Google Pixel 7 vs. Apple iPhone 14 - Digital Trends

2 years ago 52

Smartphone users are spoilt for prime erstwhile it comes to fantabulous devices this year. No sooner had Apple announced the iPhone 14 in September than Google followed it with the Pixel 7, which, overmuch similar its iOS rival, takes the features that had made its predecessors specified fashionable devices and adds a fewer other for bully measure. On apical of the superb camera and agelong artillery beingness of erstwhile generations, it throws successful compatibility with the recently revealed Pixel Watch portion it besides offers an attractively redesigned rear camera module.

The question is, however does it comparison to the iPhone 14? We reply this question by looking astatine the antithetic features of each and weighing them up against each other. That way, you should beryllium capable to determine which smartphone is for you.

Specs

	Pixel 7	iPhone 14
Size	155.6 by 73.2 by 8.7mm (6.13 by 2.88 by 0.34 inches)	146.7 by 71.5 by 7.8mm (5.78 by 2.81 by 0.31 inches)
Weight	197 grams (6.9 ounces)	172 grams (6.07 ounces)
Screen size	6.3-inch OLED with 10-90Hz	6.1-inch Super Retina OLED
Screen resolution	2400 x 1080 pixels (416 pixels per inch)	2532 x 1170 pixels (460 pixels per inch)
Operating system	Android 13	iOS 16
Storage	128GB, 256GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
MicroSD paper slot	No	No
Tap-to-pay services	Google Pay	Apple Pay
Processor	Google Tensor 2	Apple A15 Bionic
RAM	8GB	4GB
Camera	Dual lens 50-megapixel wide, 12MP ultrawide rear, 10.8MP front	Dual-lens 12MP wide and 12MP ultrawide rear, 12MP TrueDepth front
Video	4K astatine up to 60 frames per second, 1080p astatine 60 fps	4K astatine up to 60 fps, 1080p astatine 240 fps
Bluetooth version	Bluetooth 5.2	Bluetooth 5.3
Ports	USB-C	Lightning connector
Fingerprint sensor	Yes, in-display	No, FaceID instead
Water resistance	IP68	IP68
Battery	4,355mAh 30W wired charging 21W wireless charging Reverse wireless charging	3,279mAh Fast charging (20W charger sold separately) MagSafe wireless charging (15W) Qi wireless charging (7.5W)
App marketplace	Google Play Store	Apple App Store
Network support	All large carriers	All large carriers
Colors	Obsidian, Snow, Lemongrass	Midnight, purple, Starlight, blue, red
Prices	$599+	$799+
Review score	3.5 retired of 5 stars	4 retired of 5 stars

Design, display, and durability

While neither telephone goes for reinvention, the Pixel 7 does astatine slightest effort thing noticeably antithetic with its design. Whereas the Pixel 6 featured a horizontal camera visor made of glass, the seventh procreation goes with aluminum this clip around. This means it ditches the black, darkened quality of the Pixel 6 and features thing arguably a small sharper and much striking. On apical of this, the Pixel 7 besides ditches the two-toned coloring of the Pixel 6’s rear, alternatively going for a azygous shadiness implicit its full surface, which you tin person successful either Obsidian (basically black), Snow, oregon Lemongrass (light green).

The iPhone 14, however, changes thing from the iPhone 13. To beryllium fair, the second was hardly an disfigured duckling, yet the deficiency of adventurousness connected the portion of Apple arguably marks down the iOS instrumentality a little.

Moving connected to displays, the Pixel 7 sports a 6.3-inch AMOLED panel, which is susceptible of supporting a bully 90Hz refresh rate. It besides packs 2400 x 1080 pixels, making for 416 pixels per inch (ppi). As for the iPhone, its 6.1-inch Super Retina OLED surface bests the Pixel successful presumption of its solution astatine 2532 x 1170 pixels (i.e., 460 ppi). Unfortunately, it has a refresh complaint of lone 60Hz, thing that deprives it of the benignant of smoothness and fluidity (in scrolling and animations) enjoyed by Google’s device.

As such, the Pixel wins this circular by a constrictive — but not insignificant — margin. Both phones transportation an IP68 rating, truthful neither has the borderline successful presumption of durability.

Winner: Google Pixel 7

Performance, artillery life, and charging

The Pixel 7 runs connected Google’s precise ain Tensor G2 chip, which is the successor to past year’s version. It’s built utilizing a 5nm manufacturing process, truthful it volition beryllium almighty capable to grip astir tasks and apps, particularly erstwhile coupled with 8GB of RAM. However, our reappraisal of the Pixel 7 recovered that it tin conflict with much demanding video games, thing that cannot beryllium said for the iPhone 14. The second uses the aforesaid A15 Bionic spot arsenic its predecessor, and portion this mightiness look similar an enactment of tightfistedness connected Apple’s part, it inactive handles intensive computational enactment without immoderate difficulty.

Both devices travel with the aforesaid magnitude of interior representation arsenic standard: 128GB. This tin beryllium bumped up to 256GB connected some models, portion the iPhone besides adds the enactment to spell arsenic precocious arsenic 512GB for an other $300. Neither has a microSD paper slot, truthful you whitethorn request to beryllium cautious with downloads and photos if you spell with the basal storage.

Turning to the battery, the iPhone 14 houses a 3,279mAh cell, portion the Pixel 7 offers a bulkier 4,355mAh counterpart. In theory, this should mean that Google’s instrumentality comfortably outlasts its Apple rival, but our reviews of each instrumentality recovered that they are some much oregon little arsenic dependable. In different words, you’ll get conscionable implicit a day’s usage retired of each if you’re a mean oregon dense user, portion lighter users whitethorn travel adjacent to a 2nd time earlier needing to recharge. With charging, the Pixel 7 supports accelerated charging astatine 30W, with the iPhone 14 charging astatine 20W. Regardless, the 2 phones volition recharge astatine astir the aforesaid rate, with some manufacturers claiming 50% successful astir fractional an hour.

Winner: Apple iPhone 14

Cameras

As we’ve seen with the designs of the 2 phones, neither the Pixel 7 nor the iPhone 14 departs majorly from their respective predecessors erstwhile it comes to their cameras. The Pixel’s rear camera setup includes a 50MP wide lens (the aforesaid 1 arsenic recovered connected the Pixel 6) and a 12MP wide-angle camera with a 114-degree tract of view. As for the iPhone 14, it has the aforesaid basal dual-lens rear camera setup arsenic the iPhone 13, with a 12-megapixel main (wide) lens and a 12MP wide-angle camera. That said, the main lens features a larger sensor and somewhat much pixels, portion there’s besides a caller 12MP beforehand camera with autofocus and low-light photography improvements.

Of course, if it ain’t broke, don’t hole it, and for respective years now, some the Google Pixel and the iPhone person offered easy the champion camera phones around. This is besides the lawsuit with their latest generations, with the Pixel 7’s main lens producing excellent, punchy shots. Similarly, its ultrawide lens besides delivers well-balanced photos with plentifulness of color, detail, and dynamism, thing that tin besides beryllium said for the iPhone 14’s ultrawide camera.

The aforesaid goes for the iPhone’s main lens, meaning that some devices are beauteous evenly matched arsenic acold arsenic photography goes. With some susceptible of shooting 4K video astatine 60 frames per 2nd (fps), this means we person different tie.

Winner: Tie

Software and updates

The Google Pixel 7's screen, held successful a man's hand.

The iPhone 14 runs connected iOS 16, portion the Pixel 7 uses Android 13. Both operating systems person their strengths and weaknesses, with Android 13 updating its wide plan to incorporated larger icons and much user-friendly menus. On the different hand, our reappraisal of the Pixel 7 Pro recovered that it tin sometimes beryllium a small buggy, with formatting issues, problems opening and exiting games, and unwanted shadows, sometimes forcing the idiosyncratic to restart the telephone altogether. This isn’t to accidental that astir oregon adjacent a important magnitude of users volition acquisition specified problems, but they rise a question people that whitethorn request immoderate clip (i.e., bundle updates) to answer.

This isn’t thing that tin beryllium said astir the iPhone 14, which supra each else, provides a precise casual and uncomplicated idiosyncratic experience. It volition besides apt supply the idiosyncratic with much halfway bundle updates since adjacent though Google has committed to 3 halfway updates (and 5 years of information updates), Apple volition apt outstrip this by 2 oregon 3 years.

Winner: Apple iPhone 14

Special features

Google Pixel Watch worn connected a man's wrist, showing the Pacific ticker face.

The Pixel’s main peculiar diagnostic is that it’s compatible with Google’s caller smartwatch, the appropriately-named Pixel Watch. The second offers users the quality to show their wellness and fittingness (via a concern with Fitbit) portion besides offering a precise invited Emergency SOS diagnostic that volition telephone 911 nether definite circumstances.

Funnily enough, the iPhone 14 besides comes equipped with its ain brand-new Emergency SOS Over Satellite feature, enabling it to nonstop exigency messages adjacent without a telephone signal. In addition, it besides has a Crash Detection diagnostic that detects abrupt rises successful G-force (and sounds associated with car accidents). This has resulted successful people inadvertently calling the exigency services portion riding rollercoasters, yet it could beryllium life-saving for galore people.

Aside from these caller additions, some phones boast peculiar features seen with erstwhile generations. This includes 5G support, Face ID connected the iPhone, AI-powered features connected the Pixel (such arsenic spam telephone detection), and the contactless outgo methods of each respective device.

Winner: Tie

Price and availability

The Google Pixel 7 is disposable straight from Google and costs $599 for the 128GB exemplary oregon $699 for the 256GB version. It’s supported by each large carriers and sold wide by retailers.

The Apple iPhone 14 starts astatine $799, with the 256GB and 512GB models costing $899 and $1099, respectively. It tin beryllium purchased straight from Apple oregon bought via immoderate fig of third-party retailers. It’s besides supported by each large networks.

Overall winner: Apple iPhone 14

The 2 phones are evenly matched, yet the iPhone 14 wins successful a mates of important areas, enabling it to transportation location a triumph overall. Its show beats the Pixel 7, portion it besides offers slicker, much reliable software. Otherwise, the 2 smartphones excel successful akin areas, with some featuring charismatic designs, crisp displays, long-lasting batteries, and outstanding cameras. Of course, if you similar Android, past the Pixel whitethorn inactive beryllium the mode to go, but if you person nary preference, there’s nary denying the iPhone 14 is simply a small much susceptible arsenic a whole.