Google has unveiled the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, and this time, both phones will be officially available in India as well — the first time this has happened since the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in 2018. At Rs 59,999, the Pixel 7 is being seen by many experts as competitively priced and is likely to be the more attractive option for many, while the relatively expensive Pixel 7 Pro (Rs 84,999) is for those with much deeper pockets.
The Pixel 7 comes with the new Pixel design (introduced with the Pixel 6), complete with a very distinct camera bar on its beautifully crafted glass back. It brings some very impressive specs to the table, including a 6.3-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, the new Google Tensor G2 processor, and 50-megapixel and 12-megapixel cameras at the back, which promise to deliver legendary photography skills the Pixel range is known for.
All this topped off with pure Android 13, complete with Google's own software wizardry, with speedy and assured upgrades for the next few years.
But impressive though it is, the Pixel 7 will have its work cut out in the highly competitive Indian market. While it is the more affordable of the two Pixel flagships, it still faces a number of challenges, most of which come from well-established players and offer comparable, and perhaps even better, specs and design.
Just how good the Pixel 7 really is will be known after the reviews come in, but if you are considering booking one, we would advise you to cast an eye on these devices which could well give the new Google flagship a run for its money in India:
Samsung Galaxy S22: The compact champ
Price: Rs 62,990
One of the biggest challengers that the Pixel 7 will have to cross swords with comes from Samsung. Samsung’s Galaxy S22 is not only right in the price lane of the Pixel 7 but also gives the new Google phone tough competition in terms of specs and features.
Starting from the front, although the Galaxy S22 brings a marginally smaller 6.1-inch display to the table as compared to the 6.3-inch display on the Pixel 7, the display of the Galaxy S22 is a Dynamic AMOLED one with a higher refresh rate of 120Hz as compared to the 90Hz refresh rate on the Pixel 7.
The phone also brings a triple camera set up to the table which consists of a 50-megapixel wide, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor which is a step ahead of the Pixel 7 which only comes with two cameras on the back and misses out on a telephoto sensor.
The phone is powered by the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, allowing it to handle all your daily and high-end tasks without any struggles. Yes, the Pixel 7 comes with the new Tensor G2 processor which is supposed to be quite powerful and has some photographic skills, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is supposed to have a clear edge in gaming and multimedia.
While Samsung is also not a big fast charging player by today’s standards, the Galaxy S22 comes with support for 25W fast charging which is faster than Pixel 7’s 20W fast charging support.
That said, the Pixel 7 has a bigger 4,355mAh battery as compared to the 3,700mAh battery that the Samsung Galaxy S22 offers. The Galaxy S22 also comes with Android 12 out-of-the-box whereas the Pixel 7 being Google’s own phone baby comes with Android 13 pre-installed.
Having said that, Samsung has promised updates for four years which is longer than Google’s three-year update promise.
The Galaxy S22 is also more compact and would be easier to hold and handle as compared to the slightly bigger Pixel 7.
OnePlus 10 Pro: The Never Settler might not let the Pixel Settle
Price: Rs 61,999
If the stock Android experience is what draws you to the Pixel 7 then there is a smartphone that will give you close-to-stock Android feels in addition to some spec edges over the Pixel 7.
OnePlus is famous for delivering a clean, uncluttered, almost stock Android-like smartphone experience, thanks to its UI, OxygenOS. On the OnePlus 10 Pro, this clean UI is paired with some very high-end specs.
The smartphone comes with a bigger 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a higher quad HD resolution as compared to the 6.3-inch display on the Pixel 7 and comes with a faster 120Hz refresh rate. This is paired with a triple camera set up on the back, comprising a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor, and an 8-megapixel telephoto sensor, giving it a camera edge over the dual camera setup on the Pixel 7.
The cameras on the OnePlus 10 Pro are created in partnership with Hasselblad which adds a nifty, neat touch to its camera capabilities. It runs on flagship-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor which is ranked higher than the Tensor G2 on the Pixel 7 and also comes with a variety of RAM and storage options that can easily handle all the smartphone tasks that you might feel like throwing its way.
Not only does it come with a 5,000mAh battery which is bigger than the one on the Pixel 7, but the OnePlus 10 Pro also bosses the fast charging zone and comes with support for 80 W fast charging which can charge the phone from one to 100 percent in 32 minutes.
And you actually get a charger in the box too, something that has gone missing from high-end phones, including the Pixel 7. It was launched with Android 12, but the OnePlus 10 Pro is also one of the few phones that has been updated to Android 13, bringing to the Pixel 7's level in software matters.
iQoo 9T: Sheer Value-for-Money Warrior
Price: Rs 49,990
The iQoo 9T is an absolute value-for-money beast. Along with its very unique racing-inspired design which will definitely turn heads, the phone comes with next to no spec compromises.
It brings a beautiful bigger 6.78-inch AMOLED display and offers a higher 120Hz refresh rate to the table as compared to the 6.3-inch OLED display and 90Hz refresh rate on the Pixel 7. The iQoo 9T is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor which is a step ahead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and comes with multiple RAM and storage options.
Needless to say, the phone will deliver flagship performance and will take any challenge you might present to it, head on. It might not have some of the smarts of Google's Tensor G2 chip on the Pixel 7, but it has significantly more power as per many sources.
Like most challengers in the list, this one also comes with a triple camera setup, one which brings a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor, beating the Pixel 7 in the camera number game, giving users a telephoto option.
One of the biggest USPs of the iQoo 9T is its fast charging prowess. The phone comes with support for a whopping 120W fast charging support which can charge its 4,700mAh battery in 19 minutes. This is literally 100W more than the 20W fast charging support on the Pixel 7 and you will find the charger bundled with the iQoo 9T as well.
Yes, those who like those stock Android feels of a Pixel might feel overwhelmed by Funtouch OS. Software updates might also be on the less regular side on the device which comes with Android 12 out-of-the-box, but the phone’s price definitely makes a compelling case for it.
Xiaomi 12 Pro: The All-Rounder
Price: Rs 54,999
Xiaomi may have arrived a little late at the premium phone party but it has been giving other players a tough time since it turned up.
And the Pixel 7 is not exempt from its shadow falling across its path. The Xiaomi 12 Pro is one of the most powerfully specced and competitively priced smartphones on the list. It brings a 6.7-inch AMOLED quad-HD display with a 120Hz refresh rate to the table which beats the display size and refresh rate of the Pixel 7.
The Xiaomi 12 Pro is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship-level processor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is seen by many as being more powerful than the Tensor G2 on the Pixel 7.
Along with a powerful processor and display, the phone also brings one of the most powerful camera setups in the list with three 50-megapixel camera sensors on the back (wide, ultrawide, and telephoto) and while it lacks the computational photography magic the Pixel 7 has, it certainly brings more to the snapper party.
It is also the only phone on the list to come with a quad stereo speaker setup, making it an absolute multimedia delight. To round it off, the phone comes with 120W fast charging support that can charge its 4,600mAh battery completely in under 20 minutes.
Stock Android fans might not like the feature-rich MIUI skin on the Xiaomi 12 Pro and the phone also comes with Android 12 out-of-the-box. It has not got Android 13 yet and might be slower on the update game, but its specs, features, and performance make it a very tough challenger to the Pixel 7.
iPhone 13: Last Year's Godphone is Still Formidable
Price: Rs 60,000 (officially Rs 69,900)
The Apple-Google rivalry is iconic which is why this list would have been incomplete without an iPhone in it. While the iPhone 14 is way more expensive than the Pixel 7, the year older iPhone 13 can still give the new Pixel 7 some very healthy competition, considering it is very close to the iPhone 14 in terms of specs.
The iPhone 13 is also powered by the A15 Bionic processor which runs the iPhone 14 show, albeit without the extra GPU core.
The phone brings smooth consistent performance to the table which can handle your day-to-day tasks and your power-hungry tasks alike without any troubles — it is very likely to more than match the Pixel 7 in gaming. The two 12-megapixel sensors on the back of the iPhone 13 deliver very good colours and detailed images consistently and are video wizards.
One of the biggest USPs of the device has to be its software. While it was introduced with iOS 15, Apple has updated the phone to the latest iOS 16 and Apple’s track record of rolling out software updates even to older generation iPhones has been impeccable.
It might not be the latest iPhone around the block, but it surely will work like one, and its recently lowered price and some great deals (it was available for under Rs 50,000 during a recent online sales festival), make the iPhone 13 a Pixel 7 challenger.
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra: Hello, Moto Megapixels
Price: Rs 59,900
The Pixel might be legendary for its photography, but in terms of sheer specs, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra perhaps comes with the most powerful camera arrangement, not only in this list but in the world.
The phone features a whopping 200-megapixel main sensor which is accompanied by a 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor.
In sheer hardware terms, that is well ahead of the Pixel 7, which brings a 50-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor to the table. To top this mega-megapixel mix, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra also comes with a 60-megapixel selfie camera as opposed to the 10.8-megapixel sensor present on the Pixel 7’s front.
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra comes with a bigger 6.67-inch POLED display as compared to the Pixel 7 and is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship processor Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which is considered the most powerful chip in the Android ecosystem at the moment.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra also bosses the fast charging race as it brings support for 125W fast charging which can charge its 4,610mAh battery in a matter of minutes, giving it another edge over the Pixel 7.
To top it all off, it is also the only phone on the list to come with stock Android. That said, it was released with Android 12, and given Motorola’s spotty update record, one might have to wait a while before getting Android 13.
Nevertheless, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is an absolute spec monster and one which comes with a price tag that rivals the Pixel 7, qualifying it as a headache for the newly launched Pixel.
OnePlus 10T: Never Settle, Pixel 7
Price: Rs 49,999
It is the most recently launched OnePlus and one which comes with tons of spec and feature goodness. Apart from the clean, uncluttered nature of OxygenOS which is a major plus point of all OnePlus smartphones, the OnePlus 10T is a phone that brings many other flagship-level features to this list.
The phone comes with a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate which leaves the Pixel 7 behind both in terms of size and refresh rate.
The phone packs a powerful processor punch, thanks to Qualcomm’s flagship processor, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 which runs the show.
It also comes with a triple camera setup as opposed to the dual cameras on the Pixel 7, although the third camera on the OnePlus 10T is more of a showpiece than a show maker (a2 megapixel macro sensor).
You will not find Hasselblad prowess on the OnePlus 10T but the cameras are decent enough. You also get insanely fast charging support (the fastest on the list) of 150W which can charge the 4,800mAh battery of the OnePlus 10T in well under half an hour.
The phone is perfect for anyone looking for a powerful device with a clean interface on a tight budget, which makes it sound like more competition for the Pixel 7.
It might not come close to matching its cameras, but could unsettle it in others, and has a massive price edge.
