TheGoogle Pixel 6andGoogle Pixel 6 Prowere a new start for Google in many ways. They were the first to introduce the company’s home-made Tensor chipset and the first to use the new Pro model moniker, replacing the XL versions of old. The new release also brought a new design language dominated by a camera bar that stretches across the top of the back of phones from the Pixel 6 onwards. Google has now spilled some beans on the design process, the challenges, and the tweaks it made to the camera bar over the years.
In aGoogle blog post, the company acknowledges that the camera bar has become one of the defining features of Pixel phones, making them instantly recognisable in a sea ofincreasingly similar looking flagship smartphones. The decision wasn’t only made to create a unique look, though, the company also wanted to address some design challenges with increasingly bigger camera setups.
“If you look back at Pixel 5 all the sensors were all grouped into this little square — so when we knew the camera would be greatly improved, we wanted to do something different,” said industrial designer Sangsoo Park. “We didn’t want the phone to be bigger, and wanted to really maintain everything being contained and streamlined, but also celebrated in a way.”
There was also the problem that the bigger cameras get, the more phones will wobble when you use them lying flat on a table. Google wanted to avoid this as best as possible, and one way to do this is by arranging cameras horizontally rather than in a cluster on the back (other companies, like Honor, go for a circular camera cutout to achieve the same, like on theMagic 5 Pro).
At the same time, there were some more design limitations coming with the changed form factor, with Pixel product manager Stephanie Scott saying that there were many hidden constraints to the design. One example Google gives is that the ultrawide and main cameras have to sit next to each other to enable portrait mode.
Google also talks about naming the visor “camera bar:” It “is a nod to Search bar,” Stephanie said, alluding back to what made Google such an all-encompassing company in the first place.
For theGoogle Pixel 7andGoogle Pixel 7 Pro, the company wanted to create an even cleaner and more seamless look, all while giving the cameras an even bigger emphasis. That’s where the idea to make the bar extend from the rails of the phone came from, with industrial designer Jaeun Park saying that the team “took inspiration from liquid metal surfaces to create this look” — on top of inspiration from Material You, Google’s software design language, which also uses circular and pill-shaped boxes like you can see on the Pixel 7 Pro.
TheGoogle Pixel Foldthen is a departure from the usual look, with the visor slapped on the back rather than smoothly extending from the frame. There are practical reasons for this decision, like a better fit for cases and more structural rigidity, but given the folding design, “it’s also just the right amount of the space between the hinge and the enclosure, so it’s visually nicely balanced,” said Sangsoo.
Google only talked about devices already released, but we’ve likely all seen the teasers of the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro at this point, slated to be released in an October 4 event later this year. It looks like Google mostly retained the liquid metal look it introduced with the Pixel 7, with the visor melting into the frame. However, the lenses and camera hardware itself seems to have grown substantially, with Google opting for one continuous glass cutout on the Pixel 8 Pro rather than two distinct ones on the Pixel 7 Pro.
Google Pixel 7
Google did not reinvent the wheel with the Pixel 7, but there was no need to. With improved cameras, the next-gen Tensor G2 chipset, and Google’s wonderfully feature-filled software, the Pixel 7 earns its price tag again this year.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google’s Pixel 7 Pro refines the Pixel experience after the 6 Pro’s initial stumbles last year, improving stability and taking the camera prowess to new levels with image fusing and 4K60fps video on all cameras. 30W fast charging and Pixel’s addictive features like automatic Call screening and Pixel recorder help make the Pixel 7 Pro an alluring phone even as an iterative update.
Google Pixel Fold
Last year’s Google Pixel Fold may not have dazzled us on release, but the company has made many improvements to the device over time. Android 15 has the Pixel Fold running well, and it’s a fantastic deal for sub-$600 if you’re comfortable with a renewed device. It’s an excellent choice for picking up a foldable on a budget.
