what does google have to offer?

Today was the day; finally the new Pixel devices are available in the Netherlands. One of these devices is the Google Pixel 7 Pro. What does this stylish smartphone have to offer? We give you a first impression.

Google Pixel 7 Pro Preview

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are both available in the Netherlands from today. And it was about time, because Google has never released the devices in our country so far. So you always had to use gray imports or drive to Germany yourself. Now that is no longer necessary and we have also picked up the Pixel 7 Pro. What does the device have to offer and what is our first impression?

The Pixel 7 Pro is the more extensive brother of the Pixel 7 and is therefore somewhat larger. The screen continues on the side of the smartphone, but where this is more disturbing than useful with some phones, this is actually perfect with the Pixel 7 Pro. So far we have not encountered any unwanted touches and everything works as you would expect. In addition, the phone fits well in the hand. In the pictures, the phone looks very slippery, but it certainly isn’t. I think you have a remarkable amount of grip on the Pixel 7 Pro. However, there are fingerprints on it in no time; although this is something that does not stop you with many devices.

The device from Google is therefore well in the hand, although I must say that it is somewhat large in size. The weight is also on the heavy side, with the weight coming out at 212 grams. But this is undoubtedly a matter of getting used to. You can optionally indicate in the interface that you want to operate the 1-hand mode, in which the screen is shown reduced. The screen itself looks very good; with true-to-life colors and excellent brightness for outdoor use. Due to the weather, we were unable to test with direct sunlight today.

It’s my first Pixel, and it takes some getting used to. Because Google has devised the design of the device differently than most manufacturers. This results, for example, in the location of the volume key; which is much lower. Above that is the power button; exchanged with each other, which still takes a lot of getting used to. So don’t be surprised if you turn the volume up a bit, instead of the screen going black.

Modem and network

The Pixel 6 series was not the best series. It started with a lot of bugs and a common complaint is that the modem (which handles phone reception) is very weak. So far we haven’t seen anything crazy about bugs in the first hours. In addition, our first suspicion indicates that Google has made significant improvements to the modem of the Pixel 7 (Pro). After all, we did not experience any problems with calling and networking over both the WiFi and the 5G network.

Camera

When used for the first time, it is immediately ready for a first security update and a camera update. Several things would be refined with this update. The Pixel 7 Pro has a triple camera, with a 50-megapixel main lens, 48-megapixel telephoto lens and a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens. The Pixel devices are usually very well rated on their camera, and this will certainly be something that we will discuss in more detail in a later review.

For a first acquaintance, we compared the camera of the Pixel 7 Pro with that of the Galaxy S22+. Our first impression is good, with the Pixel 7 Pro taking realistic images, while the S22+’s are more likely to over-saturated, while the Pixel 7’s cat is a bit more colorful. However, we think it is too early to draw a conclusion immediately.

Gestures and more

The Pixel 7 Pro feels very fast. The fingerprint scanner does its job quickly and there is also facial recognition that you can use. Perhaps a small note; I always use a quick tile in the quick settings for NFC, but I don’t see it here on the Pixel 7 Pro. A handy option that we also know from previous Pixels is the Quick Tap. You can set this option in the Gesture settings. For example, you can choose to open your favorite app with a tap on the back. We already saw this, for example, with the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra.

Battery

On board the Pixel 7 Pro is a 5000 mAh battery. The 30W charger is not included. Incidentally, the phone can handle a maximum charging power of 23W. The charger separately costs about 30 euros. I am now trying to charge the device with the 25W charger from Samsung. According to the information the phone gives, it takes a long time to charge with this; 1 hour and 43 minutes.

A PD charger (Power Delivery) charger can provide more speed. You can also charge wirelessly. We see that this works, among other things, with the wireless Wireless Charger from OnePlus. In an extensive Pixel 7 Pro review, we go deeper into the battery performance. For now I can only say that the device has been used intensively between 12 am and 5 pm. The battery capacity was then at 68 percent. At 5:30 p.m., it was at 14 percent. Nothing sensible to say about it yet; so we will of course work extensively with this!

Do you want to get started with the Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro yourself? You can buy the phones from Belsimpel, from T-Mobile and from Tele2.