Google’s Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro bring back face unlock to Google’s smartphone range. But compared to the Pixel 4, there’s a bit of a twist.
The next generation of Google’s Pixel smartphones has arrived. While the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are mostly iterative refinements on Google’s now-established designs, the company packed in a few interesting surprises to this year’s models.
The Pixel 7 lineup will quickly feel familiar to anybody who has handled a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, making it clear that Google now has a settled aesthetic for its smartphones. Rather than making broader design changes, Google has added some nice touches where they count, moving to a matte aluminum and glass finish on the Pixel 7 and an even classier polished aluminum and glass look for the Pixel 7 Pro.
As attractive as the new design is, what really counts is what Google has packed in under the hood in the form of the company’s latest Tensor G2 processor and Titan M2 security chip. This pair of new chips power even more advanced computational photography and machine learning features and open the door to more sophisticated security capabilities, including the return of one feature that we feared Google had given up on.
Google made a big splash in 2019 when it introduced a new facial recognition system to unlock the Pixel 4. Unfortunately, the delight in this new feature was somewhat short-lived. Although Google had seemingly put great effort into developing a secure facial recognition system to compete with Apple’s Face ID, Google’s version turned out to be missing at least one critical aspect when it first launched — it worked even when your eyes were closed — forcing the company to play catch-up with later security updates.
So, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when the Pixel 5 shipped without face unlock.
