Well, color us surprised: the Google Pixel 7 is official. Kind of. During Google IO 2022, the company gave us an extended preview of the upcoming Android phone, and now we know a lot about it.
We didn’t expect that at all, as the expected launch window for Google’s next mainline series phone is around October 2022. We also saw the Google Pixel 6a, which is what we actually expected.
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 most important facts we just learned.
There are still two family members left
As with the Google Pixel 6 lineup, there will be a Pixel 7 and a Pixel 7 Pro.
It’s clear that last year’s dual phone approach worked – and it also suggests that the XL name, which Google used for a few years for its ‘Pro-like’ phones, is gone.
The image 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.
The handsets aren’t too different from their Pixel 6 predecessors, with the large camera bar remaining the eye-catching design feature.
One change, according to Google, is now that the camera bump is now the same continuous piece as the frame – these are made from recycled aluminium.
We also know the colors: both 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 will have
There’s no change to the number of cameras in 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 rearranged a bit, and we might see some new sensors in play, but the number themselves are the same. We can also say that the Pixel 7 Pro will use a telephoto lens, not a periscope, a zoom.
They will use a new Google chipset
While the Pixel 6 series used Google’s Tensor chipset, future phones will get the second-generation version of this homemade chipset.
We don’t know what changes the new version will bring, but it will hopefully be a bit faster than the stock Pixel 7 phones. It might also support some cool new AI camera modes.
They will run Android 13
Something we really could have guessed, the Google Pixel 7 phones will ship with Android 13.
In fact, these will likely be the first phones to ship with the software built-in, building on the previous ones. Google hasn’t said as much, but that’s been the case for most years so far.
They have a whole cycle of teasing
Something Google did new for the Pixel 6 series is that it starts teasing phones early on, so we knew quite a bit about them when they launched.
Apparently that’s happening this year as well, as Google IO’s announcement no doubt clarified. But more: Google is opening a new hardware store in New York in mid-2022, and apparently the next handsets will be available to view there.
Google is therefore apparently planning a whole cycle of teasing for these next devices.
They will come alongside the Pixel Watch
The Google Pixel Watch was also shown off at Google IO, and we got a bit more information about it than the Pixel 7. It will have Fitbit modes, as well as an NFC chip.
Apparently this smartwatch will launch properly when the Pixel 7 does, and we’ll likely see some great pre-order bundles that combine the new phone and the watch as well.