By George Storr

Published: Wednesday, 20 July 2022 at 12:00 am

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The Google Pixel 7 is one of the most hotly anticipated phones of 2022, but will it definitely arrive in 2022? What should we expect from it if it does? How much will it cost? We’re here to answer all those questions and more. Here’s our full guide to the upcoming Google Pixel 7.

So far, we’ve not seen too much of the Pixel 7. We got a quick glimpse of the design of both the Pro (pictured above) and standard phones at Google IO back in May and have some idea of what to expect when it comes to specs and power. Right now, the Pixel 7 is one of the most anticipated phones of the year in our books. Why? Because it follows some fantastic smartphones from Google and offers an almost uniquely appealing marriage of hardware and software.

Here at RadioTimes.com our tech team loved the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The latter bagged a rare 4.4 star rating from our experts in our full Google Pixel 6 Pro review and — as far as we’re concerned — it still ranks among the very best smartphones on the market today. It’s a fantastic all-rounder, with few downsides other than its price.

One of the biggest appeals of Google phones is simply that Google hardware running Google software makes for one of the smoothest user experiences you can get in a phone. While the last generation of Samsung flagship phones pipped the Pixel on pure hardware performance, the Pixels did a better job of harnessing the power they had to offer a silky smooth user experience and a really punchy camera.

With all that impressive performance in the rearview mirror, we have high expectations of the Google Pixel 7. Here’s everything we know so far.

Google Pixel 7 UK release date rumours

Right now, release date details are a little sketchy. Google has confirmed only that the phone will be available ‘this fall’. This makes sense given that we expect Google will want the phone on the market and purchasable in time for the Christmas rush. It seems sensible to expect an October 2022 release date.

However, before the Google Pixel 7 is released we have the Google Pixel 6a to look forward to. This slightly cheaper version of the standard Pixel 6 has arrived surprisingly late in the previous series’ lifespan and that slightly undermines its appeal as a cheaper model, given that it’s now possible to find the Pixel 6 at a discount.

This delay may have been down to the semiconductor shortage that began during the pandemic and has dragged on, partly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (CNBC). The shortage will no doubt have impacted production schedules at Google.

Google Pixel 7 design

The design isn’t a huge departure from the Pixel 6 but the newly metallic camera bump does freshen things up — or just make the phone look more like Robocop, depending on your point of view.

Of course, the design of any smartphone is subjective, but we like the new look of the Pixel 7. From an aesthetic standpoint, it does enough to look like a new iteration but doesn’t abandon the distinctive Pixel styling of previous models.

We can see too that the Pro has an extra camera lens on the back when compared to the standard Pixel 7. This is likely to be the telephoto zoom lens and we look forward to testing the camera capabilities of both phones.

Google Pixel 7 specs and features

The phone will be powered by the new generation of Google’s Tensor chip. Previous versions have impressed us and helped to power that smooth user experience and snappy camera discussed earlier.

The fact that Google uses its own chip, rather than the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip used by most current competitors, gives the phone the potential to really stand out in the market — just as iPhones do, thanks to Apple’s powerful Bionic chips.

The Pixel 7 will run Android 13, which will be fully installed at launch and Google was keen to shout about the improved security around Google payments — thanks to the new Google Wallet app — and messaging. Android 13 is currently available in its public beta stage on selected devices including the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Google Pixel 7 UK pricing: when will the new Google phone be available to pre-order? 

We’re not sure what the Google Pixel 7’s price will be yet, but previous Pixels suggest that Google may attempt to slightly undercut other premium smartphones in the market. Pre-orders aren’t available just yet either, but we’ll update this page when they are.

Its predecessor, the Google Pixel 6, started at £599 while the Google Pixel 6 Pro started at £849. Compared to most competitors the Pixels stand out in terms of value. For example the Samsung S22 range — £769 for the standard phone, £949 for the Plus and £1149 for the ever-impressive Ultra.

We expect a similar pricing level for the Pixel 7, though it may notch slightly higher. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

It’s worth noting too that there are some great deals to be had on the Pixel 6 right now.