Tag: pixel 7

Pixel 7a – Best Android Midranger?

Google Pixel devices have often delivered the best of Android money can buy. Emphasis on the ‘money’ part cause these devices DO NOT come at a cheaper price tag. However, Pixel’s A series phones have been a delight as they bring you all the Android greatness at a considerably cheaper rate. This year around, the Google Pixel 7a undoubtedly brings more value for your money with a higher refresh rate, solid camera setup, and wireless charging. But is that all? Let’s find out – 

A Notable Upgrade 

Google has definitely built upon the complaints of the Pixel 6a and introduced better features in its latest midrange offering. This time around, we have a higher 90Hz refresh rate and wireless charging which was missing in the Pixel 6a. Now, we understand that the competition offers a 120Hz refresh rate at this price point but we’ve got to give credits where credit is due. Surprisingly, the higher refresh rate is turned off by default in the settings and users need to it on manually. The display is vibrant and watching content on it is a treat for sure.  What is new is also the face unlock feature which was missing in the Pixel 6a. There’s also an under-display fingerprint sensor that is snappy and works like a charm. 

Moving on, the back of the device is unapologetically plastic but looks and feels premium to hold. The colour variant we’re using is called ‘Charcoal’ with other variants like Sea and Snow available too.  It looks similar to the Pixel 7 which could confuse a lot of consumers out there. 

Superior Cameras

The camera placement is now similar to the flagship Pixel 7 devices and the sensors here might as well be the best in performance in this price range. The Pixel 7a is capable of clicking some amazing shots with an upgraded 64MP primary lens as compared to the 12.2MP lens in the 6a. The beast of a primary lens is coupled with an ultrawide 13MP lens. In front, we have a 13MP selfie lens which is a winner. The camera setup is capable of clicking some stellar images even in low light conditions which will leave you pleasantly surprised. There’s no telephoto lens here and the device relies solely on digital zoom for its pictures which starts to lose details beyond 3x and 4x. Overall, the camera setup is sweet, capturing crisp images in almost every condition. Check out the samples below – 

Inside the hood

The right side of the device features a volume rocker and a lock button which click really well so all of us anxious folks can legit spend their time clicking them, though I wouldn’t advise that.  One drawback could be the absence of a dual or hybrid slim slot as it features a single slot. Users can use an e-sim in case they want to use two numbers, but no physical slot for the same. 

Where Pixel 7a wins is with its Tensor G2 chipset which is the same chip powering the higher variants – Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. We have 8GB RAM and 128GB Storage. That’s it… No Virtual RAM, no 256GB or 512 GB storage options. Just the simple 128GB Storage – take it or leave it! 

Inside the hood, we have a 4385mAh battery running the game which might sound small to people but performs real well in real-time usage. I could easily get through my day with a single charge and moderate usage on the Pixel 7a. However, what’s underwhelming is the 18W charging support which lags way behind the competition and takes too long to charge from single to triple digits. It takes me around 2 hours on average to juice this device up to a 100 which is not ideal in the current scenario where some devices survive a day with just half an hour of charge. While we have wireless charging here it clocks out at 7.5W which Is underwhelming but alright. 

Just one concern

Now that we have established that this indeed is one of the best midrange devices available in India right now, Let’s jump on something that does not work with the Pixel 7a. It Heats Up! It heats up to the point where it is noticeable.. On average usage and clicking photos, the device becomes considerably hot on the sides which will alarm the users. Sometimes the device was also noticed getting warm on standby which was surprising. However, it cools down as quickly as it heats up. 

Verdict 

The Pixel 7a is one of the best midrange devices you can buy right now. It squeezes a premium smartphone experience into a much smaller and cheaper device which genuinely gives the standard Pixel 7 a run for its money. It’s got Google’s premium chipset, and a bigger 90Hz screen. The original Android experience with Google’s homegrown OS and also five years of support. If you’re interested in a no-nonsense device which does not overwhelm you with bloatware and performs wholeheartedly then the Pixel 7a is indeed the one for you. At 43,999 the Pixel 7a is a winner!

Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Will face unlock come to Pixel 6 Pro?

Google recently launched its highly anticipated Pixel 7 lineup. The new Pixel 7 and 7 Pto devices come with the face unlock feature which was missing from Google phones up till now. Besides the usual PIN, password, or pattern screen lock methods, people using the Pixel 7 devices can simply unlock the device using their faces. As the Pixel 7 received this feature, several reports started surfacing around the internet that the last-gen Pixel 6 pro will also be receiving this feature via software update. So, will the face unlock feature come soon to the Pixel 6 Pro? The answer is no.

No face unlock for the Pixel 6 Pro

According to Caschys Blog, Google Germany has now confirmed that the face unlock feature will not be trickling down to the Pixel 6 Pro or any older Pixel devices. This will marl the first time Google has officially declined the possibility of this feature coming to previous Pixel devices. The blog further down states that the meaning behind Google’s answer remains unclear. While it is possible that the company is not planning to roll out the face unlock feature to the Pixel 6 Pro now, it might do so in the future. All Pixel 6 pro users can do is hope!

This is a surprising development as several reports in the past have noted that the feature was indeed going to make its way to the Pixel 6 Pro. Many leaks and pieces of code present in the deep corners of Android had previously mentioned the face unlock feature for the Pixel 6 Pro. Since the device did not come equipped with the hardware capabilities to enable 3D face unlock, it was expected that Google would implement the 2D face unlock which was less secure. Well, now it looks like the Pixel 6 Pro ultimately will not be receiving this detail.

 

Is Google Pixel 7’s Tensor G2 a 4nm chip?

Google’s latest launches the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have become the talk of the town. The devices promise the best Android experience as they come straight from Google; the house of Android. The Pixel 7 lineup is also going head-to-head against the iPhone 14 lineup as they have launched just under a month apart. As one would expect from flagship devices, the Pixel 7 was also said on the internet to come with 4nm chips, which is standard for Samsung and Apple’s flagship devices. However, the truth is something else!

Google Pixel 7’s chip size

There were many articles floating around on the internet claiming that Google’s Tensor G2 chip is a 4nm chip. However, Android Authority has now jumped on and cleared out any doubts by reaching out to Google. A spokesperson from Google has told Android Authority that the chip is indeed based on 5nm. This might come as a shocker to tech enthusiasts who were expecting Google to keep up with all the latest hardware trends in the smartphone arena. Be it Apple’s latest A16 Bionic chipset or Samsung’s Exynos 2200 processor, both are based on 4nm form factors. Is this a big deal? for some yes, for others, not so much! The average user may not even care about the size of their mobile processor chip as long as the device provides good performance.

 

 

Even before Google’s confirmation about the Pixel 7 chipset size, there were a lot of hints that it was based on 5nm. There was a lack of a major clock-speed increase as the Tensor G2 runs at 2.85Ghz Arm Cortex-X1 cores. This is only a 50Hz increase from the original Tensor’s 2.80Ghz. One would expect a bigger bump in power from a new processor but that was not the case here.

Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro launched by Google: Everything you need to know

Google has officially launched the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro at an event in New York. The new phones will be making their way to India this time around with pre-orders already kicking off on Flipkart. People keen on getting their hands on the latest Pixel devices will have to shell out Rs84,999 for the Pixel 7 Pro. However, several bank offers can bring the effective price down to Rs69,999. Whereas, the standard Pixel 7 will cost Rs 59,999 in India. Check out all the details about Google’s Pixel 7 series below:

Pixel 7 & 7 Pro details

The standard Pixel 7 comes with a 6.3-inch 1080P screen, slightly smaller than Pixel 6’s 6.4-inch display; Google mentioned that the bezels on the latest device are slimmer than the Pixel 6 but the 90Hz refresh rate remains the same. The 7 Pro on the other hand comes with a hearty 1440P LTPO display with a 6.7-inch form factor and 120HZ refresh rate. Google claims that both these devices’ displays now come with 25% higher brightness than their predecessors.

Under the hood, we have Google’s very own Tensor G2 chipset powering the Pixel 7 series. While the standard Pixel 7 comes with 8GB RAM, the Pixel 7 Pro is coupled with a powerful 12GB RAM. Both devices come with face unlock features on top of an under-display fingerprint sensor. Google has cut some corners with the Pixel 7 as it comes with a 4,355mAh battery, smaller than Pixel 6’s 4,600mAh battery capacity. The Pixel 7 Pro on the other hand houses a big 5,000mAh battery capacity. Both devices offer 128/256GB storage respectively.

Both Pixel 7 devices come with a 50MP primary lens and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. While the Pixel 7 comes with a dual camera setup, the Pixel 7 Pro sports a triple camera. The only differentiating factor in the camera setup here is the Pixel 7 Pro’s 48MP telephoto lens which is missing in the Pixel 7. The front of the device is a 10.8MP lens for selfies and video calls.

One pretty obvious change here in the Pixel 7 series is the camera bar. While Pixel 6 and 6 Pro used glass to cover the device’s cameras coupled with a metal outline, the Pixel 7 series features 100% recycled aluminum with a matte finish. Finally, on the software side, Google has brought some monumental changes. With the special optimization of the Tensor G2 chipset, users can now unblur older/existing photos to improve their quality. The company claims that Night Sight is now twice as fast as the Pixel 6. Real Tone has been integrated into the Portrait and Night Sight modes. A new accessibility feature has also been added to the selfie camera which allows visually impaired people to stay in frame with the help of haptic and audio signals.

Pre-order the Google Pixel 7/7 Pro from Flipkart – HERE

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