otherwise, it is based on the same OLED technology as FHD+ definition (1080 x 2400 pixels), 120 Hz refresh rate, maximum color depth of 24 bit (16 million colours), a contrast ratio of more than 100 000:1 and HDR10+. compatibility. The screen adopts the 20:9 ratio in both cases. Google, on the other hand, announced that the Pixel 7 screen has 25% more brightness compared to the Pixel 6.

The Pixel 7 Pro has a 6.7-inch display, similar to the Pixel 6 Pro. OLED LTPO panel, a QHD+ display (1440 x 3120 pixels) and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120 Hz that varies with screen content, all in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. For the rest, the features are the same as those of the standard models. Therefore, the Pixel 7 Pro screen has almost the same features as the Pixel 6 Pro.

Yield

Every model of every generation is compatible with 5G network. The Pixel 6 series is the first to introduce a chip made at Google, developed in partnership with Google: SoC Tensor. The Pixel 7s benefits from an updated version, the Tensor G2, which is more powerful and also more energy efficient. The first tests of the Pixel 7 Pro have already surfaced and show a slight performance boost. This gives the Pixel 7 a small advantage over the Pixel 6, even if the difference isn’t huge. The Pixel 7 is also quite far from the results achieved by smartphones under Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 from Qualcomm.

This is not surprising: Google has never favored raw power and cutting-edge hardware in its devices, opting at this point to save money and speak up for software expertise and optimizations to stand out. Tensor G2 impresses with its photo processing and artificial intelligence capabilities that give Pixel 7 exclusive features.

Memory

RAM and storage options have not changed from generation to generation:

• 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 internal memory for Pixel 7 and Pixel 6.
• 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 3.1 storage for Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro.

Security

In terms of security, the Titan M2 chip returns in this generation, but the Pixel 7 has an advantage over its predecessors: Google One VPN integrated at no cost or additional cost (the functionality will be deployed at an as-yet-unknown date after launch).

In addition, biometric authentication has been enriched. Like the Pixel 6, the Pixel 7 has a fingerprint reader under the screen for unlocking the smartphone. But the latter also has facial recognition, which is missing from the Pixel 6.

Autonomy, battery and charging

Since the Pixel 7 is smaller than the Pixel 6, Google logically has less room to install a large battery. Capacity increases from 4,614 mAh in the 2021 model to 4,355 mAh in the 2022 model, but this decline should not be synonymous with reduced autonomy, according to the American group. Thanks to the less resource-intensive Tensor G2 chip and the use of artificial intelligence to optimize the consumption of the device, the durability of the two mobiles will be largely the same, and each model will receive more than a day of use. Reading the small lines, we still notice that Google’s test protocol measured an average battery life of 31 hours for the Pixel 7 and 34 hours for the Pixel 6. 72 hours, 48 ​​hours for Pixel 6.

On the Pixel 7 Pro, a 5000mAh battery, as on the Pixel 6 Pro. Therefore, given that the screen is similar and the SoC Tensor G2 should save energy, we can expect a gain in autonomy. Google also announced up to 72 hours of battery life on the Pixel 7 Pro, which has an ultra battery saving feature, which is one day more than the Pixel 6 Pro.

Google disappointed charging speedit stays plugged in at the same capacities, i.e. up to 21W on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6, or 23W on the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro, using the Google 30W USB-C charger, which is not included in the box. . The firm, led by Sundar Pichai, contacts a 30-minute charge to increase the battery from 1% to 50%. With the Google Pixel Stand Gen 2, sold separately, wireless charging reaches 20W (Pixel 7 and 6) or 23W (Pixel 7 Pro and 6 Pro). Qi-certified chargers only provide 12W.

Camera

The Pixel 7’s photo configuration doesn’t move, the smartphone simply takes over the Pixel 6’s sensors. 50 MP Quad Bayer With ƒ/1.85 aperture, 1.2 μm pixel width, optical and electronic image stabilization, Octa PD technology and laser autofocus. It is accompanied by 12 MP ultra-wide-angle optics with ƒ/2.2 aperture, 1.25 μm pixel width and 114° wide field of view.

The Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro use these specs, except the Pixel 7 Pro, which has an ultra-wide angle of 125.8°, while the Pixel 6 Pro has 114°. They also added a telephoto lens and this time a change was made between the two models. If the 48 MP definition and the ƒ/3.5 aperture are the same, three features are changed in this camera:

• 20.6° field of view on Pixel 7 Pro, 23.5° field of view on Pixel 6 Pro.
• Pixel 7 Pro pixel width 0.7μm, Pixel 6 Pro 0.8μm.
• Optical zoom x5 on Pixel 7 Pro versus x4 on Pixel 6 Pro.

The front camera responsible for selfies is shared between Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro (10.8 MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 92.8° ultra-wide-angle field of view, 1 pixel width, 22μm). As a reminder, the Pixel 6 starts with an 8 MP sensor, ƒ/2.0 aperture, 84° wide-angle field of view, and 1.12 μm pixels. The Pixel 6 Pro does better with its 11.1MP front optics, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 94° ultra-wide field of view and 1.22μm large pixels. Pixel 7 is getting better therefore it seems to lag significantly compared to the Pixel 6, while the Pixel 7 Pro seems to lag a bit compared to the Pixel 6 Pro.

In the video, Google doesn’t touch anything, with support for 4K and 1080p definitions at 30 and 60 frames per second for all models.

Sound

The audio part is the same for all four models: stereo speakers, three microphones and ambient noise canceling to make calls clear.

Software

The Pixel 7 series comes with Android 13 preinstalled and the Pixel 6 series comes with Android 12. Google promises three years of feature updates along with five years of security patches. Since the Pixel 7 is newer, they will benefit from a longer software follow-up than the Pixel 6.

As for the photo features, the Pixels 7 magic eraser inherits True Tone, portrait and night vision modes (the latter will be twice as fast on the Pixel 7 for the same quality) or motion autofocus already on the Pixel 6. Pixel 7 Pro adds an option to: macro focusThis allows you to take very close-up shots of the subject that other smartphones deliver via a special photo sensor that the Pixel 7 Pro lacks. Also, the anti-blur function, which uses AI to improve the sharpness of the photos, will be much more efficient on the Pixel 7 than on the Pixel 6.

The Pixel 7 also uses the Tensor G2 chip to offer an unprecedented feature in a smartphone: a voicemail converter to avoid listening to long sounds sent by our connections. It’s an innovative and practical option that can greatly improve the experience of people with slightly overly talkative relatives.

Price

The good news is Google isn’t following Apple’s path with the iPhone 14 and is keeping the price list for its new smartphones. Pixel 7 is available at: 649 euros In its version with 128 GB of storage and 749 euros to take advantage of 256 GB of internal memory. Pixel 7 Pro is on sale for the price 899 euros 999 Euros for 128GB and 256GB These are the same prices as the 128GB Pixel 6 (the previous generation didn’t have a 256GB version).

Pixel 7 and Pixel 6: which one to choose?

As you can see from reading this comparison, Google didn’t take a big risk with the Pixel 7 and just improved the formula the Pixel 6 created by adding a few new features here and there. The Pixel 6s are no longer available on the official Google store, but you should be able to get one from third-party vendors. In case of a nice price drop (eg 200 Euros), the Pixel 6 will give us a best quality price report Better than Pixel 7.

On the other hand, the Pixel 7 is the subject of a pretty attractive pre-order offer that might crack you up if you’re into Pixel Buds Pro wireless earbuds or a Pixel Watch-connected watch. Your smartphone will be updated for another year, which should also be considered. And let’s not forget the new design and new features of the two new smartphones.