We’ll first compare the specs of the two phones, and will then get to the real deal. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, camera performance, and audio. These two phones are similar in a number of ways, but there are a number of differences worth noting, some of which are not easily noticeable. The Pixel 7 Pro does feel like a more refined product, though. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Specs
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Design
These two phones have a similar footprint, but not identical. The Pixel 7 Pro is a bit shorter, and a bit wider, while the thickness is the same. It’s also 2 grams heavier, but that’s not something you’ll notice. They do feel similar in the hand, but what you’ll immediately notice when you start using them is the difference in the shape of the display. Both have curved displays, but the Pixel 7 Pro’s is less curved, and for us, more enjoyable to use because of it. Both of these phones are made out of metal and glass, and both are quite slippery. They’re also truly large, and not really made for one-hand use. You’ll often resort to hand gymnastics if you opt to use them with one hand. Not only are they very tall, but they’re also quite wide at the same time. Both smartphones do feature Gorilla Glass Victus on the back, and both are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. You’ll notice a centered display camera hole on these two phones, and also quite thin bezels all around. Both devices also have a camera visor on the back, but they’re quite different. The Pixel 6 Pro’s is covered by glass, while the Pixel 7 Pro’s is protected by metal, which essentially protrudes from the sides. In terms of build quality, the 7 Pro is probably the better option, but the Pixel 6 Pro is more aesthetically pleasing in our eyes, as it does hide the camera lenses and enables that two-tone design. We do recommend you use a case with these two phones, regardless of which one you get. Not only because they’re really slippery and large, but to protect their camera visors from dings and scratches.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Display
Spec-wise, these two displays are very similar, but there are a couple of notable differences between them. Both smartphones feature a 6.7-inch display with a QHD+ (3120 x 1440) resolution. They’re both protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus, and they both have a 120Hz refresh rate. Both panels are also LTPO displays, which means they support an adaptive refresh rate.
You’ll notice that both panels have a centered display camera hole as well. Both of them are also curved, but different. The Pixel 6 Pro offers more of a curve than the Pixel 7 Pro. That is something you’ll definitely notice during use, and we do prefer the Pixel 7 Pro. We’re looking at a 19.5:9 aspect ratio here, and 512 PPI. They have a similar screen-to-body ratio as well, almost 89 percent. Both panels do support HDR10+ content as well. They’re both quite punchy, the colors are vivid, and the viewing angles are great. The touch response is also excellent. So, what’s the big difference? Well, aside from the curvature, the Pixel 7 Pro’s display gets noticeably brighter. It offers a max brightness of 1,500 in Adaptive mode, and that’s above what the Pixel 6 Pro can push out. You will notice the difference on a sunny day, that’s for sure. If you do spend a lot of time outside, in the sun, the Pixel 7 Pro is the better choice. Other than that, both panels are excellent.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Performance
The Google Pixel 7 Pro features the Google Tensor G2 SoC. In addition to that, you’re getting 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and also UFS 3.1 flash storage. The Pixel 6 Pro comes with the Google Tensor SoC, 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. So, the hardware differences, performance-wise, come down to the SoC and GPU, which are also different between them. The Pixel 7 Pro does a slightly better job in benchmarks, if that’s what you’re interested in. What about real-life use? Well, in regular day-to-day use, you won’t exactly notice much of a difference. Both phones deliver truly excellent performance. They’re great for multitasking, they can open and close apps really fast, they’re great for consuming multimedia, and so on. You will, however, notice the difference while gaming. The Pixel 6 Pro can throw a hiccup here and there, with the most demanding games, but the Pixel 7 Pro feels smoother even under such stress. Both smartphones can get a bit warm at times, but that’s not something that should worry you. We did not notice the performance suffered due to that fact, or anything of the sort. All in all, the Pixel 7 Pro is the more powerful device, without question, but the Pixel 6 Pro is not far behind. They’re both excellent when it comes to performance.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Battery
The Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 5,000mAh battery, while the Pixel 6 Pro includes a 5,003mAh unit. They basically have the same battery capacity. Is the battery life the same? Well, no, not really, but it’s really good on both phones. The Pixel 7 Pro managed to get us around 6-7 hours of screen-on-time. The Pixel 6 Pro was a bit better, as it tended to go up to 8 hours of screen-on-time or so. Do note that the battery life will probably improve in time, or at least that’s what we’re expecting to happen, barring bugs, of course. So, it’s possible the Pixel 7 Pro will come to the same level as the Pixel 6 Pro. On the other hand, the Pixel 6 had a really poor battery when it got Android 13, for whatever reason, so… who knows what will happen down the road. Both do offer really good battery life at the moment. Your mileage may vary though, due to different usage, location, and so on. What about charging? Well, Google did not go into detail when it comes to the Pixel 7 Pro. We do know that it supports USB Power Delivery 3.0, like the Pixel 6 Pro. It’s also compatible with the same PPS charger that Google sells, a 30W unit. Chances are it’s capped at 23W, just like its predecessor. It will also slow down charging after it crosses the 50-percent charge mark. 23W wireless charging is supported by both phones, as is reverse wireless charging. Do note that both devices ship without a charger in the box.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs Google Pixel 6 Pro: Cameras
Both of these phones have three cameras on the back. A 50-megapixel main camera remains unchanged from the hardware standpoint. A 12-megapixel ultrawide camera now offers a wider field of view, while the telephoto camera offers better optical zoom quality, from the hardware standpoint.
The Pixel 6 Pro is still one of the best camera smartphones around, especially when it comes to stills. Well, the Pixel 7 Pro ups the ante. Not only does it offer slight improvements in regular, daylight shots, but it also improves low light photography. That’s not all, though, not even close. It comes with a wider ultrawide camera FoV, which is much appreciated. It also adds one truly important feature to the table, and that’s a macro mode. You can take some truly nice macro shots with this phone. On top of all that, the telephoto camera has been improved, both in an optical and digital sense. Photos up to 10x look great, even in low light. What’s also worth noting is the video recording improvement. The Pixel 6 Pro offered good video recording, but not great. The Pixel 7 Pro improves upon that quite a bit. It’s the closest we’ve seen it come to iPhone’s video recording performance. It’s not quite there yet, but it’s only one step behind at this point. We were quite impressed with it. All in all, the Pixel 7 Pro does bring quite a few improvements to the table. It also brings some neat new features, which are currently exclusive to the Pixel 7 series, such as the Unblur feature. It seems like the Tensor G2’s processing has quite an impact on photos, in addition to Google’s software.
Audio
Both of these smartphones do feature stereo speakers, and no headphone jack. You’ll need to use a Type-C port for wired connections, while Bluetooth 5.2 is available on both phones for wireless connectivity. Are the speakers any good? Well, yes, they are, on both phones. Truth be said, they’re extremely similar. They’re punchy, and they do get quite loud, while the distortion is minimal at the highest of volumes. They’re really well-balanced, and the vocals come across as very clear as well.
