7 important things we just learned about the Google Pixel 7

Months before launch

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Well, color us surprised: theGoogle Pixel 7is official. Sort-of. AtGoogle IO 2022, the company gave us a prolonged look at the upcoming Android phone, and now we know lots about it.

We weren’t expecting this at all, because the expected launch window forGoogle’s next main-series phone is around October 2022. We also saw theGoogle Pixel 6a, which is what we actually were expecting.

Even though the Pixel 7 launch is still months away, we now know quite a bit about the phone - so here are some of the biggest facts we just learnt.

There are still two members of the family

Like with theGoogle Pixel 6range, there is going to be a Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

Clearly the double-phone approach from last year worked - and this also suggests that the XL name, which Google used for a few years for its ‘Pro-like’ phones, is gone.

The picture you see at the top of this article is the Pixel 7 Pro.

We know what they look like

We know there are two Pixel 7 phones because Google showed us both of them.

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The handsets don’t look too different to their Pixel 6 predecessors, with the big camera bar remaining the eye-catching design feature.

According to Google, a change now is that is camera bump is now the same continuous piece as the frame - these are made of recycled aluminum.

We also know about the colors: both the phones come in white and black, while there’s a yellow Pixel 7 and a green Pixel 7 Pro.

We know how many cameras they’ll have

There are no changes on the camera count from the Pixel 6 series: expect two in the Pixel 7 and three in the Pixel 7 Pro.

The layout of these on the back has been re-arranged a bit, and we could see newer sensors at play, but the number themselves is the same. We can also tell that the Pixel 7 Pro will use a telephoto, not periscope, zoom lens.

They’ll use a new Google chipset

While the Pixel 6 series used Google’s Tensor chipset, the next phones will get the second-gen version of this home-made chipset.

We don’t know what changes the new version will bring, but it’ll hopefully be a tiny bit faster than the original one in the Pixel 7 phones. It could support some cool new AI camera modes too.

They’ll run Android 13

Something we really could have guessed, the Google Pixel 7 phones will come withAndroid 13.

In fact, these will likely be the first phones to come with the software built-in, based on precedent. Google didn’t say as much, but it’s what’s happened most years so far.

They’re getting a whole tease cycle

Something that Google did new for the Pixel 6 series, is that it starting teasing the phones really early, so we knew quite a bit about them by the time they properly launched.

Apparently that’s happening this year too, as the Google IO announcement no doubt made clear. But more: Google is opening a new hardware store in New York in mid-2022, and apparently the upcoming handsets will be available to view there.

So Google is seemingly planning a whole tease cycle for these next devices.

They’ll come alongside the Pixel Watch

TheGoogle Pixel Watchwas also shown off at Google IO, and we got a little more information on it than we did the Pixel 7. It’ll have someFitbitmodes, as well as an NFC chip.

Apparently, this smartwatch will have a proper launch when the Pixel 7 does, and we’ll likely see some great pre-order bundles that combine the new phone and watch too.

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

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