In recent years, Google has kept the details of its Pixel plans under wraps until the official announcement. Google decided to reveal the designs of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro at Google I/O in May, but this year was different. Instead of trying to keep secrets, Google chose to reveal some of its features.
This week, Google will hold its annual hardware event Disclosure It confirmed two new Pixel phones, a new Pixel Watch that integrates Wear OS with Google-owned FitBit, and confirmed that Google will announce “additions to the Nest smart home portfolio.”
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Google’s first teaser for the Pixel 7 duo was during I/O in May and featured images of the new Pixel. In terms of design, they are similar to the Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but they have a slightly different camera bar, which is now made of metal instead of the Pixel 6’s glass visor approach.
Fast forward to last week, Google released new teasers highlighting the designs of each of the Pixels 7 and 7 Pro. It provides hardware images that show the texture of different materials. Based on these teasers, we know that the Pixel 7 will have an aluminum build with anodized finish and that the Pixel 7 Pro will have a shiny and glossy finish, but it’s not confirmed whether it will be made of stainless steel or aluminum.
For the Pixel 7 Pro, we’re expecting a less dramatic curve around the edges of the display. The Pixel 6 Pro’s curved edges were said to make holding and using the phone uncomfortable for long periods of time.
Google Pixel 7 in white, mint green and black
Pixel 7 Pro in Obsidian, Hazel and Snow
According to recent leaks, the Pixel 7 will have the same spec sheet as the Pixel 6: a flat 6.3-inch OLED screen with FHD+ resolution and up to 90Hz refresh rate, and even the cameras will remain unchanged – 50MP (GN1) main and 12MP (IMX381) Extra spacious units. The front camera may see an upgrade to the 11MP sensor we know from the Pixel 6 Pro.
The Pixel 7 is also expected to pack a 4,700 mAh battery (slightly higher than the 6’s 4,614 mAh) and support 30W charging.
We’ll get to the new Tensor chip in a second, but first let’s take a look at the Pixel 7 Pro rumor mill.
The rumored Pixel 7 Pro spec sheet includes most of the same features as the 6 Pro: a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED screen with QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The 7 Pro is also expected to get a slightly updated selfie camera – the Samsung 3J1 sensor – which will feature autofocus, though it will remain at 11MP resolution.
In the camera department, the Pixel 7 Pro uses the same 50MP JN1 main and 12MP ultrawide sensors, but the telephoto camera can be swapped out for Samsung’s GM1 module, the Sony IMX586 on the Pixel 6 Pro. The 5,000 mAh battery is expected to remain on the 7 Pro, which now has support for 30W charging.
Tensor G2
The biggest change in the new Pixels will be the Tensor G2 chip. The Pixels 6 and 6 Pro had poor connectivity issues and battery life was not on par with comparable flagships.
If there aren’t too many differences with the Pixels 7 and 7 Pro, the key upgrade here will be the Tensor G2 chipset. The rumored Tensor G2 could be built on a 4nm process (last year’s Tensor was 5nm), which allowed for higher clock speeds, as indicated by Chisets’ early benchmarks.
A similar leak from last month indicated that while the Tensor G2 might feature the same CPU configuration (2+2+4) as Google’s Tensor, the two Cortex-X1 cores could see a slight bump in clock speed to 2.85GHz. Meanwhile, Cortex-A76 cores can see clock speeds of up to 2.35GHz. This reportedly translates to about a 10% bump in multi-core performance.
For the new Mali-G710, which replaces the original Tensor chip Mali-G78 MP20, there is evidence that we could see a significant improvement in graphics performance and efficiency.
The new chipset may come with a new Samsung modem – the S5300 5G. This new modem can bring better battery life, performance, stability and efficiency compared to the previous release.
Pixel Watch
Google’s acquisition of FitBit a few years ago is finally going to be deeply integrated into Wear OS in the form of the Google Pixel Watch. Rumored for years, Google surprised us during I/O in May when it confirmed that Google’s first-party Wear OS offering was finally coming.
Google recently teased the design of the Pixel Watch in a short trailer, showing a close-up of the circular watch design and curved display cover glass. The Pixel Watch will have a rotating crown and a multi-function button above it. It also uses a proprietary quick-release coupling to change people’s bands.
The latest renders of the Pixel Watch have revealed potentially thicker bezels than those teased earlier in May – with earlier renders showing the hardware unfinished.
Early rumors of the Pixel Watch suggested that it might be powered by the Exynos 9110 with a co-processor to draw on standby power. It is rumored to have 1.5GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. By the way, this is LTE-compatible. Rumors have pointed to a 300 mAh battery – although it’s not certain whether that applies to the Wi-Fi + Bluetooth variant or the LTE variant, as 300 mAh doesn’t seem like enough for the latter.
Google Pixel Watch: That’s it. pic.twitter.com/jfeac8FkuJ
— SnoopyTech (@_snoopytech_) October 2, 2022
Whatever the case, Google is expected to introduce the Pixel Watch “one day.”
With Wear OS 3 smartwatches, the need for the Wear OS app disappears. It’s up to each OEM to have its own companion app for the new Wear OS smartwatches, and the Pixel Watch is expected to do the same. An open source request released in June revealed that there will be a “Google Pixel Watch app”.
The most recent leak of the Pixel Watch revealed many of the wearable’s UI elements. In addition to native support for Google Maps and Wallet, each Pixel Watch is said to come with a free 6-month Fitbit Premium membership, and Pixel Watch developers are touting deep integration with Fitbit.
The Pixel Watch will integrate with Google Photos to use as a background for visuals, have smart home controls and an emergency SOS call screen.
Google Pixel Watch
Google Pixel Watch UI
An early hardware leak of the Pixel Watch showed a 14mm thick body measuring 40mm and a visible display diameter of 30mm (around 1.18 inches). We still don’t know if the Pixel Watch will be available in more than one size.
Google Pixel watch forgotten in a restaurant (photos by u/tagtech414)
Nest Home
Google has confirmed that it will be announcing additions to Nest Home at this event. We initially thought a 1080p version of Chromecast with Google TV would be announced at the event, but the same Google Chromecast HD with Google TV had a quiet run last month.
Then, two days before the launch event, Google announced the 2nd generation wired Nest Doorbell and Nest Wi-Fi Pro. It also lists new changes coming to the Google Home app. Google seems unconcerned about keeping this news to its launch event.
Give me health!
(1/21) pic.twitter.com/D7ZjqsTFcX
– Made by Google (@madebygoogle) October 4, 2022
The last time Google released a new smart speaker was at its 2020 event when Google launched Nest Audio. We can probably expect to see the revamped Nest Home mini (currently on its 2nd generation) as the last one launched in late 2019. Otherwise, the Nest Hub Smart Display was refreshed last year, but the Nest Hub Max hasn’t seen anything new. Version from 2019.
Are these recent announcements that Google was referring to, or does Google have something else to announce on Thursday? We will have enough information soon.
Pricing and availability
Rumors suggest that the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro may have the same starting price as their predecessors in the US. The Pixel 7 could start at $599, while the Pixel 7 Pro could start at $899. European customers can expect to see a starting price of €649 for the Pixel 7.
The Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will go on pre-sale this week (October 6) on the same day as the launch event, although the timing hasn’t been revealed.
As for the Pixel Watch, the most recent rumor sees the European price for the Wi-Fi + Bluetooth model set at £339 in the UK and £339 in the EU. There’s also word of an LTE-enabled model said to cost €419.
While there’s no word yet on US pricing, previous leaks and recent EU pricing leaks lead us to assume we’ll see a $299 starting price on the Pixel Watch. That’s even considering the leak on the $399 LTE-enabled Pixel Watch.
