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Everything announced at the Pixel 7 ‘Made By Google’ event

Posted: 7 October 2022 8:15 am

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Google's got new Pixel 7 smartphones, the new Pixel Watch (finally!) and we even got a glimpse at Google's upcoming Pixel Tablet.

Most big device launches save a few gadgets or details as big surprises. That classic "one more thing" is somewhat expected.

Google doesn't think like most big companies, and overnight at its "Made By Google" event in the US, it revealed the Pixel 7, the Pixel 7 Pro, the Pixel Watch and… that was about it.

If you wanted to stretch, it did show off a few more details about the Pixel Tablet, but that's not due until next year – and based on what Google's done with its past few larger tablet style devices, the jury is very much out on whether that will head anywhere but the US anyway.

Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro

Google made no secret about the Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro's existence, given it first unveiled them back at Google I/O.

As expected, the big story here is around Google's new Tensor G2 processor and the camera capabilities of the new handsets, particularly the Pixel 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 is actually slightly smaller than last year's Pixel 6, rocking a 6.3 inch display compared to the 6.4 inch display on the prior model. That's still at a 1080x2400 pixel resolution, so it's technically a dab sharper, with the same 90Hz refresh rate in play. Google's claim here is that it's also 25% brighter in direct sunlight than the Pixel 6, making it easier to see on those dazzling summer days.

Cameras are likewise in the same configuration as the Pixel 6, with a primary rear 50MP lens accompanied by a 12MP ultrawide lens. At the front, the Pixel 7 features a 10.8MP selfie shooter that can also be used for face unlocking, a feature we've not seen directly in Pixel phones for a couple of generations.

Pictured: Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Image: Supplied

Google made a lot of noise last year about its first "Google designed" processor, the Tensor. For the Tensor G2, it's promising an array of new features, above and beyond presumed improved performance. On the camera front, new tricks include a cinematic blur feature (how very Apple), improved Super Res Zoom (although it's strictly digital, no telephoto lens here) and integrated photo sharpening through a feature Google calls Photo Unblur. Impressively, Google says it can run Photo Unblur even on older photos not taken on the Pixel 7.

The Pixel 7's battery capacity doesn't sound all that large on paper, with a 4355mAh battery, but Google says its "Pixel Adaptive Battery" feature can give it over 24 hours of everyday usage, or up to 72 hours with its extreme battery saver feature turned on.

Google isn't exactly a company known for an interest in privacy – if we're being honest here, it's really more interested in knowing everything it can about you – so it's interesting to see Google promoting the Pixel 7 as coming with Google's own inbuilt VPN as standard. It's not clear how long Pixel 7 owners will get free VPN access, and it won't be available at launch in Australia either. Also, naturally, you'd be routing that info through Google itself, so it would still, to an extent, know everything.

The Pixel 7 comes in Lemongrass, Snow and Obsidian finishes, with availability from 14 October 2022.

Pictured: Google Pixel colour range. Image: Supplied

The Pixel 7's bigger sibling is the Pixel 7 Pro. That's a 6.7 inch phone with support for 120Hz refresh rates – no change from the Pixel 6 Pro in that respect – also rocking the Tensor G2 processor but with an expanded camera array at the back.

Specifically, the Pixel 7 Pro has three rear camera modules in play, with a 50MP primary, 12MP ultrawide and 48MP 5x optical zoom telephoto lens to play with. At the front it's the same exact story as the Pixel 7, with a 10.8MP selfie shooter that can also be used for face unlocking.

That opens up a whole world of phone photo features, with Google offering a 2x crop down telephoto via that primary lens, something we also saw with the iPhone 14 Pro/Max devices, but also a greatly expanded hybrid telephoto zoom range to play with. Google's claim is that the Pixel 7 Pro can manage a 10x zoom keeping to at least 12MP, and up to 30x with Super Res Zoom, with AI handling image stabilisation duties. Impressive if Google can pull it off, though those kinds of higher zoom rates on smartphones typically don't work all that well.

The Pixel 7 Pro also gets a sharper macro mode for those truly up-close-and-personal shots of raindrops, bees or your own face if you really must, as well as the same cinematic blur and Photo Unblur features found on the Pixel 7. One neat feature for the front camera is what Google calls the Guided Frame. This is an audio and haptic feedback system designed to make it easier for people with limited or no vision to take reasonable selfies with a Pixel 7 Pro device, ensuring that their faces are in frame when they hit the shutter button.

The Pixel 7 Pro comes in Hazel, Snow and Obsidian finishes, with availability from 14 October 2022.

Here's the pricing for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones:

Storage	Google Pixel 7	Google Pixel 7 Pro
128GB	$999	$1,299
256GB	1129	$1,449
512GB	N/A	$1,599

You can also pick up both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro from Telstra and Vodafone on a phone plan, with pre-order gifts and discounts available.

Pixel Watch

It seems like forever since rumours first started circulating about Google's first own-brand smartwatch, the Pixel Watch. Sure, in the meantime Google has bought out Fitbit, so the claim could be made that it already had a family of smart watches anyway, but the Pixel Watch is just a little bit different to a Fitbit.

Specifically, it's more of a style-centric Fitbit, with a round 41mm watch face in silver, black or gold, with a variety of watch band styles available. Available sensors will track your heart rate, apparently every single second rather than every few minutes as on many competing devices. The Pixel Watch can also handle ECG tracking, though it's not clear at the time of writing if Google has obtained the necessary clearances for that function to work in Australia.

Pictured: Google Pixel Watch. Image: Supplied

It's also a Fitbit, however, with access to the vast library of Fitbit workouts and an included 6 month subscription to Fitbit Premium included – even if you're a returning subscriber – with each Pixel Watch sold.

In terms of battery life, Google claims 24 hour battery stamina for the Pixel Watch, with 50% battery recharge within 30 minutes for its integrated 294mAh battery.

The Pixel Watch sells in either Bluetooth or Bluetooth+4G LTE variants at $549 and $649 respectively. Additional band pricing starts at $69 and up depending on style and material.

Google Pixel Tablet

Google has dabbled in the tablet market over the years, but it is seemingly finally getting serious about tablets for the upcoming Pixel Tablet. It won't launch until 2023, and Google didn't give every single detail away about its latest tablet foray at the Pixel 7 launch either.

While, like the Pixel 7 family Google did first reveal the Pixel Tablet at I/O this year, it's keeping a lot of detail around the Pixel Tablet to itself for now. It did state that it'll use the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7, which is a predictable play in some ways, although you do have to wonder which camera features Google's really going to pack into a tablet anyway, or whether that's just a plan to use the extra power for larger screen Android tablet apps.

Pictured: Google Pixel Tablet. Image: Supplied

One neat trick that Google did show off was a Pixel tablet dock. It's a magnetic charging base, but the idea here is that because you don't use the Tablet all the time, it can become a Nest Display while charging, with the same feature set as Google's smart display on your desk or kitchen bench when not in personal use. Lift it off the dock, and it's a tablet again. It's not clear if the dock will be an included accessory or an optional extra though.

What about the Google Nest Wi-Fi Pro?

Google actually pre-empted its launch event in regards to the Nest Wi-Fi Pro, announcing it in the US earlier this week. However, right now there's no official sign of it becoming available in Australia. For more on the Nest Wi-Fi Pro, you can read our full guide here.

So was there really no "one more thing"?

There was not. The Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch were what Google wanted to talk about, and with the exception of teases around the Pixel Tablet and some talk around Google's emerging ecosystem of devices, that was pretty much it.

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