Last week I went and ordered the new Google Pixel 7 Pro to broaden my android phone horizons. I have been using it now for just about a week so I wanted to give you some of my first impressions on this phone and whether I think this could be one of the best android smartphones out there.

Google Pixel 7 Pro Design

The Pixel 7 pro is very similar in terms of design to the Pixel 6 Pro from last year. The main difference between the two is the new camera visor that comes with the Pixel 7 Pro which is an aluminium bar which holds the 3 camera lens.

I do like the new look that this brings to the pixel phone but I would say that with it being aluminium that it does scratch up more than the Pixel 6 Pros visor. So it might be worth getting a case to add a bit more protection.

Casing Material

the casing is the same as last year and that makes this a very slippy phone, probably the slipperiest that I have come across. This is another reason to slap a case on the Google Pixel 7 Pro as it will provide the phone with a bit of grip to stop it from falling off most surfaces.

Display

The Display on the Google Pixel 7 Pro is lovely. It has a 6.7″ QHD+ Display which is nice and sharp and makes consuming content a real joy. It has a rather large display which makes being able to read articles and general notifications easy as there is plenty of screen real estate.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro also has a variable refresh rate which goes up to 120hz, making scrolling through content on this phone really smooth and enjoyable. This is of course a feature that you would expect to see in a flagship device with Pro in the title.

In terms of brightness, it’s not quite as bright as the Apple iPhone 14 Pro but it’s still more than bright enough so you are not going to come across any issues seeing the screen on a nice sunny day.

Always of Display

I thought I would give this its own little section as I am a massive fan of an always on display. This is something that I am pretty new to as I have only just started venturing into checking out Andriod Phones but I love it. Apple has brought its own version of the always on display which is nice but Android remains king in this area for me and the Pixel 7 Pro is no execptin to that rule.

Camera

I have been taking a few snaps over the past week and I have been impressed with the photos that the pixel 7 pro produces. This is not a massive shock as pixel phones do take lovely pictures.

You still get the likes on magic eraser as you did last on last year’s Pixel phones. Now I haven’t had a massive amount of time with the camera on here but I have used the night mode which has produced some nice shots.

I have also found that video quality on the Pixel 7 pro to be good. So much so that I go between this and my iPhone 14 Pro when shooting reels and other bits of social media content. Google has introduced a cinematic blur to this year’s line up but it’s not on the same level as the cinematic mode of the iPhone 14 Pro but I expect this to get better over time as updates come.

I will try and cover the camera off in more detail in my next long term review of this phone as I just haven’t used it enough yet.

Battery life

The battery life on the Pixel 7 Pro has been pretty good. It easily has been lasting the day to the point that I still have plenty of battery life left when I am heading off to bed. I would say that the battery life is not far off that of the iPhone 14 Pro is not the same. To be fair all day battery life is something that I would expect from a flagship phone at the least.

Biometrics

Unlike previous google pixel phones, the Pixel 7 Pro comes with face unlock as well as a fingerprint sensor. I am mainly going to talk about the fingerprint sensor here as I have not set up the face unlock as I tend to prefer the fingerprint sensor on my android phones.

last year Pixel’s fingerprint sensor was not the greatest and it would often take a couple of attempts to unlock the phone which was somewhat annoying. However, the Pixel 7 Pro’s fingerprint sensor appears to be much improved and I have not had any issues so far.

It’s nice and quick and more important it’s consistent. I am not sure what it is but I do like fingerprint sensors to unlock my device and I wish that Apple would implement it as well.

Now I do love face unlock on the iPhone and I think that because it’s a secure way to unlock the phone and use apps like banking apps. The face unlock on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will only unlock the phone you will still need to verify your identity using the fingerprint sensor.

Software

The Pixel 7 Pro is running the latest version of android software (Android 13) and it is nice and smooth. I was expecting this to be the case with this being a Google Phone and this being the purest version on Android (I think that is the right phase).

There are several features such as call screening and other smart features in the calling area. This is really cool considering it is actually a phone.

We also get the new Tensor g2 chip in the Pixel phones this year and so far so good for me. It’s quick and responsive, and battery life as I have already said is great. I haven’t seen any real bugs so far when using the Pixel 7 Pro but its early days so will let you know if that changes in my long term review of this phone.

Conclusion

So there you have it my first impression of the Google Pixel 7 Pro. I think that this is a great value for a flagship smartphone. It has a great camera system and great camera software that really does great things when processing your picture.

It has a great display and all the features that you need from a smartphone and all for £849 which compared to Samsung and Apple it is just great value. They also give you the choice of free Pixel buds or the new Google Pixel Watch (see my first impression here) I am just struggling to see why you wouldn’t go for it.

Granted this is coming from someone who rocks an Apple Watch Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro and here is the point Google is building that ecosystem which will compete with Apple, so you never know in the future it maybe more of an easy decision to make the switch.

I am planning to whack my personal sim into the Google Pixel and use it as my main phone for a few weeks to give you a more detailed long term review. So watch this space.