Alleged Pixel 7 prototype leaks are absolutely everywhere right now

The Pixel 7 was something of a surprise inclusion at this year’s Google I/O developer conference, with the tech giant teasing its next flagship as well as revealing new mid-ranger the Pixel 6a in full.

It seems that testing of the next premium Pixel device could be even further along than we thought, with alleged Pixel 7 units being flogged online through sites like eBay and, now, Facebook Marketplace.

News of the latest Pixel 7 prototype in the wild comes to us via 9to5Google, who spotted that Reddit user AMC20_ was claiming to have unwittingly bought a Pixel 7 Pro on the social media giant’s online marketplace.

The device was apparently advertised as a Pixel 6 Pro, but what the Redditor got was actually a briefly functioning Pixel 7 Pro prototype – since disabled and unable to load past the boot screen, according to their post, which featured the following image of the wiped device.

Nothing new can be gleaned from the snaps of the unit, which looks aesthetically similar to the Pixel 6 Pro, though the boot screen seemingly confirms the device’s ‘Cheetah’ codename and the presence of a Samsung Exynos Modem 5300 under the hood.

This follows similar stories of pre-release Pixel 7 handsets popping up on sites like eBay and finding their way into the public eye.

• Related: what’s the best Google Pixel phone?

When it semi-revealed the Pixel 7 at I/O, Google didn’t give too much away beyond the presence of its next-gen Tensor 2 processor. If the company holds true to its previous Pixel launch strategy, we can expect to see it launch in full this autumn, with the smart money currently on October this year.

Until then, the Pixel 6 Pro still measures up as one of the best smartphones around, while the Pixel 6a is a good bet to establish itself as one of the best cheap phones once we’ve tested and reviewed it in full.

• Now read: everything we learned at Google I/O 2022

James Laird Contributing Editor

About

James has been covering gadgets and other cool tech stuff for more than 10 years, most recently as the Sports and TV Streaming Editor at TechRadar. Before that, he was News and Features Editor at Trusted Reviews, where he developed a love of big phones and even bigger headlines. In his spare time, he can usually be found behaving badly on a golf course or watching the New England Patriots.