Over the past five years, the smartphone industry has been criticised for its perceived stagnation in design, and it’s easy to see why. Every new phone is essentially a slab of glass with rounded corners and an edge-to-edge display. Of course, that’s discounting new concepts like foldable phones, but for the vast majority of customers who simply want an all-round phone, there aren’t really many different looking devices. But since the launch of the Pixel 6 in 2021 Google tried to do something about it. The Pixel 6 was the first of a new generation of Pixel phones and culminated in the latest and greatest Pixels 9 Series.
Google Pixels 9
While these devices are slab phones, they use design elements that are mostly exclusive to the Pixel. For example, in a world of square camera modules on the left rear, Google instead uses a long, pronounced camera bar on the back of its devices — with the exception of the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which actually has a rectangular camera module.
“(A unique looking phone is) what our users expect – they want a phone design that’s on the cutting edge in terms of size, comfort and performance, but they want it to be recognized across the room,” said Claude Zellweger, director of design at Google, in an interview with Design Milk. “Yet our design follows a clear evolution in camera technology.”
Google Pixels 9
The series is the most impressive range of Pixel phones yet. It consists not of one or two devices, but a whopping four new phones that vary in price and functionality, essentially offering something for everyone willing to spend around $800 or more. There’s the base model Pixels 9 (available in Peony, Wintergreen, Porcelain and Obsidian) with its dual camera setup and solid display, and then there is the Pixel 9 Pro And Pixel 9 Pro (both available in Porcelain, Rose Quartz, Hazelnut and Obsidian), which feature improved displays and a third camera on the back. Finally, there is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (available in Porcelain and Obsidian), which is the spiritual successor to the original Pixel Fold and offers a taller build and similar high-end performance to the Pixel 9 Pro.
In fact, the now-famous camera bar is perhaps more pronounced on the new phones than ever before. Sure, the changes to the camera bar design are minor, but they also help make the phone feel more modular. On this generation, the camera bar stands alone and doesn’t blend into the phone’s frame, but has a protruding, accentuated look. But it’s not just about the looks, says Zellweger.
Google Pixel 9 Pro
“Our goal was to improve every aspect of our phone – evolving the camera design to reflect our commitment to photography and AI, increasing the screen size while reducing the device size, improving grip and comfort, and increasing durability and repairability,” he continued. “The new phone profile improves all aspects of the user experience. The camera bar provides stability in the hand and on the table.”
Of course, many other phones try to differentiate themselves through their design, but mostly they do so through different build materials and color options. There’s nothing wrong with that. Better quality build materials are always good, and I love colorful phones. But the fact is that most people put a case on their phone straight away, which makes such a device unrecognizable. Here, too, the new phones differ a little, namely in the camera module.
Google Pixel 9 Pro
“With Pixel 9, we designed a body that truly completes the phone,” said Zellweger. “The camera opening is perfectly tailored to the volume of our best-in-class camera.”
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Of course, simply making the camera a bar rather than a rectangle isn’t going to radically change smartphone design in the long run, but it’s great to see companies experimenting at least a little with the tried-and-tested smartphone shape. Google, of course, may experiment a little more than others, both by making slightly more distinctive, slab-shaped phones and by building foldables like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (even if the foldable has a more traditional camera module for some reason). Hopefully that tradition will continue with the next iterations of the Pixel series, but for now, it’s great to see an extensive, unique-looking lineup in the Pixel 9 series.
Camera of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold
You can order the Pixel 9 series now directly from Google. The Pixel 9 costs $799, the Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL starts at $1,099. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold costs $1,799. For more information, visit store.google.com.
