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Google has officially announced the Pixel 7 lineup during its fall hardware event. The company has revealed a bunch of new features, software changes, improvements to existing features, hardware tweaks, and much more. The event also saw the introduction of the Pixel Watch and Pixel Tablet.
The new Pixel phones will feature the latest Tensor G2 chip, which is efficient and better in terms of performance. It also offers improved battery life and facilitates productivity. Moreover, Google has packed its devices with exclusive software features such as an in-built VPN, the ability to unblur photos, and more.
Pixel 7 series comes with improved cameras, software, hardware, and unique features
1) Tensor G2 chip
The new Tensor G2 chip, manufactured by Google, is believed to be 60% faster than its predecessor while being 20% more power efficient as well. One of the most talked about aspects of the new chip is machine learning and artificial intelligence.
The new machine-learning capabilities of the G2 chip allow most of the features on the phones to work properly. This includes face unblur, cinematic blur, 10-bit HDR video, and more. The new chipset is also said to be more secure with the inclusion of Titan M2, which has multiple layers of security and offers added "Protected Computing" that keeps personal information safe.
The Tensor G2 chip has the Mali G710 MP07 GPU packed into it, which promises major improvements in graphics as well as in Vulkan performance compared to last-gen Pixel phones. No benchmarks have yet been revealed to quantify the upgrade. However, the upgrade will make the phone highly suitable for gaming and performing other graphic-intensive tasks such as media editing.
2) Face unlocking without extra hardware
Both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have the face-unlock feature, and it's not the same as what's offered by other smartphones. In most Android devices, face unlock is done using the camera, with the phone simply recognizing the user's face.
On Apple devices, a special Face ID sensor is packed into them, which captures accurate facial data by projecting and analyzing thousands of dots to create a depth map of the user's face while capturing an infrared image as well.
The Pixel 7 lineup approaches the face-unlock feature differently. These devices use the dual-pixel autofocus on the selfie camera, which processes depth information of the user's face — thereby increasing security by not taking just one picture into account — all without an extra sensor for face unlock.
3) Added VPN at no extra cost
All Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users will get free access to Google One VPN for free, making the series the first smartphones to include VPN access. The usual rate for the service is $9.99 per month, which gets the user 2TB of cloud storage plus other benefits.
Free access to VPN on the Pixel series will not include any other perks, though. Also, the feature will not be available at the devices' launch but will arrive soon after their release. Lastly, the service will not be available in every country, and users can check the support page of the company to see if their region is included.
4) 24-hour plus battery life
Thanks to the custom Tensor G2 chip, the battery life will be much better on the seventh-generation Pixel phones. That said, Google devices are known to have great battery life. The Pixel 7 has a 4,355 mAh battery, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro has a bigger 5000 mAh capacity.
The company promises that both phones will have a "24-hour plus" battery life. The phones' software has an Extreme Battery Saver mode that can be used in emergencies, which improves the battery life, so it lasts from 48 to 72 hours. The box also comes with a 30W fast charger, and both the Pixel 7 and its pro variant are compatible with wireless charging.
5) Highly improved camera with new features
Google's Pixel 7 series has the best smartphone camera the company has presented so far. Both phones come packed with features and top-notch technology, as well as a 50-megapixel main sensor.
These devices offer Macro Focus, which facilitates macro photography without a dedicated close-up macro lens. The feature uses an ultrawide angle lens that is 21% wider than previous phones in the Pixel series. The macro lens takes pictures with HDR and auto-focuses on subjects that are up to 30mm away from the lens.
The camera features Super Res Zoom, with Pixel 7 having 2x optical zoom and Pixel 7 Pro boasting 30x hybrid zoom. Using the Tensor G2 chip, the latter device can take enhanced pictures at 12.5 megapixels with 10x zoom. The camera on both devices supports Zoom Stabilization and identifies the subject of the photo at zoom levels of over 15x. Lastly, using machine learning, any image taken with more than 20x zoom is upscaled.
Cinematic Blur is another great feature of the new Pixel camera that uses depth information in video modes to create fake bokeh effects. This helps produce a low-depth-of-field effect and makes the clip seem like it's been taken with a high-end camera.
Night Sight is another feature that has been improved tremendously, thanks to the Tensor G2 chip's machine-learning technology. It uses a built-in denoiser that takes pictures twice as fast as its predecessors, all while the pictures are of pristine quality, even when there's a lack of light.
6) Face unblurring
The Tensor G2 chip is a gift that just keeps giving as it adds a unique feature that can unblur any photo using machine learning and artificial intelligence. This feature works best on pictures taken with the Pixel 7 that are blurry. That said, it can be used on any older photos taken on any device. It is usable through the Google Photos app.
The Pixel 7 phones take two images using the main sensor and the ultra-wide one and then stitch them together when an image comes out blurry. This improves the performance of the cameras and ensures pictures lacking in clarity are never taken. The unblur feature is optional, which is suitable for creators who want to take blurry pictures deliberately.
7) Clear Calling
The audio experience on the Pixel 7 series has been enhanced, so that phone calls are clear and devoid of any background noise. The Tensor G2 chip uses machine learning to automatically filter out other noises and enhance the voice of the person on the other end of the call, making it easier to hear them. This works best when the individual on the other side is in a noisy street or a windy area.
The Clear Calling feature will not be available initially but will arrive later through a software update.
