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The Google Pixel 7 Pro is truly one of the best Android phones to buy in 2022 due in large part to its slightly lower price compared to the competition. It certainly has the edge over a lot of flagships handsets when it comes to value, and it's still a top-tier flagship and Google's best.
But there's one phone that matches the Pixel 7 Pro's value proposition by offering high-end flagship specs and features at a relatively cheaper price: the OnePlus 10 Pro, which you can buy for just $549 right now during the holiday season. Not only is it a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Pixel 7 Pro, but it's also backed with a top-of-the-line spec sheet to woo performance enthusiasts. So which phone is better to buy in 2022?
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Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 Pro is Google's best phone, with a refined, premium design and second-generation Tensor silicon. Oh, and it has awesome cameras, as usual.
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OnePlus 10 Pro
The OnePlus 10 Pro is backed with top-of-the-line specifications to woo performance enthusiasts. It's easily one of the best phones out there that won't burn a huge hole in your pocket.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs OnePlus 10 Pro: Pricing and availability
Google's new Pixel 7 Pro debuted in October 2022, and it's now available to purchase starting at $899 in the U.S. This particular phone — despite being relatively new to the market — is frequently discounted, so you'll get plenty of chances to save some money. The OnePlus 10 Pro, on the other hand, starts at $799, but you can get it for just $549 during the holidays.
The base variant of the OnePlus 10 Pro, however, only comes with 8GB of RAM whereas all models of the Pixel 7 Pro have 12GB of RAM. The OnePlus 10 Pro also tops out at 256GB of storage, while the Pixel 7 Pro can be configured with up to 512GB. Both phones are readily available to purchase in the U.S. right now, but the Pixel 7 Pro is available at more carriers than the OnePlus 10 Pro.
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs OnePlus 10 Pro: Specifications
Here's a quick look at the specifications to find out what each of these phones brings to the table:
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Specifications |
Google Pixel 7 Pro |
OnePlus 10 Pro |
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Build |
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Dimensions & Weight |
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Display |
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SoC |
Google Tensor G2 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
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RAM & Storage |
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Battery & Charging |
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Security |
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Rear Camera(s) |
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Front Camera(s) |
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32MP, Sony IMX615 |
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Port(s) |
USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
USB Type-C 3.1 |
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Audio |
Stereo speakers |
Dual Stereo Speakers |
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Connectivity |
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Software |
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Other Features |
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Design and build quality: Two instantly recognizable, unique designs
Both the Pixel 7 Pro and the OnePlus 10 Pro stand out from the crowd. While OnePlus went for a huge rectangular camera cutout at the back, Google decided to stick with its horizontal camera bar that runs across the body of the phone. The camera island seamlessly melts into the mid-frame on both phones for a premium look and feel.
It's more subdued on the Pixel 7 Pro, which comes with a color-matched metal frame, as opposed to just black-colored camera housing that stands out on both the Emerald Forest and Volcanic variants of the OnePlus 10 Pro. The Pixel 7 Pro is available in Obsidian, Snow, and Hazel colors, and each has a different-colored finish on the camera bar.
As for the dimensions, Google's Pixel 7 Pro is both wider and thicker than the OnePlus 10 Pro. It's also a tad heavier coming in at 212g as opposed to the OnePlus 10 Pro's 200g of weight. It adds to the overall premium feel, but whether you like it or not will come down to personal taste. Both phones, however, are well-built with great haptics, clicky buttons, and glass bodies that are protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.
In terms of durability, all Pixel 7 Pro models carry an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, but only the T-Mobile variants of the OnePlus 10 Pro have an official IP rating. Both devices in this comparison are curvy phones with rounded edges and corners, so they both look and feel more similar than you think.
Display: Beautiful 1440p displays with curved edges
Switching over to the screen, the Pixel 7 Pro offers a 6.7-inch 1440 x 3120 LTPO AMOLED panel with support for up to 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. Similarly, the OnePlus 10 Pro also sports a 6.7-inch panel with a 1440 x 3120 LTPO AMOLED panel with support for up to a 120Hz refresh rate and 10-bit color depth.
Between the identical specifications and curved edges on the front, both displays look very similar. They're both big, bright, and colorful displays that are perfect for media consumption, be it playing a game or watching a movie. The Pixel 7 Pro has a higher peak brightness, so you may find it slightly better to use under direct sunlight.
Performance and software: Top-tier Android phones with the latest software
The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro uses Google's own Tensor G2 chip. We're looking at two top-tier Android phones with powerful internals, so you'll likely be happy with the overall performance of both phones in this comparison.
However, if you're leaning more toward raw performance, then you should consider buying the OnePlus 10 Pro. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is a better-performing chip overall, and it handily beats Google's Tensor G2. In Geekbench test, for instance, the OnePlus 10 Pro was able to clock a 3,351 multi-core score, while the Pixel 7 Pro fell short with just 2,991. This difference in benchmark numbers, however, doesn't translate to real-world usage. They both can tackle just about any task you throw at them without a hitch, and you won't notice any slowdowns or lag on either phone.
They both can tackle just about any task you throw at them without a hitch, and you won't notice any slowdowns or lag on either phone.
It's important to note that all models of the Pixel 7 Pro come with 12GB of RAM, while the OnePlus flagship comes with either 8GB or 12GB memory. It's always better to have more memory at your disposal for better day-to-day performance, but you'll have to spend more money to snag that 12GB variant of the OnePlus 10 Pro. It's also worth noting that the OnePlus 10 Pro tops out at 256GB of storage in the U.S., so the Pixel 7 Pro is once again better for power users. There's no microSD card support on either handset, so be sure to keep these things in mind when making a decision.
You'll find a 5,000mAh battery inside both devices, which should be enough to get you through a workday. Your mileage is bound to vary based on your day-to-day usage, but we doubt you'll be reaching for your charger in the middle of the day with either of these phones. The OnePlus 10 Pro, however, is the overall winner in the battery department since it supports faster charging and also comes with a charger in the box. That's right, the U.S. variants of the OnePlus 10 Pro come with a 65W charger in the box, which takes the phone from 0-100% in just 35 minutes.
The OnePlus 10 Pro is the overall winner in the battery department since it supports faster charging and also comes with a charger in the box.
By comparison, the Pixel 7 Pro remains painfully slow with support for just 30W charging. It doesn't even come with a charger in the box, meaning you'll have to spend more money to pick up a Pixel 7 charger. That said, the Pixel 7 Pro has a distinct edge when it comes to connectivity. The North American variants of the Pixel 7 Pro feature both Sub-6 and mmWave 5G connectivity as standard, whereas the OnePlus 10 Pro is limited to just Sub-6 bands.
On the software front, both phones are currently on Android 13, so you get to experience the latest version of Android regardless of the phone you choose. OnePlus has its own OxygenOS skin on top of the stock Android, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro gets the clean and unadulterated Pixel launcher with unique features. Both OnePlus and Google guarantee three major OS updates and four years of security updates. This means the Pixel 7 Pro has an additional OS update to its name as it shipped with Android 13 as opposed to Android 12 out of the box.
Cameras: Google's Pixel magic vs Hasselblad tuning
Both Pixel 7 Pro and OnePlus 10 Pro sport triple camera setups on the back, but that's not the whole story. The OnePlus 10 Pro comes with a 48MP f/1.8 primary camera, an 8MP telephoto, and a 50MP ultrawide. This particular phone also takes advantage of Hasselblad tuning to deliver some great photos.
Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 50MP f/1.85 primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 48MP telephoto camera with support for up to 5X optical zoom. The selfies are handled by a 32MP shooter on the 10 Pro, while the Pixel 7 Pro features a 10.8MP camera. Both phones, as you can see, have capable camera systems that can capture some great photos and videos. We weren't able to capture the same set of photos using both phones for a side-by-side comparison, but we have some camera samples below for you to check out.
Google Pixel 7 Pro camera samples
OnePlus 10 Pro camera samples
Google Pixel 7 Pro vs OnePlus 10 Pro: Which should you buy?
At the time of this writing, the OnePlus 10 Pro is just $549 in the U.S., which makes it very easy for us to recommend it over the Pixel 7 Pro right now. It may not be the best smartphone out there, but it gets a lot right in terms of hardware. It's also a great pick for die-hard OnePlus fans who prioritize things like raw performance and charging speeds of a phone.
But if you can't snag one with the discounted price, and it goes back to $799, then you are better off purchasing the Pixel 7 Pro at just $100 more. Google's best flagship Pixel offers a well-rounded package overall. It's perfect for those who want a more reliable phone for day-to-day usage with an excellent set of cameras, and support for quick and consistent software updates. Alternatively, you can also consider the Pixel 7 or the OnePlus 10T, both of which are very similar to the phones we've compared in this showdown.
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Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 Pro is Google's best phone, with a refined, premium design and second-generation Tensor silicon. Oh, it also has awesome cameras, as usual.
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OnePlus 10 Pro
The OnePlus 10 Pro is backed with top-of-the-line specifications to woo performance enthusiasts. It's easily one of the best phones out there that won't burn a huge hole in your pocket.
Both phones, as we mentioned earlier, are frequently discounted, so be sure to stop by our best OnePlus 10 Pro deals and Pixel 7 deals page to find the best price for them online. You can always use the savings to splurge on some great cases, like the ones highlighted in our collection of the best Pixel 7 Pro cases and the best OnePlus 10 Pro cases.