With the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro last October 2022, Google reintroduced Face Unlock to its phones after abandoning the Pixel 4’s approach.
At the launch event, it was announced as such:
And the front camera has another role to play. Pixel 7 and 7 Pro’s front camera uses our advanced machine learning models for face recognition, to power Face Unlock. So you have the faster, more secure under-display fingerprint reader, and now you have the convenience of unlocking your phone with a glance.
Instead of using a dot projector, flood illuminator, and IR cameras in conjunction with the Soli radar, Google turned to a front-facing camera that supports DPAF (dual-pixel auto-focus) to presumably create a depth map to be used with the aforementioned ML models. I find it slightly weird that Google has yet to detail the technology behind this Face Unlock approach in an AI/Research blog post, like it did before.
For the most part, the experience has been fine. It’s not better than the dedicated hardware of the Pixel 4 or Face ID on the iPhone. That approach lets face recognition operate in all lighting conditions, including the absence of any. My usage of the fingerprint sensor definitely picks up at night, resulting in a two-tiered security experience throughout the day.
Of course, the more stark tiering is how face recognition is not considered a secure unlock method by Android for things related to payments, passwords, and passkeys. In that regard, today’s Face Unlock is less secure than what came before in an unfortunate and uncharacteristic step backward. Assuming Google decided to continue the Pixel 4 lineage rather than reorienting, the Pixel 5 would have probably not had a hole punch and instead opted for an iPhone-esque cutout in order to avoid a thick upper bezel. The design would have presumably shrunk by now. That’s one big shame with the Pixel restart.
Going back to reality, the Face Unlock we do have today on the Pixel 7, 7 Pro, 7a, and Fold is best summarized as a convenience. I’ve been using it a bit more with the Pixel Fold as a way to transition from an under-display to a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Having used the former for two generations now, I’ve come to like how you’re literally interacting with the UI for unlocking. I’m amused at the hardware/software synergy.
In optimal conditions, Face Unlock on the Fold works quite fast and lets you start doing things on your phone pretty quickly, which is arguably what’s most important.
That said, the security and environmental conditions will always stop it from becoming ubiquitous. I wonder whether the primarily software-driven approach to Face Unlock is something that has a future. The roadmap behind the IR approach that Apple uses is more straightforward in that ideally all those components can be placed and work underneath the display.
Namely, for Google, will the recognition algorithms get foolproof enough that it cannot be tricked and gets elevated to a secure unlock method? Does this require a front-facing camera upgrade, more on-device processing, or another innovation entirely?
Or will the future of Face Unlock on the Pixel be a return to IR? That would be great from a security and convenience perspective but would make the current feature feel one-off.
The 3GPP is responsible for developing mobile broadband standards, with 5G being the recent focus. Standards are made available as “releases,” with the Pixel 7 on the older 3GPP Release 15 compared to other available phones today.
Release 15 launched in June of 2018 as the first 5G standard. It was followed in July 2020 by Release 16, which Qualcomm added support for with the Snapdragon X65 in 2021 and last year’s X70 modem (as found on the Galaxy S23).
(Release 17 came out in June of 2022 and Release 18 is targeting 2024. Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X75 with Release 17 and 18 support earlier this month.)
Qualcomm described Release 16 as bringing a “plethora of enhancements to the foundational aspects of the 5G system, in terms of coverage, capacity, latency, power, mobility, reliability, ease of deployment, and more.” Of particular note in the “second 5G standard” are power-saving features:
For instance, a new wakeup signal (WUS) can let the device know if a transmission is pending or allowing it to stay in low-power mode, skipping the next low-power DRX (discontinuous reception) monitoring period. Others include optimized low-power settings, overhead reduction, and more efficient power control mechanisms.
In response to a filing in the Android 13 QPR issue tracker (via Cstark), a Google employee on Thursday said that the Pixel 7 (which uses the Exynos 5300 modem) supports Release 15 for “initial launch.” A brief reference to the Exynos 5300 from December 2022 on Samsung’s website says the modem is “3GPP Release 16-compliant.”
The Googler adds that “3GPP Release 16 will plan in Android U release.” One interpretation of this is that the Pixel 7 will be updated to Release 16 in the fall. It comes as the Pixel 8 is rumored to use the same 5300 modem with the Tensor G3, with another possibility being that only the newer phone will support it.
Google Tensor G2: How has the signal strength and speed improved on Pixel 7?
One of the biggest problems that Google’s Pixel 6 seriessuffered from over time was an unreliable modem. Compared to other Android devices, the Samsung modem used with Google Tensor just wasn’t up to the task. How does Google Tensor G2 compare in the modem department? We put the Pixel 7 and Pixel 6 head to head to see how they compare with signal strength and speed to find out.
The Pixel 6 used a Samsung Exynos 5123b modem on its Google Tensor chipset. Samsung modems are rarely used in the US market as Qualcomm generally dominates. In a comparison last year that put the Pixel 6 Pro up against the Galaxy S21 Ultra and its Qualcomm hardware, the Pixel was woefully behind when it came to both signal strength and the speeds it was able to pull from a cellular network.
On the Pixel 7, Google uses its new Tensor G2 chipset which utilizes an Exynos 5300g modem.
In anecdotal findings over the past few months, the consensus has been that this upgrade has made a stark improvement to both signal strength and speed. Most early buyers and reviewers, ourselves included, have found that the Pixel 7 series latches on to a network more easily and tends to have respectable speeds and power consumption that are improved over the modem on the original Tensor chip in Pixel 6 series devices.
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been able to do some side-by-side testing with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7, both using AT&T’s network, to find out just how much of an improvement this new modem actually delivers on your cell signal.
How we tested Pixel 7’s modem
Our testing methodology for this comparison was to run three speed tests in Ookla Speedtest back to back on both devices in the same locations and average out those results. We did opt to exclude mmWave 5G from our testing due to it not being available in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and the surrounding areas we tested, but did use both Sub6 5G and LTE networks, as those are all that AT&T offers in the areas we tested.
We also brought a Galaxy Z Fold 4 which uses the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and a Qualcomm modem to test alongside the Pixels, but we ended up excluding the device from speed test results. Why? For whatever reason, our device was seeing highly inconsistent results through all of our speed tests. This eventually partially resolved itself after we performed a network settings reset, but to keep things consistent, we’ve excluded the Fold from the speed tests below.
As for signal strength testing, which we’ll get to later, we used NetMonitor Pro.
Is the Pixel 7 faster in speed tests?
My first test location was simply my home neighborhood in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the results were fairly predictable. The Pixel 6 with Tensor fell quite a bit short of the Pixel 7. This was in an area that’s not particularly rural, but also not near any “downtown” areas.
Speed test in Mbps
The second location was a public park in High Point, North Carolina, (around 20 miles away from Winston-Salem) that was fairly close to some network towers – I’m not certain they were AT&T towers directly, but the signal was strong in this location with both phones reporting back maximum signal strength. Here, the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 saw roughly identical results.
Speed test in Mbps
My next location was in downtown Winston-Salem, where signal strength is strong, but speeds are usually under 50Mbps. I saw a difference of only 3-5Mbps between the two Pixels, but Pixel 7 was more consistent with its results when looking at each of the three tests.
Speed test in Mbps
Finally, I took the two phones to a more rural location. This final location — a park in Kernersville, North Carolina, 20 miles from Winston-Salem — was purposefully chosen for its weak signal from all carriers. I had 1-2 bars of 5G on both devices and speeds under 5Mbps on average – if I was lucky. Most tests saw barely 1Mbps. Here, the Pixel 7 clearly pulled a bit more than the Pixel 6, while my Fold 4 couldn’t even complete a speed test at all. I wasn’t able to complete the usual three tests on each due to the lacking signal strength, but the tests I could perform showed a clear trend that the Pixel 7 was having more success keeping and using its connection.
Speed test in Mbps
This is perhaps the most important test of the three. In my experience with Pixel 6, I never had much of an issue with keeping my connection in well-covered areas. It was in more rural locations that I always felt my phone was struggling and could actively see it drop a connection before phones I had from Samsung and others. With Pixel 7, I’ve noticed a definite uptick, and this test helped put some actual numbers behind it.
Of course, speed tests don’t necessarily tell the whole story, though.
Will Pixel 7 get better signal reception?
After running through these speed tests, I took the three phones around Winston-Salem’s downtown area, which has strong 5G coverage on AT&T’s maps. Using NetMonitor, I measured the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) of the three phones. On that scale, closer to 0 indicates a stronger signal, but you’ll rarely get anything close to that figure.
Comparing the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Galaxy Z Fold 4 (note: while a network reset improved my Fold’s performance, it was still having issues), I found that the results were pretty much what I expected. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 led the pack, typically having the strongest connection in any given location. The Pixel 7 was roughly on par with that device but dropped out of the green a bit more often. And the Pixel 6, meanwhile, usually had the weakest connection of the three. The results below are an excerpt from over 1,000 side-by-side samples taken while driving from downtown Winston-Salem toward Wake Forest University for about 15 minutes.
Experiences will always vary by your area and your carrier – we’ll be looking to update these results with testing on Verizon and/or T-Mobile if the opportunity arises – but there is a clear trend I noticed in all of these side-by-side comparisons. The Pixel 7 is a definitive improvement. Signal strength tends to be at least marginally stronger, and speed tests are more often than not better too. Google’s partner in Samsung stepped up this time, and the numbers show it.
The Pixel 7 series is no stranger to network issues here and there. While it’s a small issue that can be addressed, how does it get fixed? This guide will take you through a couple of steps you can take to fix your Pixel 7 connection issues when they arise.
The Pixel 7 series has a ton to offer. With its Tensor G2 chip, fantastic camera array, and well-integrated Google Assistant features, Google’s latest device lineup is one we highly recommend. Of course, it’s not a perfect device. One of the issues that tend to crop up is the tendency for the phone to drop its connection, especially when relying on a cellular network.
When this happens, the Pixel 7 will display the connection strength. Sometimes, it’s as strong as it can be, though it still has no internet access, displaying a small exclamation mark next to the signal symbol. This indicates you’re having network issues on your Pixel 7. When that happens, there are a couple of steps you can take to replenish your internet connection.
How to fix connection issues on the Pixel 7
While there is a myriad of issues that can appear, the listed approaches are very much blanket solutions. Without knowing the exact issue, it’s impossible to be specific. With that being the case, the following options do well to solve the issue most of the time, in our experience.
Reset your network
In our experience, the first method listed in this guide works about 99% of the time. That method is hitting the network reset toggle, located in the settings. Button was introduced back in Android 12 and has been a fantastic addition to the OS.
On the Pixel 7, head to your settings.
In Network & internet, tap Internet.
At the top, locate and tap the network reset button.
Note: The button looks like a small wrench mixed with a refresh icon.
After hitting the network reset function, you’ll see the page refresh, notifying you that your phone is restarting its internet connection. Most of the time, this button will work flawlessly. You’ll know that’s the case if your cellular network icon no longer has an exclamation mark beside it. Of course, you can always test this by trying to access the internet in some form or fashion.
Restart the Pixel 7
If the above method doesn’t work, the next thing worth trying is restarting the Pixel 7 in order to fix network issues; doing so will allow the device to start over and establish fresh connections. While a fresh reboot doesn’t solve everything, this is a case where it can certainly help.
On the Pixel 7, tap the power button and volume up button at the same time.
In the menu that appears, tap Restart.
If you don’t have this shortcut active, you can also access the power menu by swiping down in Android 13. After swiping down in the homescreen twice (or with two fingers), you will see a power icon. Tap it to access the power menu.
If neither of the above methods works for you, you might need to contact your carrier. There could be an issue with your SIM or even the Pixel 7 itself. The two methods listed above work for general connection issues; anything past that might require very a very specific approach.
Even though the Google Pixel lineup gets much media attention, it’s still rather niche due to its limited market availability. However, Google has been trying really hard for the last couple of generations to appeal to a wider audience by delivering some unique features. Even the stock Android running on today’s Pixels isn’t exactly stock, as it has some neat tweaks and exclusive features. There are even reports that Google plans to ship a record number of Pixels next year.
On the surface, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro aren’t much different from the Pixel 6 series while introducing some small but notable upgrades. Maybe that’s part of the reason why we think the 7th generation has a good chance of winning over new fans around the globe. Although “the globe” might not be the best choice of words given the limited availability as usual.
The Pixel 7 offers a few key improvements over its predecessor, the Pixel 6. It’s now running on an improved Google Tensor G2 chip with better AI capabilities, Gorilla Glass Victus build all-around, a better selfie camera and a smaller display. As a result, the Pixel 7 is slightly smaller than the Pixel 6, which is a clear indication that Google is aiming for the compact flagship niche. And although smaller, the Pixel 7’s display is considerably brighter.
Google Pixel 7 specs at a glance:
Body: 155.6×73.2×8.7mm, 197g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame; IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
The camera setup on the back remains unchanged. We’ve got a big 50MP sensor doing the heavy lifting and a 12MP ultrawide camera helping out. There’s still no telephoto camera, but to be fair, that’s a rare find in the compact flagship class. Still, Google promises better image processing and improved overall camera quality through machine learning algorithms and better ISP capabilities.
It was quite the surprise to see the Pixel 7 go down in battery capacity coming from the Pixel 6 – 4,355 mAh vs. 4614 mAh, but in theory, Google could have offset the loss with other hardware improvements, such as display and chipset power draw. As we all know, specs sheets never paint a complete picture, so let’s find out what the new Pixel 7 is capable of and whether it is really the right phone for you.
Unboxing the Google Pixel 7
As one would expect, the Google Pixel 7‘s retail box is relatively small and contains only the user manuals, USB-C to USB-C cable for PD charging and a USB-C to USB-A dongle in case you find yourself with a standard charger that doesn’t have a USB-C connector.
Speaking of the charger, there is none. The device supports up to 20W Power Delivery charging, so finding one that works with the Pixel 7 shouldn’t be a big issue.
Competition
While the Pixel 7 Pro has a tough job competing in the ultra-premium segment where behemoths like Samsung and Apple dominate, the vanilla Pixel 7 has a niche of its own. The Pixel 7’s price remains €650, which is pretty good for a flagship phone with superb camera performance and capable hardware. The vanilla Pixel 7 is one of the few premium options for users to choose from. Or is it?
After a quick market research, we found quite a few compact alternatives to the Pixel 7. The Samsung Galaxy S22 and the Oppo Find X5 are both within the €600-650 range with excellent camera performance, top-notch display and heavily customized software. The Galaxy S22 even has a capable 3x optical zoom camera, while the Find X5 has a 2x zoom one, while the Pixel 7 relies on cropping from its main sensor. Its display lags behind with 90Hz refresh rate and considerably slower charging too. Its key advantages are the good battery life and the software features, which are best utilized in a handful of countries/languages. Maybe aside from the telephoto camera omission, the Pixel 7 has a slight advantage over its competitors in terms of overall camera quality.
In case you are willing to go up the price ladder, the Asus Zenfone 9 may entice you with a similar feature set. The Zenfone 9 is asking about €780 right now, and it’s even smaller than the Pixel with its 5.9-inch display. Asus’ contender doesn’t have a telephoto either, and it doesn’t offer the level of photography proficiency as the Pixel, but it can run for longer on a single charge and supports faster charging. Software-wise, the two are very similar. The Zenfone 9 is also on the “stock Android” path with a handful of Zenfone-specific, geeky software features.
Conversely, you can go down in price and consider the Xiaomi 12 instead. It’s priced around the mid-€500 with a 6.28-inch display, 120Hz at that. The 12 has a similar camera setup and prowess. And although battery life isn’t as good, it blows the Pixel 7out of the water when it comes to charging speed. The big difference in the software approach is what sets those two handsets apart the most. The MIUI is highly customizable and has a ton of niche features. At the same time, the Pixel 7 relies on Android-intrinsic features and a wide range of AI-powered functionalities, most of which are limited to certain markets.
Realme GT2 Pro
Perhaps the Realme GT2 Pro deserves mention as it’s an extremely well-rounded phone with only one big omission – no telephoto camera. Aside from that, the GT2 Pro is a bang for the buck, a true flagship killer costing a little over €600 with all the bells and whistles. But it’s easy to overlook if you need a compact phone because the GT2 Pro is anything but. It has a huge 6.7-inch display, which puts it in an entirely different category.
Verdict
The Pixel 7 is definitely one of the best options in the €600-700 range. It has a flagship-worthy performance, although a bit lower than you’d expect; it’s one of the best phones for mobile photography, if not the best-in-class, and it has bright OLED, great-sounding stereo speakers, long battery life (with the size category in mind) and exceptional software ensuring timely updates and smart features.
Sadly, there are a few caveats to consider here. There’s no true telephoto camera; the display is limited to 90Hz; some of the most advanced software features are region-dependant, and the charging solution is just way too outdated for a 2022 flagship release.
All things considered, the Pixel 7, along with the Pixel 7 Pro, are the best smartphones from Google, and that means something in this context. We’ve seen Google messing up smartphone releases more than once. Luckily, the Pixel 7 isn’t one of those times.
So, do we recommend it? Yes, for sure! At that price, the Pixel 7 offers a unique combination of ultra-premium camera experience, long battery life and AI-based features that make it the smartest kid on the block.
Pros
Compact and premium build, easy to handle, unique-looking design, dust- and water-resistant.
Sharp, bright, color-accurate display.
Good battery life considering the phone’s size.
Android from the source, exclusive feature set, unrivaled perception of smoothness on this side of the OS divide.
Superb stereo speakers.
Overall, great camera quality with an unmatched character that has a loyal following.
Cons
The display is just 90Hz as opposed to competitors pushing beyond 120Hz.
Very slow charging by the standards of the day.
Certain software and hardware features are regionally limited – 5G, VoLTE, and much of the onboard AI stuff (though admittedly, so is the phone’s availability, to begin with).
Ultrawide camera is underwhelming in low light.
Selfies rarely come out tack sharp.
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