[Poll results out] Opinion: Google Pixel 7 buyers could be in for a major treat if Android 13 is as good as on Pixel 6

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on August 22, 2022) follows:

With Google prioritizing machine learning capabilities such as offline text-to-speech, image processing and real-time caption translations, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro will go down as the company’s most important smartphones.

The duo is the first to ship with the in-house Tensor chipset. This chip is at the forefront of Google’s machine learning campaign, marking a major shift from reliance on 3rd-party SoCs from the likes of Qualcomm.

While Google hasn’t cracked much, it has been revealed that the Tensor chipset has some similarities with Samsung’s Exynos 2100. No surprises, after all, the search giant collaborated with Samsung to fabricate it.

With the Tensor chip, the Pixel 6 was tipped to be Google’s chance to make a statement in the US market. And indeed a statement it made, just not what everyone expected.

Like most phones, early reviews were filled with Pixel 6 owners raving about how Google had finally earned a spot among the big boys. Just about everyone loved the phones, others even going further to call it “the real deal”.

The joy, as many came to painfully find out, was short-lived. The refreshed design and new Tensor chipset did little to stand in the way of the Pixel 6’s poor performance, terrible battery life, and atrocious mobile network.

Some big names in the tech industry like MKBHD even publicly declared the Pixel 6 an unfit daily driver due to the many issues they experienced.

Quite a sharp shift in opinion, but that’s what you get when you spend more time with any gadget, Pixel 6 or not. You form a better, much informed opinion — something that’s again happening after the latest Android 13 update.

Most Pixel 6 issues had been attributed to the new nature of the Tensor SoC coupled with the incomplete software optimization around the new chip.

And indeed, this seems undeniably the case, if the drastic change in views from Pixel 6 owners in recent times is anything to go by.

A quick search on Twitter and the Google Pixel subreddit reveals some good things being said about the Pixel 6 duo with respect to the latest Android 13 update, beta or stable.

Most phones start at their peak and slowly get worse over time. Pixels truly get better with age, all the way up until their final update. Android 13 made an already great phone even better.
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I updated pretty much as soon as you could. Ever since then I’ve noticed my 6 pro feels much less sluggish as well as much faster too. The finger print sensor feels better and more responsive and I’ve noticed slight and I mean very slight better battery performance. I’m not sure if this is like a placebo effect or not but I’m so far enjoying android 13 and the quality of life improvements.
Source

Indeed, it was never about the Tensor chip but the software around it, at least if recent opinions are anything to go by. And it seems Google identified and fixed the issues, while improving the optimization of the SoC.

Granted, especially in light of what Pixel 6 owners on Android 13 are saying, Google Pixel 7 buyers will likely be in for a major treat.

Not only will the phone come with a newer, more powerful Tensor 2 chipset. But also software that is better-optimized around the chip compared to its predecessor.

There’s no doubt Google will have picked up a few lessons from Pixel 6 shortcomings and will be looking to avoid a repeat with the Pixel 7, paving way for a more polished product.

Google is set to unveil the Pixel 7 at its annual hardware event this fall, and a recent FCC certification did confirm the duo’s imminent arrival.

The Pixel 7 was first discussed at the 2022 I/O event, where Google showed off a design that resembles the Pixel 6, but with an aluminum touch on the camera bar alongside circular and pill-shaped cutouts.

Obsidian and Snow colors will be part of the finishes alongside limited editions of yellow Lemongrass and green Hazel for either model. More details should be available as we approach the official launch.

It will be interesting to see how the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro perform in areas that the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro struggled so much in their early days.

Do let us know your thoughts in the comments.

NOTE: We’ll update the results from the Twitter poll above after a week.

Update (August 29)

The results are out. While 50% of our readers say their Pixel 6 units feel like new ever since upgrading to Android 13, 43.8% haven’t noticed any change whereas 6.3% believe the update made their phones worse.

Featured image: Google

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