Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro — the company’s upcoming flagship smartphones — will launch in global markets on October 6. The new models arrive a year after the Pixel 6 series made its debut, but they will be the first flagship phones from Google to launch in India in nearly four years. The last Pixel-branded high-end smartphones that were sold in India were the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will be powered by a second-generation Google Tensor chip, known as Tensor G2.

On this week’s episode of the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital host Akhil Arora talks to Senior Reviewer Sheldon Pinto and Deputy News Editor Siddharth Suvarna. With the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro phones right around the corner, they discuss a wide range of topics, from older Pixel phones, the Pixel experience, camera performance, leaked specifications, and how much these phones might cost.

Unlike last year, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are confirmed to launch in India this time around. As Sheldon points out, these are the first flagship-grade Pixel phones to debut in India since the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL. However, unlike the US, there’s no official announcement from the company regarding availability in the country. The smartphones will be launched globally on October 6 at Google’s event.

The biggest concern for users, Sheldon says, is hardware reliability. This is a common issue with most Pixel owners, including Siddharth, who says that he likes the company’s phones for the camera and the software. Both of them said that there are random problems users might encounter, including random restarts and shutdowns — a lot of these are posted to the Google Pixel subreddit.

This year, all eyes will be on Google’s Tensor G2 processor. The second-generation chipset is expected to feature performance improvements over the original version, which Sheldon says did not match up to more expensive midrange phones.

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There’s no word from Google on the camera specifications of the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro cameras, and while leaks have suggested the cameras could sport the same specifications as the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, the company could bring software improvements, as Akhil points out. Sheldon says that he hopes Google will announce new features, similar to the Magic Eraser feature that was added with the Pixel 6 series.

Google surprised enthusiasts when it showed off the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro at the Google I/O event in May. There’s a new design for the rear camera module with polished metal inserts that are fused with the sides of the phone, Sheldon says. It is still likely to gather dust like its predecessor, while the Pixel 7 Pro, which will feature a smoother finish will be a fingerprint magnet, he adds.

Google Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro Could Feature Biometric Face Unlock: Report

There’s no telling what Google will do this year when it comes to pricing for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro in India. While leaked pricing for the phones in the US suggests it will launch at the same price as last year’s models, these handsets could be a lot more expensive in India, as Sheldon points out. You might want to hold out for the prices to fall at a later date, if you’re interested in picking up the company’s first flagship phones in India in nearly four years.

You can listen to all of that in detail and more in our episode by hitting the play button on the Spotify player embedded above.

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