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When it launched last year, I called Google’s Pixel 6 Pro “the best Android phone you can buy” in my review. I even gave it a coveted CNET Editors’ Choice award. Why? Because its combination of slick interface, decent performance and superb cameras — not to mention its more affordable price compared to other flagship Android phones — made it a superb all-round pick.
Very soon Google will launch the follow-up. The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are expected to appear at the Made by Google event set for Thursday in New York.
But Google has a fight on its hands, with Apple’s new iPhone 14 and 14 Pro packing superb performance and excellent cameras. And, of course, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 lineup offers top tech all round. And while I’m not expecting a total transformation to the Pixel line, there are some elements I’m already excited to know more about.
So let’s dive in.
Google equipped the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro with its own home-made processor, named Tensor. It was a big move to create that kind of tech in-house, rather than simply using a chip from a manufacturer like Qualcomm. Google wanted to make a chip that’s particularly adept at AI and machine learning — software features that it’s increasingly making use of in Android, like the Magic Eraser object removal tool in the camera.
That’s all well and good, but the actual performance on paper was only OK, with it falling behind competitors like Samsung on Apple on benchmark tests.
