Pixel 7 Pro display upgrade could signal a brighter future

What you need to know

• A pre-production Google Pixel 7 Pro prototype was recently sold online and has revealed a number of secrets about the upcoming phone.
• That prototype featured an upgraded Samsung display with increased brightness versus the one on the Pixel 6 Pro.
• This same prototype also revealed a number of other components and the architecture for Google's Tensor 2 chipset, as well.

When a new phone comes out, people have certain expectations for upgrades. Historically, smartphone displays have gotten sharper, brighter, and better looking over time, and it looks like Google's Pixel 7 Pro will follow that suit.

Based on a pre-production Google Pixel 7 (opens in new tab) Pro, it looks like the final device could receive a display upgrade that adheres to at least one of the aforementioned expectations. Specifically, the Pixel 7 Pro could see an increase of 200 nits of maximum brightness, topping out at 1,000 nits at its brightest setting, matching that of other great Android phones (opens in new tab). This is according to system-level information found by Esper's Mishaal Rahman, which is contained in the Android source code.

While that's still dim compared to some of Samsung's other flagships like the Galaxy S22 Ultra (opens in new tab) - which tops out at 1,750 nits of brightness for brief periods of time - it's still a notable improvement over the Pixel 6 Pro, which could only reach around 800 nits of brightness. If that increase doesn't sound like a lot, you might change your tune if you were viewing the display under direct sunlight.

This same prototype previously revealed (opens in new tab) additional information on several of the phone's other components including the upcoming Google Tensor 2 processor. At this point, we know a fair amount about the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, but there's still plenty to be revealed before the phone is expected to release sometime later this year.