In addition, it’s in need of extra stamina.
This year’s Pixel 7 has already been confirmed by Google, and the first glimpse at it at the company’s Google I/O 2022 conference showed a similar design to the previous version, with a prominent camera bar for a second generation.
Evidently, that’s not the only thing people are ordering a second helping of. Google’s upcoming Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will use panels that are essentially indistinguishable from the ones used on its predecessors, according to an Android Open Source Project code dive published by 9to5Google. However, a battery life improvement for the Pro is possible.
There are two display drivers highlighted in the code, which the site believes alludes to the codenames Cheetah and Panther, respectively, which are used for the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, respectively. When comparing the two displays, the first has a 2400×1800 panel that can run at 90Hz while the second has a 3120×1440 panel that runs at 120Hz.
According to the code, both S6E3FC3 and S6E3HC3 are the same Samsung-produced panels that were used last year, so the similar specs shouldn’t come as a surprise. If S6E3HC4 is indeed a reference to the Pro model’s generational advancement, it means that it will have the same specifications as the standard model.
Upscaling to save battery life
So far, so good, however the site highlights two minor deviations. Because it’s 1mm shorter and 2mm narrower, the Pixel 7’s display is noticeably sharper than last year’s model.
The Pixel 7 Pro’s display has a more fascinating and exclusive change. According to 9to5Google, “DDIC scaling” was mentioned (opens in new tab). Battery life could be saved by using a 2K panel to display 1080p content and then upscaling the image to 1440p.
It’s not a revolutionary method, and Samsung and others have been using it for years, but considering the terrible battery life we found in our Pixel 6 Pro review, it could be useful. In our battery test, the Pixel 6 Pro lasted slightly under 8 hours, whether or not it was forced to use 60Hz mode.
Battery-saving mode may no longer be necessary if improvements in the Tensor 2 chipset may be expected. It’s wonderful to have a back-up in case the Pixel 7 Pro’s endurance is as bad as that of the Pixel 6.