The Pixel 7 series' display may not be the upgrade you were hoping for

What you need to know

• Rumor has it that the Pixel 7 series will sport the same display as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
• The Pixel 7 is said to have a 1080 x 2400 display, while the Pixel 7 Pro could have a 1440 x 3120 screen.
• The only difference might be the Pixel 7's smaller display versus the Pixel 6.

Google may intend to reuse not only the Pixel 6 series' cameras but also the display for its upcoming flagship phones. According to a new rumor, the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will have the same display resolution as their predecessors.

This bit of information surfaced in code found by 9to5Google within the Android Open Source Project. It implies that the Pixel 7 series' display will be unchanged from last year's models. Google has also been spotted developing two new display drivers for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, which have been tagged C10 and P10 in line with the codenames for both devices ("Cheetah" and "Panther").

This means the smaller Pixel 7 will sport a 1080 x 2400 display with a refresh rate of up to 90Hz, while the Pixel 7 Pro will have a 1440 x 3120 display capable of a 120Hz refresh rate. It also looks like the Pixel 7 series will use the same Samsung panels as last year's model.

Despite the presumed lack of a significant upgrade in the screen department, Pixel fans can expect some minor tweaks. The base Pixel 7 model, for example, is said to be 1mm narrower and 2mm shorter than the Pixel 6.

Another interesting discovery in the code is the native support for 1080p display mode in the Pixel 7 Pro. This will supposedly enable the phone to save battery life when it's almost out of juice.

While none of this has been officially confirmed, picking up a Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro with the same screen as its predecessor is not necessarily a bad thing. In light of this discovery, it's almost certain that Google's next contender for the best Android phones will be an iterative model rather than a full-fledged upgrade from the Pixel 6 series.