In a perfect world, every smartphone making its way to the market in 2022 -- regardless of the price -- would come with a microSD card slot for expandable storage. With powerful internals that can handle all the demanding applications and cameras that can capture highly detailed photos and videos, it makes perfect sense to support expandable storage, right? The Pixel 7 series, however, is another reminder that it's not an ideal world that we live in because they don't have a microSD card slot.

No microSD expansion on the flagship Pixel 7 series

Neither the Pixel 7 nor the Pixel 7 Pro come with a microSD card slot, meaning you're stuck with the storage variant you buy. It's not surprising to see the lack of a microSD card slot on the Pixel 7 series, though. That's because Google, specifically, never added a microSD card slot to any of its Pixel devices. Thankfully cloud-based services and storage options are more widely available now, making this whole thing an easier pill to swallow.

Google Pixel 7 series: Which storage variant to buy?

The base variants of both Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro come with 128GB of storage, so that's good. While this may not be enough for everyone, it's still plenty of storage for an average user. More advanced users can always opt for the 256GB storage variant for a $100 premium. It is, however, worth mentioning that the new Pixel 7 phones top out at 256GB of storage in many regions outside the US. This is still a glaring omission when you can buy other Android phones with 512GB or even 1TB storage.

The absence of a microSD card slot doesn't make the new Pixel phones bad by any means. There are plenty of other things to like about these phones including the new updated design, an improved chipset, and more. More importantly, Google has also managed to price these phones competitively in the US. That, coupled with some of the best deals, can make it significantly easier for you to buy one of these phones.

Are you planning to buy the new Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro? If yes, then which storage variant are you planning to pick up? Let us know. And if you've already made up your mind about buying the new Pixel phones, then why not buy one of the best cases to protect them?