Pixel 7 Pro

[Technerd108]

I know there is a combination thread with Pixel 7 and 7 Pro but I would like to start one just for the Pixel 7 Pro.

So if you are a regular then you probably have read my thread about T mobile and trying to unlock my iphone 13 pro max. That saga is still ongoing but I have now ditched T-Mobile so I don't know if it will affect my progress.

I am now using a Boost mobile sim with an unlimited data plan for $25 a month. So until I can get my iphone unlocked or even if I can I am using my new Pixel 7 Pro.

It has been at least 3 years since I had a Pixel. I had a nexus phone and nexus tablet and I loved them dearly.

When I tried Pixel phones in the past I always felt I was using a hybrid mid range phone with flagship price. This new Pixel 7 Pro finally feels like a flagship to me.

It is not perfect hardware wise but it is pretty darn good.

I also have a Samsung S22 plus and since I may be without an iPhone for a while I will speak about the two phones and a little compared to the 13 pro max.

I like big screen phones and pretty much hate curved displays. So it was a major gamble for me to try the Pixel 7 Pro. I was on the fence with the Pixel 7 but I didn't want my main phone to have a 1080p display. Basically my main phone needs to have a lot of bells and whistles.

I get not everyone cares about all the features but I use my phone a lot and over the years I have found that using something with too many compromises sucks in certain situations.

So while the Samsung S22/23(soon) ultra or iPhone 14 Pro Max may be the very best the Pixel 7 Pro still feels close in terms of build quality and feature set.

The Pixel 7 Pro has a great large square screen and I really like the more square shape over the larger curves of the iPhone. The bezels are pretty slim too. The bottom bezel has a bit of a lip which I don't like it is not as bad as I thought it would be. Basically the phone is all screen and it is a big screen. It gets plenty bright although I find I have the brightness turned up higher than my iphone and S22 plus. The curves are very subtle at the edge and it doesn't distort content too much. I find the color balance to be very good with enough saturation for my taste.

The Pixel UI is my favorite on Android. I do like some of the extra customization on one UI 5 but there are a ton of customizations I never use and a ton of extra apps I will never use so I prefer having a bit less than way too much. The speech recognition is simply amazing. The UI is fluid and animations are well thought out and smooth. Overall one of the best versions of Android besides One UI and gives iOS a run for the money.

The battery life has been really good so far. Pretty surprised actually as Android can chew through batteries and my iphone was the battery king! The iPhone Pro Max 13 is still a bit better but iOS 16 has negatively affected the battery so that it is not the 3 day phone it used to be.

The Tensor G2 is not going to win any tech battles or be on the leading edge in benchmarks which can be a little disappointing but Google has never needed the fastest chipsets to have a great phone. However I think the Tensor G2 is underappreciated because it doesn't score higher on benchmarks. Some of the things it excels in are not just cpu oriented. The combination of cpu, GPU, and Tensor working really well together are it's secret sauce.

The cameras are excellent and seems a bit better than my Pro Max or at least very close and definitely better than the S22 plus.

The speakers could be louder but they are decent. I just wish the ear piece speaker was a bit louder.

The build quality on this device is excellent. It really looks and feels like a flagship. It is a decent weight but not overbearingly heavy like my 13 pro max. The color ways could be better but the look and feel as well as the unique design make it a stand out device. It just feels really comfortable in my hand. I don't mind the polished glass and frame although I would prefer a blasted/brushed finish to hide fingerprints and scratches better. I wish they could develop something like Samsung aluminum armor some day.

Charging speeds for me seems pretty fast in real life.

Reception seems pretty good even with Boost over T mobile and in an area with poor reception in general I don't notice a difference from my Pro Max although Samsung has a slight edge.

Overall I think specially at the sale price and generous trade in offers this is the best value flagship smartphone available right now.

What are others experience with the Pixel 7 Pro?

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Some of the things it excels in are not just cpu oriented. The combination of cpu, GPU, and Tensor working really well together are it's secret sauce.

The real secret sauce is the AI that Google uses. It's the reason why you can get a camera that can easily match that of the very best flagship Apple currently offers and it sometimes even surpasses that of the iPhone. Some of the features such as Magic Eraser and Unblur are all AI driven. The cameras Google chose for the Pixel series are not on the advanced level as the iPhone but they hold their own because of AI.

Google's call screener and Google's Assistant is also made possible by Google's AI software. Google's Live translate and Live speech to text are also AI driven.

 

[M5RahuL]

It's an amazing device for sure.. I wish I used it more between my iPhone, Galaxy Fold 3, Galaxy S22 Ultra etc ..

And, I today concur with iOS 16 nuking the iPhone 13 PM battery! Really pisses me off! I, now, charge it every night!

 

[Technerd108]

It's an amazing device for sure.. I wish I used it more between my iPhone, Galaxy Fold 3, Galaxy S22 Ultra etc ..

And, I today concur with iOS 16 nuking the iPhone 13 PM battery! Really pisses me off! I, now, charge it every night!

I really like the iPhone 13 Pro Max. I think it is one of the best iPhones in a long time. It is hard to improve on it but somehow Apple found a way to make it worse by degrading the battery and screwing with the lock screen. The widgets are nice to have but not very flexible in how you can use them. They took away the original wallpaper and replaced them with ugly ones?

Unfortunately for me my device is locked to T-Mobile and they won't unlock it. So I either keep a phone I can't use on my new carrier which is unlimited instead of 10gb and cost less than half. So I bought the Pixel 7 Pro because Google gave me a much higher trade in value and had a sale. Whereas unless I get the 13 mini I will be out money with Apple.

So I will be using the Pixel for the next year or so at least.

The Pixel 7 Pro is impressive for the cost. All the complaints about the screen and Tensor G2 seem to be unfound. In real use the screen is great and the Tensor performs really well.

 

[Technerd108]

I have been using the Pixel 7 Pro now for a while. Here are my impressions after a couple months.

One of the cleanest Android phones in terms of apps. If you use Google apps then this phone is amazing. I have one app which I don't use and can only disable and that is Android TV. Otherwise I have no other apps I don't want or use. Even on iphone this was not possible. This is the cleanest and leanest build of Android out there and I love it!! Looking at you Samsung!

The UI interface is also my favorite of any device. I like the customization on OneUI 5 a bit better so it would be a close second. The animations and transitions are fantastic. The way everything works together is also great. The responsiveness and performance of this phone has been excellent.

The screen although curved has to be one of my favorite on any smartphone. The color temperature that Google sets is just about perfect. Images are clear and saturated without being over saturated. The 1440p resolution is perfect. The bezels around the phone are very small and the bottom chin is pretty slim and similar to the s23 ultra.

Build quality is excellent. The phone is solid and the fit and finish feels premium. I love the design as it is unique and not a copy of another phone. The look is great. I do wish there were more color options but I like what they have done.

The speakers are really good. A lot of bass for a phone and the phone gets pretty loud without distortion. The sound has a great surround effect as well. Overall one of the best sounding phones I have had. Some apps seem not to be able to get as loud as others and that would be my only gripe.

Cameras are really good. Video quality is really good. Good by blurry shots. One of the best things about the phone is how well your photos come out in focus and true to life and if you screw up a shot you can unblur it.

Battery life has been excellent. It could be a bit better but it gets me through a day of heavy mixed use with 7 to 8 hours of screen on time with around 40-20% left at the end of the day.

Call quality and features are probably some of the best things about the phone. Call screening and being able to filter out background sounds are excellent and practical features. The speech to text is amazing. Being able to know what a song is as it is playing is another great feature.

Tensor G2 is really good. There are some times when it heats up and gets a little bogged down but even then it still performs well. The AI integration is really good.

The Samsung modem is actually pretty good. It seems a little battery hungry and hopefully with updates that will improve but reception and data speeds have been really good.

Fingerprint scanner works very well. There are some times when it is a little picky but for the most part it has been extremely accurate and reliable.

Overall this is one of the best phones I have ever had. Google has a winner with the Pixel 7 Pro.

Looking forward to hearing what other people have experienced after using the phone for a while.