Pixel 7 Hands-on: Built small

At 2022’s Made by Google event in New York City, I went hands-on with the Pixel 7, Google’s latest small-sized flagship.

While I won’t be reviewing the Pixel 7, I still wanted to share my overall impressions of Google’s latest handset. In a few days, MobileSyrup’s Jon Lamont will share his more detailed thoughts about the phone after putting it through its paces.

Compared to Google’s 2021 model, the Pixel 7 surprisingly feels like a far more premium device. The handset isn’t unwieldy, and it’s small enough to easily use with one hand. The smartphone is lighter, too, which is the first thing I noticed about it. Further, even though the decrease in display size is minimal (6.4-inches to 6.3-inches), the change feels more substantial when you’re holding the Pixel 7 in your hand.

I’m someone who typically prefers larger smartphones, and I often hold handsets with both hands, but I understand why the size change is beneficial.

I also think the Pixel 7’s overall design is quite attractive. The visor on the back is striking, thanks to its matte aluminum finish. I prefer this aesthetic more than last year’s Pixel 6 series and feel it adds a premium flair to the device. In fact, I preferred the visor on the Pixel 7 compared to the Pixel 7 Pro because of its more matte texture.  The back of the phone is glossy, which I’m not fond of.

Regarding colours, I prefer the Pixel 7’s new ‘Lemongrass’ hue over the less vibrant ‘Obsidian’ and ‘Snow.’

The Pixel 7 offers a 6.3-inch display with a 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Scrolling seems sufficiently smooth, and while I can often tell the difference between 60Hz and 120Hz, the shift between 90Hz and 120Hz is less noticeable. I looked at several photos, checked out a few YouTube videos and browsed the internet, and the display looks stellar. Of course, I need to spend more time with the device to know for sure.

The Pixel 7 features a 4,355mAh battery that Google claims offers 24 hours of battery life and up to 72 hours with extreme battery save enabled. We plan to do more testing surrounding the smartphone’s battery life in the coming weeks.

Further, the device features 8GB of RAM, a 50-megapixel primary and 48-megapixel ultra-wide, a 10.8-megapixel selfie camera, Google’s Tensor G2 chip, the Titan M2 security and finally, the return of ‘Face Unlock.’ Google also says it improved ‘Real Tone,’ and that the G2 chip is faster and more efficient than last year’s processor.

I didn’t get the chance to really test the G2 out, but the phone seems snappy and responsive. I also snapped a few pictures at Google’s event, and they looked solid, although similar to the experience with the Pixel 6. Of course, we’ll need to do more camera testing, but I’m quite happy with what I’ve seen so far. I also tried out the ultrawide front camera and can see how it would be useful when taking selfies with large groups of friends. You won’t need a selfie stick anymore.

These specs aren’t the most impressive on the market, but at a $799 price tag, Google’s Pixel 7 offers a lot of high-end features. Jon will be putting the smartphone’s cameras, Face Unlock and more through their paces, so keep an eye out for our full review in the coming days. The Pixel 7 is now available for pre-order and will release on October 13th.

To learn about the Pixel 7 Pro, check out my hands-on, and keep an eye on MobileSyrup for our Pixel 7, 7 Pro and Pixel Watch reviews.

For all of MobileSyrup’s content from Google’s fall hardware event, follow this link.