Pixel 7 vs. Pixel 6: How Google’s Flagship Phones Have Changed Spec by Spec
Google pulled back the curtain on the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro in the fall. After a thorough revamp with the Pixel 6 lineup last year, the Pixel 7 series offers minor upgrades rather than radical changes.
That signature camera bar running across the width of the chassis stays, except this year it’s covered in metal as opposed to glass. The years-in-the-making Tensor chip is under the hood again, of course, but now it’s a next-gen version, called the Tensor G2.
The Pixel 7 will also support the ability to unlock your phone with your face, unlike the Pixel 6 series, and introduces some behind-the-scenes camera changes that should enable better zoom quality. You can read CNET’s deep dives on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro for more insights on the camera changes.
As was the case with the iPhone 14 lineup, the changes between the base models and the pro models are more obvious than the changes between predecessor and successor. For instance, the Pixel 7 Pro not only has a larger screen, but also a telephoto lens that can zoom up to 5x optically and 30x digitally.
There is no telephoto camera on the Pixel 7. The Pixel 7 Pro boasts a new macro photography mode that is absent on the base Pixel 7. Both phones support 5G, but support for superfast millimeter wave 5G connectivity varies depending on the carrier.
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The Pixel 7 starts at £599, while the Pixel 7 Pro starts at £899 — the same as last year’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, respectively despite stubbornly high inflation.
Both phones launched on Oct.
13, with preorders starting on that day. For more details on how the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro stack up, check out our specs chart below for a side-by-side comparison. If you’re curious about how the Pixel ranks against its competitors, take a look at how it compares to phones from Apple and Samsung.
Pixel 7 series vs.
Pixel 6 series
| Google Pixel 7 | Google Pixel 6 | Google Pixel 7 Pro |
| 6.3-inch OLED display, FHD+ (1,080 x 2,400 pixels), 90Hz | 6.4-inch OLED; 2,400 x 1,080 pixels; 60 or 90Hz | 6.7-inch LTPO display, QHD+ (1,440 x 3,120 pixels); up to 120Hz |
| 416 ppi | 411 ppi | 512 ppi |
| 155.6 height x 73.2 width x 8.7 depth (mm) | 158.6 height x 74.8 width x 8.9 depth (mm) | 162.9 height x 76.6 width x 8.9 depth (mm) |
| 197g or 6.9 oz | 207g or 7.3 oz | 212g or 7.5 oz |
| Android 13 | Android 12 | Android 13 |
| 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 50-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 50-megapixel (main), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 48-megapixel (telephoto) |
| 10.8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 10.8-megapixel |
| 4K | 4K 30, 60fps (rear), 1,080p 30fps (front) | 4K |
| Google Tensor G2 | Google Tensor | Google Tensor G2 |
| 8GB + 128 GB, 8GB + 256 GB | 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB | 12GB + 128 GB, 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB |
| None | None | None |
| 4,355 mAh | 4,614 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Under display | Under display | Under display |
| USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| None | None | None |
| £599 | £599 | £899 |
