It's getting cooler out, the days are growing shorter, and the new Pixel 7 has been revealed by Google. But Google is not the only one with a new flagship smartphone on that market. There's also Apple and the recently launched iPhone 14, of course.
Both new phones offer up more iterative upgrades than revolutionary ones, looking and feeling similar to their predecessors at a glance, but both also offer key upgrades that could change their value proposition.
Not sure where to turn? Don't worry, because we're here to help you navigate this clash of the titans and figure out which one of these premium smartphones is going to tick your boxes.
We haven't reviewed the Pixel 7 yet (that will soon follow), but we have recently reviewed the iPhone 14, so we'll be comparing our experience with iPhone 14 with what Google has told us about the Pixel 7.
Intrigued to see how the phones stack up against each other? Please read on...
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: price
iPhone 14 starts at £849 / $799 / AU$1399, while the Pixel 7 starts at £599 / $599 / AU$999, the same as the Pixel 6. Both might be flagship phones, but iPhone is still by some distance the more expensive of the two.
iPhone 14 is on sale now, while Pixel 7 can be pre-ordered now with the handset hitting stores on the 13th October.
If spending less cash is what you're most concerned with, Google's Pixel 7 is going to be the choice that saves you quite a bit thanks to Google's aggressive pricing and desire to keep Pixel 7 one of the cheaper flagships around.
*Winner: Pixel 7*
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: design
Apple didn't change much with the core design of iPhone 14 over 13, and Google is going the same route with the Pixel 7, opting for a look and feel similar to the Pixel 6 with a few tweaks here and there.
iPhone 14 looks and feels great. The combination of a sturdy aluminum frame and smooth edges make the phone fit comfortably in almost any hand. You will still be stuck with the famous front-facing camera notch on iPhone 14, though.
Google's Pixel 7 offers up straighter lines and harder edges in terms of its core design alongside its now-trademark back camera bar. There's no major notch to speak of on the display, with Google once again opting for a punch-hole cutout. Plus, Pixel 7 comes with slimmed-down bezels over the Pixel 6.
Both phones are similarly sized, though the Pixel packs in a 6.3-inch screen while iPhone 14's display is a bit smaller, coming in at 6.1-inches, making the Pixel 7 all-around slightly bigger than iPhone 14. iPhone 14 weighs 6.07oz, while Pixel 7 comes in at 6.9oz, making it the heftier device, too.
Different design philosophies are definitely at play here, and while we loved the design of iPhone 14, the Pixel 7 looks to be a reasonably sleek, well-made device with both phones having their own distinct flavours.
*Winner: TBC*
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: screen
Google's Pixel 7 packs in a 6.3-inch 2400 x 1080 OLED display coming in at 416ppi and with up to 1400 nits of peak brightness. On the other hand, iPhone 14 comes with Apple's 6.1-inch 2532 x 1170 Super Retina XDR display at 460ppi, with up to 1200 nits of peak brightness.
Both phones support HDR, while iPhone 14 has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and the Pixel 7 a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. In terms of display specs, these phones are similar, but iPhone 14 is higher resolution and comes with a higher contrast ratio, while Pixel 7 looks to manage a slightly higher peak brightness.
As far as refresh rates go, iPhone 14 is still stuck with the standard 60Hz we've seen on iPhones forever, while the Pixel 7 manages to squeeze in a 90Hz panel, which looks to give the Pixel 7 an edge in fluidity over iPhone. Though, for most, a phone's refresh rate is rarely a dealbreaker.
Until we get our hands on a Pixel 7 for a full review, the specs only tell half a story which is that iPhone 14's screen, on paper at least, looks to offer up the better image quality of two phones at a lower-refresh rate, but stay tuned for more details.
*Winner: TBC*
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: power
The Pixel 7 comes with the all-new Tensor G2 processor that Google claims is faster, more efficient, and more secure than the original Tensor chip. On the other side, iPhone 14 comes with Apple's A15 Bionic chip that packs in a 5-core GPU and a 6-core CPU alongside Apple's 16-core Neural Engine.
You'll have to wait for our full review to get the full picture of how these phones stack up against each other, but Apple's chips routinely take the top spot when it comes to mobile processing power. That's not to say the Pixel 7 won't be competitive.
iPhone 14 comes with 6GB of RAM, though Apple never likes to advertise the memory available in the iPhone, while the Pixel 7 packs in 8GB. The Pixel definitely has the edge in terms of capacity, but for years, iPhones have managed to top the smartphone benchmarks with less RAM than Android competitors.
While Google's Pixel 7 looks to be powered by fairly beefy hardware, unless there's forthcoming evidence of major new strides with the Tensor G2, we'd expect the iPhone 14 to be the more powerful phone, though the difference in power here likely isn't going to be relevant to most consumers.
*Winner: TBC*
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: camera
iPhone 14 comes packed with dual 12MP cameras, one wide and one ultra-wide, which we found to offer up "clear and crisp shots" as would be expected, considering Apple's consistent dedication to camera quality on iPhone.
A large, fast aperture on iPhone 14 helps with low-light performance, while 'Action Mode' on iPhone 14 features improved video stabilization. You can also shoot in HDR and up to 4K/60FPS video on iPhone 14, making it a great choice for budding filmmakers.
Google's Pixel 7 also opts for a dual-camera system, but the Pixel brings a 50MP wide camera and a 12MP ultra-wide camera to the table. You can also shoot in HDR and up to 4K/60FPS video on the Pixel, while Google also boasts about its Real Tone tech that can more accurately process skin; better Night Sight tech for taking pics after dark; cinematic video blur; and a hybrid software and hardware video stabilization system.
In terms of front-facing cameras, iPhone 14 comes with a 12MP camera with autofocus, while the Pixel 7 comes with a 10.8MP camera with fixed focus, and both are capable of recording in up to 4K at 60FPS, allowing for some seriously high-resolution selfies. Apple's front-facing camera also supports a host of technologies involved in powering its Animoji and Memoji features.
The cameras of both the Pixel 7 and iPhone 14 seem to bring some serious photographer-grade features to the table, while the Pixel 7 looks to have the edge in terms of pure megapixels with its main camera and iPhone has the edge with its front-facing camera.
We'll have to review the Pixel 7 to say for sure how it compares with iPhone 14's camera, but both snappers appear to have plenty going for them.
*Winner: TBC*
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: battery
iPhone 14's got a 3279mAh battery that has no problem lasting through a day. Apple claims the iPhone 14's battery will last up to 20 hours for video or 80 hours for audio, while iPhone 14 also supports fast charging with up to 50% power in 30 minutes with a 20W+ adapter.
Google says the Pixel 7 has "beyond 24-hour battery life" that can be extended to "72-hour battery life with Extreme Battery Saver" thanks to Pixel 7's meaty 4355mAh battery. Google also promises fast charging support on Pixel 7 with up to 50% power in 30 minutes with Google's 30W charger.
Battery life on paper often differs from real-world battery life, so we'll have to wait and see how our Pixel 7 performs during our review, but the larger battery of the Pixel 7 looks to be providing an upgrade in battery life over iPhone 14.
*Winner: TBC*
Google Pixel 7 vs iPhone 14: early verdict
On paper, the all-new Google Pixel 7 has a lot of competitive features, especially when you realize how much cheaper it is. The iPhone 14 looks to have the Pixel beat when it comes to image quality and raw processing power, while the Pixel 7 seems to have better battery life and a higher refresh rate.
While you'll have to wait for our full review and accompanying in-depth comparison, we'd expect Android fans to prefer the Pixel 7 while iOS users will likely prefer the iPhone 14. Without any truly revolutionary features or upgrades, neither phone seems poised to peel away fans on the other side. The bigger question will arguably be, should a Pixel 6 user consider upgrading to the Pixel 7?
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