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It’s time to compare Google and Apple flagships. We’ll compare the regular flagship models here, not the largest one the two companies have to offer, we’ll save that for another article. Here, we’ll compare the Google Pixel 7 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro. Some of you are probably on the fence between these two phones, and we do hope this article will help you make a purchasing decision.
The Pixel 7 and iPhone 14 Pro are immensely different in comparison. That goes not only for their designs, but for their camera performance, software, and so on. These are two different platforms we’re talking about, and two considerably different approaches to design. We’ll kick things off by listing the specs of these two phones, and will then move to comparing their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance.
Specs
| Google Pixel 7 | Apple iPhone 14 Pro | |
| Screen size | 6.3-inch fullHD+ flat OLED display (90Hz refresh rate) | 6.1-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display (120Hz refresh rate) |
| Screen resolution | 2400 x 1080 | 2556 x 1179 |
| SoC | Google Tensor G2 | Apple A16 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB (LPDDR5) | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor, 1.2um pixel size, f/1.85 aperture, 82-degree FoV, Super Res Zoom up to 8x) 12MP (ultrawide, 1.25um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 114-degree FoV, lens correction) |
48MP (f/1.8 aperture, wide-angle, 1.22um pixel size, sensor-shift OIS, dual pixel PDAF) 12 MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 13mm, 120-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size, dual pixel PDAF) 12MP (telephoto, f/2.8 aperture, 77mm lens, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom) |
| Front cameras | 10.8MP (1.22um pixel size, f/2.2 aperture, 92.8-degree FoV, Fixed Focus) | 12MP (wide-angle, f/1.9 aperture, 23mm lens, PDAF) SL 3D (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Battery | 4,355mAh, non-removable, 21W wired charging, 23W wireless charging, reverse wireless charger Charger not included |
3,200mAh, non-removable, 20W wired charging, 15W MagSafe wireless charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging, 5W reverse wireless charging Charger not included |
| Dimensions | 155.6 x 73.2 x 8.7mm | 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 197 grams | 206 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi, Lightning port |
| Security | Face Unlock In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
Advanced facial scanning |
| OS | Android 13 | iOS 16 |
| Price | $599/$699 | $999 |
| Buy | Apple |
Google Pixel 7 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Design
If you place these two side-by-side, and compare their designs, you’ll see they’re immensely different. If you take them both in your hand, you’ll realize they’re even more different than you thought. The Pixel 7 is made out of aluminum and glass, while the iPhone 14 Pro utilizes stainless steel and glass. The iPhone 14 Pro is actually considerably shorter and narrower, while being thinner as well. Despite all that, however, it’s heavier than the Pixel 7, mainly due to the stainless steel frame.
The Pixel 7 does have a larger display, which is why it’s larger overall. Both phones have very thin bezels, and both include a flat display. The Pixel 7 has a centered display camera hole at the top, while the iPhone 14 Pro has a pill-shaped cutout dubbed ‘Dynamic Island’. The iPhone 14 Pro’s corners are more rounded than the ones on the Pixel 7. If you flip the two phones around, you’ll spot even more differences.
The Pixel 7 has a camera visor on the back, which protrudes from the frame, and is covered by metal. The iPhone 14 Pro includes a more regular-looking camera island in the top-left corner. The back side of the iPhone 14 Pro is completely flat, while that’s not the case with the Pixel 7. Its back glass curves into the phone’s body towards the edges. Both phones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, and both feel like premium products in the hand. Both are also quite slippery, so using a case may be a good idea.
Google Pixel 7 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Display
The Pixel 7 features a 6.3-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) AMOLED display. This panel has a 90Hz refresh rate, and it’s flat. It supports HDR10+ content, and it has a peak brightness of 1,400 nits. You can reach that brightness in auto mode only, though. The Gorilla Glass Victus protects this phone’s display, while the phone offers a 20:9 display aspect ratio.
The iPhone 14 Pro, on the other hand, has a smaller display. It includes a 6.1-inch 2556 x 1179 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display. This panel is flat, and it offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports HDR10 content, and Dolby Vision support is also included. This panel gets up to 2,000 nits of brightness, but only in auto mode. It is protected by Ceramic Shield glass.
So, the iPhone 14 Pro does have a sharper display, with a higher refresh rate, which gets brighter as well. If you do spend a lot of time outdoors, in the sun, you will surely notice the difference. Both displays are very smooth, and the difference between 90Hz and 120Hz refresh rates is not too noticeable, though those of you with a keen eye will spot it. Both panels are more than sharp enough, that’s something you’ll have even more problems spotting here. The bottom line is, both displays are vivid, have great viewing angles, and deep blacks. They’re excellent, even though the iPhone 14 Pro’s is technically better.
Google Pixel 7 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Performance
Both of these phones are quite powerful, but do have different performance-related internals. The Pixel 7 comes with Google’s Tensor G2 SoC, the company’s second-gen processor. It also packs in 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The iPhone 14 Pro is fueled by the Apple A16 Bionic SoC, while it comes with 6GB of RAM and NVMe storage. Apple’s SoC is notably more powerful than Google’s, from the sheer benchmark standpoint, but the end result may surprise you.
Both of these smartphones offer excellent performance. Both devices are as smooth as butter in use. The Tensor G2 may not be the most powerful SoC out there, but it blends with Google’s software brilliantly. The A16 Bionic kind of does the same with iOS. Regardless if you’re talking about regular, everyday tasks, or gaming, both of these smartphones deliver. We did notice that the Tensor G2 gets hotter during intense use, though, but that did not affect the overall performance, nor did it bother us. Performance-wise, both of these smartphones are excellent.
Google Pixel 7 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Battery
We were a bit skeptical about the Pixel 7 battery life, purely from the spec standpoint, but the phone proved us wrong. It comes with a 4,355mAh battery, and it offers great battery life. More on that soon. The iPhone 14 Pro includes a 3,200mAh unit, though iPhones handle battery consumption a lot differently, so keep that in mind. You cannot really compare the battery capacities considering these are two different platforms.
The Pixel 7 provided us with great battery life. We were able to cross the 8-hour screen-on-time mark during our usage, several times. Getting 7+ hours of screen-on-time consistently was not a problem, at all. The iPhone 14 Pro offers really good battery life as well, but surprisingly not as good as last year’s model. We’re not sure why that is, but it seems like it’s also not as consistent in that regard. Do note that your mileage may vary with both phones, depending on your usage, signal, location, and so on.
What about the charging? Well, the Pixel 7 supports 21W wired charging, 23W wireless charging, and also reverse wireless charging. The iPhone 14 Pro will get you around 20W wired charging as well, though Apple didn’t confirm it, same as Google. It also supports 15W MagSafe wireless, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. Both phones will take their sweet time to charge your device, as both do slow down charging at certain points. Neither phone comes with a charging brick, by the way.
Google Pixel 7 vs Apple iPhone 14 Pro: Cameras
The Pixel 7 features a 50-megapixel main camera, along with a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit. The iPhone 14 Pro has a 48-megapixel main camera, along with 12-megapixel ultrawide and telephoto cameras. It also includes a ToF 3D LiDAR scanner on the back. The Pixel 7 has the disadvantage of not having a telephoto camera, even though it does a great job with zoomed-in shots with its main camera.
How do the pictures compare in general? Both smartphones do a great job, though a bit different. The Pixel 7 has cooler colors in its pictures, while the iPhone 14 Pro prefers warmer tones. Both provide quite sharp photos, though the ones from the iPhone 14 Pro look a bit more realistic. That being said, we do prefer the output from the Pixel 7. The pictures end up being a bit more contrasty, while the Pixel 7 does a better job in demanding high dynamic range conditions.
The iPhone 14 Pro tends to blow out the highlights, and it also tends to oversharpen the foliage. When it comes to ultrawide cameras, both do a great job. The iPhone 14 Pro still has an edge in video recording, but the Pixel 7 is much better in that regard than the Pixel 6. In low light, both phones do a really good job, though the iPhone 14 Pro is trying to be a bit more realistic, while the Pixel 7 provides a more pleasing image in general. It ends up being brighter with more details.
Audio
Both of these smartphones come with a compelling set of stereo speakers. What they do not have is a 3.5mm headphone jack. You’ll have to resort to a Type-C USB port, or use a wireless connection. The Pixel 7 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, while the iPhone 14 Pro comes with Bluetooth 5.3.
The speakers on both phones do a great job. They’re more than loud enough, and quite punchy. The soundstage is wide enough, and the lows, mids, and highs are well-balanced. The vocals also come out quite clearly.