(Pocket-lint) – Google announced the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro alongside the Pixel Watch during an event on 6 October, following a brief tease of the devices during Google I/O earlier this year.

We’ve covered off how the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7 compare to each other in a separate feature, but here we are looking at how the Pixel 7 Pro compares to the Pixel 6 Pro. 

Should you upgrade and what are the differences if you’re choosing between the Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6 Pro?

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Price

The Google Pixel 7 Pro starts at the same price as the Pixel 6 Pro started at in the US and the UK – meaning $899 and £899. 

It is likely the Pixel 6 Pro will come down in price with the launch of the Pixel 7 Pro, if you can get hold of it, but it’s currently not clear how much this will. It’s around $100/£100 cheaper currently in the US and UK respectively.

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Design

• Pixel 7 Pro: 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9mm, 212g
• Pixel 6 Pro: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9mm, 210g

The Google Pixel 7 Pro shares a similar design to its predecessor, including the prominent camera housing that spans the width of the rear, though there are some refinements. The Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t have a two-tone rear like the Pixel 6 Pro and the camera housing is metallic instead of glass, which sees the lenses stand out more. 

From the front though, the Pixel 7 Pro looks very similar to the Pixel 6 Pro with a slightly curved display and a punch hole camera at the top in the centre. An under-display fingerprint sensor is present and the Pixel 7 Pro measures around the same as its predecessor, fractionally smaller in height but larger in width. It is also slightly heavier.

The Pixel 6 Pro is IP68 water and dust resistant, which the Pixel 7 Pro is too. Colour options differ between the two models though, with the Pixel 6 Pro available in Stormy Black, Cloudy White and Sorta Sunny. The Pixel 7 Pro meanwhile comes in Snow, Obsidian and Hazel. 

Display

• Pixel 7 Pro: 6.7-inch, Quad HD+, LTPO OLED, 120Hz
• Pixel 6 Pro: 6.7-inch, Quad HD+, LTPO OLED, 120Hz

The Google Pixel 7 Pro offers very similar display specifications to the Pixel 6 Pro.

The Pixel 6 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display that offers a variable refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. There’s a Quad HD+ resolution on board, delivering a pixel density of 512ppi, and there are features including an Always On Display, HDR support, a high brightness mode, Now Playing and At A Glance. 

The Pixel 7 Pro also comes with a 6.7-inch LTPO OLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate and a Quad HD+ resolution for a pixel density of 512ppi. It offers a higher brightness than the Pixel 6 Pro though at 1500nits. Elsewhere, the same features are on board, including an Always On Display and HDR support.

The Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro both offer Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

Hardware and specs

• Pixel 7 Pro: Google Tensor G2, 12GB RAM, 128/256/512GB storage, 5000mAh battery
• Pixel 6 Pro: Google Tensor, 12GB RAM, 128/256GB storage, 5003mAh battery

The Google Pixel 7 Pro runs on the company’s next-generation Tensor chip, called Tensor G2. The chip should offer more power for photos, videos, security and speech recognition.

The Titan M2 security chip is also on board and there is 12GB of RAM and a choice of 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of storage, neither of which offer microSD support for storage expansion.

The Pixel 6 Pro runs on the first generation of Google’s Tensor chip but it offers the Titan M2 security chip too. Like the Pixel 7 Pro, there is 12GB of RAM, though storage options are limited to 128GB and 256GB, again with no microSD support. 

The Pixel 6 Pro has a 5003mAh battery capacity, while the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5000mAh capacity. Both offer wired charging, wireless and reverse wireless charging.

Camera

• Pixel 7 Pro: Triple rear (50MP main + 12MP ultra wide + 48MP telephoto), 10.8MP front
• Pixel 6 Pro: Triple rear (50MP main + 12MP ultra wide + 48MP telephoto), 11.1MP front

The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with a triple rear camera like the Pixel 6 Pro. There’s a 50-megapixel main sensor, 12-megapixel ultra wide sensor and 48-megapixel telephoto lens, which is the same setup as the Pixel 6 Pro.

There are a few differences though. The Pixel 7 Pro has 5x optical zoom and 30x high resolution zoom, while the Pixel 6 Pro offers 4x optical zoom and 20x high resolution zoom.

The Pixel 7 Pro also comes with a Macro Focus feature, which the Pixel 6 Pro doesn’t offer, and there’s a Motion Mode too. Elsewhere, the Pixel 7 Pro offers the same features as the Pixel 6 Pro, including Photo Unblur, Magic Eraser, Real Tone and Night Sight.

On the front, the Pixel 6 Pro has an 11.1-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture, 1.22µm pixels, and a 94-degree field of view. The Pixel 7 Pro has a 10.8-megapixel front camera f/2.2 aperture, 1.22µm pixels and a 92.8-degree field of view.

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 7 Pro features a similar – but refined – design compared to the Pixel 6 Pro, along with similar display specifications, the same RAM and the same battery capacity.

Under the hood, you’ll find the next-generation Tensor chip though and on paper, there are some solid upgrades to the camera capabilites too compared to the Pixel 6 Pro, even if the resolutions remain the same. 

If you can get the Pixel 6 Pro at a decent price, it may well be worth considering, though the Pixel 7 Pro will likely deliver that little bit more. If you’re considering upgrading, it may not be worth it this time around, though that does depend on what features are most important to you.

Writing by Britta O’Boyle.