This time around Google itself is giving us another look at the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro
Google is gearing up to show off the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro to the world on October 6. While we’re pretty sure they’ll be among the best Android phones around, the most recent leaks tell us they won’t. a big upgrade over the Pixel 6 series. However, Google seems to be working on improving many small details. The latest findings point to dual eSIM and face unlock support.
As noted by Android expert Mishaal Rahman, Google has listed the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro (panther and cheetah, respectively) on the Google Play Console. While the company has since extracted the entries, Rahman was able to extract some interesting insights from the publicly available data.
Both new Pixel models support eSIM MEP (short for Multiple Enabled Profiles). This means they can have two active eSIM profiles activated simultaneously, emulating the dual SIM capabilities of previous Pixels, which relied on a physical SIM card and an eSIM profile to provide this functionality. MEP would allow the Pixel 7 series to do without a SIM card tray while offering dual SIM support. However, it is unclear if Google will release trayless variants. It could just be preparation for a move like this in a future product.
The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro listings also reveal that both phones support “android.hardware.biometrics.face”, confirming that some form of biometric face unlock is on board. It’s unclear exactly how the devices will achieve this feature, as the Pixel 4 and 4 XL were the last Pixel phones to declare support for secure face unlock.
It’s possible that Google has new hardware built into phones that allows this, or that the company has improved the algorithms it uses for software-based facial recognition. Another option is that Google offers fingerprint-assisted facial recognition, which means it could lower the threshold for successful fingerprint unlocks when the right face is recognized. Whatever solution Google is considering, it’s good to see that the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s fingerprint scanners are incredibly finicky and slow.
The listing also confirms some key specifications previously discovered. The Pixel 7 will have 8GB of RAM and a screen resolution of 1080×2400 with a density of 420dpi. The Pixel 7 Pro will come with 12GB of RAM and a 1440×3120 display with 560 dpi. Both phones ship with Google’s new Tensor G2 chipset, which is now confirmed to be configured with two super big 2800MHz ARM Cortex-X1s, two big 2250MHz A76s and four small 1800MHz Cortex-A55 cores. This is a small upgrade over the first generation Tensor chip, but hopefully this will mean it’s less prone to overheating.