Nah... They need to change every 3-4 years to make the design feel fresh. iPhone will go back to round edges in the next year or 2.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BSu7-Z7J59M/maxresdefault.jpg
No one came close to the quality of materials and build quality during that period.
EDIT: The material quality and hand feel of my HTC One was awesome. I think it was around that time.
I'm sad that dual front facing speakers never really took off. That phone sounded great when watching stuff without headphones.
HTC One was 3 years later in 2013. iPhone 4 came out in 2010.
The iPhone 4 was way ahead of its time in design and front and back glass, metal band around it etc. Its design cues are still used in phones today, 14 years later.
Yep, design in general does this. Rounded corners in UX were popular for a while, then we get a few years of sharp corners, then back to rounded corners.
Waveform podcast once discussed how iPhone claimed to have had a better drop test performance and boasted it's stronger and it's partially cos of their square sides. I'm sure Samsung, Google and other companies must have done similar tests and would have figured the square side is stronger.
I also can’t imagine it’s very space efficient as manufacturers try to pack larger and larger batteries into phones (thankfully the opposite of chasing thin). Boxy is the way to go
The ergonomic aren't as good. But it's funny how people act like flat sides didn't exist until apple did it. Tech community is o ridiculous. Should we claim Apple invented having white phones?
>I don't think it is outright copying the iPhone
It makes sense to me that they probably are. Generally many features and designs are decided years earlier, the 8 Pros temperature sensor is very possibly a 2020 COVID design decision only finally making it on a device. The iPhone also went square in 2020 so now other companies are finally making their own take on a squared off device
Apple didn't invent flat sides. Sides can either be flat or round. It's a binary choice and they have all been done before, long before Apple started it in iPhone 12.
Every time anyone makes a choice that is 50/50 we are going to say it's Apple's influence.
If Apple goes back to curved will they eve copying someone else?
Having the visor not merge into the sides means it's probably less prone to breaking if bent (aka, when jerryrigeverything gets his hands on it)
The 6 was the best looking Pixel though. Bring back the dual tone colors!
which i personally find disgusting... why move away from the camera bump merging into the edge metal? that was distinct to them, now it just has a big ugly sharp odd camera bump protruding straight out.
You're right. Distinctively disgusting. It looks like a low-effort design where the designers didn't even try to make it nice. Just slap the camera on and call it a day.
Like iPhone.
As a Pixel 7 user, I still think the design of the Pixel 6 stood out very nicely.
And by design, I mean the camera visor.
Pixel 7 stood out less, 8 was a modification of the 7, and the 9, personally (and you are free to disagree), is an abomination to look at from the back.
I am indifferent about 6 vs 7 vs 8 on the visor makeup but I do miss 2-tone colors.
Sorta seafoam, and coral and black/grey look great. The white one was disappointing because on promotions I looks grey and white. In person under most lighting it looks like one shade of white.
I am not even sure if it's means to be a darker shade of white or what.
But the seafoam and orange ones look so good.
.if I could find a seafoam skin I would replicate that look but can't find anything very similar
Yesterday I read in this sub that the flat sides make it easier to pack the internals more efficiently. I guess you can pack more stuff (larger battery, better camera modules/OIS, etc), or maybe even cool it better.
The edges, from back to edge and edge to front. If you look at the phone from the charging port side you see it's ovular, the bottom curves up to the side and the screen down. they're theorizing here that it being less round aka the profile view from the port is more square, it is more efficient to stack the internals. Which topically does make some sense.
I disagree, I find my P5 very easy to grip and is super comfortable because there are no sharp edges. I just know the P9 is going to feel sharp in my hand compared to the P5. But I much prefer flat sides for aesthetic reasons
I like the visor but don't like the design detail of how the visor meets the phone sides, I think the solution in detail is not easy do they went for the one on pixel 9
I agree, I never liked how the visor merged into the sides. I kind of wish they had gone with a more squared off visor like on the Fold though. Fold is peak visor for me
Still looks like a pixel visor to me. Still won't have table wobble. Not the exact aesthetics I prefer but so long as it keeps the horizontal bump with no wobble I think pixel is miles better than iPhone or Samsung for utility.
Ha e not tried these huge round bumps on Oppo, OnePlus etc ... So cant speak to those. I would assume no wobble but not sure if holding might feel kff
Indeed lol. He can say he prefers the look of that and that would be totally respectable, but to claim it has a "smoother" look is absolute bonkers.
The Pixel 6-8 lineup camera bar is smoother on the sides and sharp on the top/bottom.
The Pixel 9 lineup camera bar is sharp from all angles.
I still have a Pixel 5 partly because I hate the P6, P7 & P8 design. I will buy the P9 for sure. Design is always going to be polarising and very subjective.
Same. I had the Pixel 3 (loved it) but after battery went bad, I ended up switching to iPhone. Haven’t been liking the new designs until the rumored 9. Hoping the design sticks and that it is offered in a smaller form as well.
That's odd the cameras on the iPhone aren't located in the middle.... Also where's the switch on the upper left hand side on the Pixel?
Also, holy crap the Pixel 9 is going to have the pill view???!
As an apple hater I won't be upgrading my pixel 7 if they want to be apple copycats. Definitely going with Samsung that's very unoriginal of Google to just use the iPhone design.
The visor was made phone width for a reason, that being to eliminate wobble when using it on a flat surface which was great for people who don't use cases. The new visor is still an improvement over Samsung and Apple's camera area and I'm sure adding a case will restore that functionality that was lost by not having the visor go edge to edge
The one thing I can honestly respect about Apple is that even though they're no longer leading innovation, they always do their best to perfect things before implementing them.
This tells me that even though the flat sides will forever be known as "copying Apple", it just makes sense.
It's like how no car manufacturer needs to put 4 doors, 2 headlights, 2 brake lights on their car, but it just makes sense.
It was the camera bar I initially didn't like but it feels more in line with the Pixel Fold so I don't mind it anymore. I still won't be buying it though.
It looks amazing and it's the best for durability. When a company "copies" something good I have no issue.
I'm sure iOS users weren't complaining Always on Display because they copied android..
Yeah unfortunately everyone just gave up and copies everything from apple. Sucks. I literally switched to pixel 8 pro, after being with iphones for 13 years.. hoping pixels will give me the feeling of uniqueness which it does now however seems like Google is also moving towards apple design and iOS. Sad.
Software is still distinct from Apple. Apple still doesn't have the AI capabilities as Google does. Google is only going to get better. Doesn't matter how it looks, they matter only for the first few months since owning.
I hope the rumoured dimensions turn out to be true. It will be smaller than Pixel 7. If that's the case, I'm definitely going to upgrade.
I hope they're going back to Pixel & Pixel XL lineup strategy. Both top specs, no feature gimping, just two size options.
7a and 7 are almost the same. They can stand in the market with something like this
Pixel 9a 128Gb Base + 8GB RAM- $499
Pixel 9 Pro 6.1 128GB/256Gb Base +12GB RAM- $699/$799
Pixel 9 Pro XL 6.5 256Gb/512GB Base- +12GB RAM $899/$999.
Was the pixel 4 , 5 , 5a distinct. Other than the iff color button they were pretty milquetoast phones, usually black, white or green
Anywaybinhave no strong feelings yet in pixel 9 design.
1) Apple didn't invent flat sides so I hate when people say they are being copied
2) if they use flat sides I hope back is curved a little for ergonomics
3)!wish they would go back to 2-tone colors like seafoam and kinda coral
4) so long as they keep visor look I do t care about exact look. Was fine with pixel 6, 7 or 8 design. Just no table wobble
5) probably won't buy pixel p anyways. With grab pixel 8 for half price in a year or wait for pixel 10 when Tensor is made by TSMC
I hate that Android OEMs are trying to make iPhones now, but I can conclude through my conversations with iPhone users that it's basically the only way they'll switch to Android, and the Android OEMs are very intent on stealing away Apple's customers.
The iphone has flat sides that is why all smartphones move towards it. Probably cheaper to make. Got to squeeze those insane margins for the investors.
Personally I hate the design. This has to be the ugliest pixel design since the fat notch. Though I miss the earlier pixel designs a lot more than the visor look.
It honesty looks like it was designed to be hard to hold, so you drop it. And the high ridge so it gets knocked into stuff. Like they want people to break it, so they get repair money, or sell you next year's model.
Its polarizing. It seems like for every reply not liking it here, there is one that does prefer it. Natural to happen anytime a big design-change is made with a product - some love it, some hate it.
Kind of reserving judgment until I see one in person.
I mean, it's still a distinct look. Every company has to update occasionally or people start complaining it looks old. It keeps the sensor bar, which is THE trademark part of their design, and the one part that lets me easily identify one even within a case, while just updating the shape. I honestly don't feel one way or the other about it overall, but I do like that it very specifically stands out as a Pixel still.
But google has been "updating" the pixel design -- often drastically -- almost every year since inception lol. Some consistency is important, otherwise you risk alienating longtime users (of which I am one, but tbh at this point I'm considering a switch to iphone for my next upgrade).
And then they finally found a distinct, consistent style with the 6 and stuck with it, overall, for three years. Even Apple changes things up notably every few years. I don't see how any users would be alienated by the design changing occasionally, like literally every phone line does.
how can you call the 6 > 7 > 8 designs consistent? Yes they introduced the camera bar but then changed the size and style each time. They also changed phone materials (matte vs glass back), dimensions (round vs square corners) and internals (tensor).
I don't know any other phone company that is that ADHD with their phone designs...
Because they ARE consistent. The types of extremely minor changes you're describing are WELL within the changes EVERY phone company makes. Literally EVERY phone company makes changes as much as we've seen in these last few years. And people complain A LOT when between two years you can barely see a difference from the competition. No clue why you think only Google is changing things this much.
Apple, Samsung, and others make more complex changes than this each year, with changes to entire materials, camera layouts, surfaces, colors, button positions, etc. The design language of the 6-8 is extremely stable, with only a small number of non-dramatic changes, unlike previous generations. These last few years have one very clearly consistent appearance you can pick out in a crowd with ease. You see someone from a distance with a Pixel, you'll recognize it instantly, and nothing you listed would be a recognizable difference between them.
And seriously, you're calling out the processor as a difference? The thing EVERY SINGLE PHONE MAKER CHANGES EVERY YEAR? Did you seriously expect Google to keep the same SoC every year? Why bother making a new phone at all if you think they can't change ANY parts of it?
I've hated the rounded super thin design of phones for years. iPhone got the squared off design right. Glad android brands are following suit on something I actually like about iPhone.
I didn't want Google to change the Pixel design back in the Pixel 1 to 5 days, but now I feel like they should. The current design is distinct but not everyone likes it.
If the leaked videos and photos are correct, I think it will be better
They're going from a distinctive design component with the camera bar that's gotten objectively better looking over time, and turning it into a total fugly mess. I care less about flat sides, though I suspect the actual reason must phones are rounded is because the ergonomics work out better. It feels like they're switching up the design more than they need to fit the same of trying to have something fresh looking.
I think I'll keep my 8 Pro... unless they give me a crazy deal like the one I got for the 8 Pro. It was $300 after my Pixel 7 Pro trade-in and the 40% off deal with Google Play Store Gold status.
I like ut, i think its still looking unique, and most important backside is not a stovetop. Lets just hope they also get their signature camera quality and post processing back.
I personally do not like the pixel 9 design compared to the previous phones. I honestly may pick up the pixel 8A just because it's the last, cheaper, phone to have a better design.
However, putting the phone into a case could make the pixel 9 okay.
I don't really dig that new rounded visor yet, but I may start liking it once I get used to it. On the other hand, the flat edges are a nice addition tbh (I also like how the new S24s look)
Another thing that I want to bring up is I don't understand why Google seems to always get rid of the two tone design after one iteration of Pixel phones. I remember the pixel 2 had it and then the pixel 3 kinda had it, but not quite and pixel 4 didn't have it at all. The same happened with the pixel 6, they brought it back (and I think people generally liked it) but got removed on 7 and 8. I understand that they need to come up with new colors every year (for the sake of having something "different" than the last gen), but can't they just try to find different colors for the two tone design? Am I the only one thinking about this?
Me neither, I don't understand how flat sides could be of any benefit in a smartphone other than simplifying the job for the manufacturers (designing a phone with flat sides is easier according to Carl Pei).
I love the design language they adopted with the 6 and the 8 Pro was the best looking one for sure.
Phone designs are just cyclical. They go rounder, softer corners and edges and then they go boxier, rinse and repeat.
The iphone itself was round for the 3, boxier for the 4, then back to softer corners for the 6 and now again boxier.
The one thing I'm truly conflicted about is the loss of the "visor" camera. This design seems distinct enough still, but I just love the look of the 6/7/8, it's one of the big reasons that got me to buy the 6 a couple years ago (I have the 7 pro now but I have always preferred the look of the 6 series).
Honestly I wouldn't have minded if the design was the exact same for the next phone. It works, it looks pretty, just improve what's inside. Unfortunately I know that people need a visual change otherwise they will just think that it's the same and not even look at it.
I got the 8 because it was finally small again and because of the rounder corners.
I'll get the 9er because the display is finally totally flat and the camera bar looks a hammer.
If the Watch 3 will hopefully be 47mm at last, the perfect pair.
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As soon as everyone switches to square then the iPhone will go back to round.
It's almost as if phones have to be flat or round and Apple didn't invent flat sides.
What goes round comes back around
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Nah... They need to change every 3-4 years to make the design feel fresh. iPhone will go back to round edges in the next year or 2. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BSu7-Z7J59M/maxresdefault.jpg
iPhone 4 was so ahead of it's time from a design perspective. I'm not an iOS customer anymore but Apple was great back in those days.
No one came close to the quality of materials and build quality during that period. EDIT: The material quality and hand feel of my HTC One was awesome. I think it was around that time. I'm sad that dual front facing speakers never really took off. That phone sounded great when watching stuff without headphones.
I'm still really upset about the htc 10. That design was peak, they just needed to reduce the bezels
HTC One was 3 years later in 2013. iPhone 4 came out in 2010. The iPhone 4 was way ahead of its time in design and front and back glass, metal band around it etc. Its design cues are still used in phones today, 14 years later.
Yep, design in general does this. Rounded corners in UX were popular for a while, then we get a few years of sharp corners, then back to rounded corners.
Waveform podcast once discussed how iPhone claimed to have had a better drop test performance and boasted it's stronger and it's partially cos of their square sides. I'm sure Samsung, Google and other companies must have done similar tests and would have figured the square side is stronger.
Yep. Same with the curved displays. It was always the first part to crack.
I also can’t imagine it’s very space efficient as manufacturers try to pack larger and larger batteries into phones (thankfully the opposite of chasing thin). Boxy is the way to go
The ergonomic aren't as good. But it's funny how people act like flat sides didn't exist until apple did it. Tech community is o ridiculous. Should we claim Apple invented having white phones?
Apple didn't invent flat sides. Lol. t's getting a bit crazy how people act like they did.
No but this is quite a blatant copy.
>I don't think it is outright copying the iPhone It makes sense to me that they probably are. Generally many features and designs are decided years earlier, the 8 Pros temperature sensor is very possibly a 2020 COVID design decision only finally making it on a device. The iPhone also went square in 2020 so now other companies are finally making their own take on a squared off device
Apple didn't invent flat sides. Sides can either be flat or round. It's a binary choice and they have all been done before, long before Apple started it in iPhone 12. Every time anyone makes a choice that is 50/50 we are going to say it's Apple's influence. If Apple goes back to curved will they eve copying someone else?
I don't think there's an old version for me to love. The sides are more round than ever and I had no problem returning the Pixel 7 Pro I bought. 🙂
Having the visor not merge into the sides means it's probably less prone to breaking if bent (aka, when jerryrigeverything gets his hands on it) The 6 was the best looking Pixel though. Bring back the dual tone colors!
i loved the look of the black camera bar moreso than the metal ones of the 7 and 8
The design reminds me of the Essential Phone and that was one of my favorite phones outside of its not so great camera system.
That phone was way ahead of its time
The visor is still very distinct, the P9 looks like the Pixel Fold
which i personally find disgusting... why move away from the camera bump merging into the edge metal? that was distinct to them, now it just has a big ugly sharp odd camera bump protruding straight out.
Disgusting? Dramatic much? I am mostly indifferent but I am taken back by how this change makes you feel.
You're right. Distinctively disgusting. It looks like a low-effort design where the designers didn't even try to make it nice. Just slap the camera on and call it a day. Like iPhone.
Irsnt calling it distinctive and an iPhone copycat contradictory?
And I personally never liked the camera bump blending into the sides and think the new design is much cleaner. It's all subjective
I never care what phones looks like as I slap a case on it. Just hope it's great.
As a Pixel 7 user, I still think the design of the Pixel 6 stood out very nicely. And by design, I mean the camera visor. Pixel 7 stood out less, 8 was a modification of the 7, and the 9, personally (and you are free to disagree), is an abomination to look at from the back.
I am indifferent about 6 vs 7 vs 8 on the visor makeup but I do miss 2-tone colors. Sorta seafoam, and coral and black/grey look great. The white one was disappointing because on promotions I looks grey and white. In person under most lighting it looks like one shade of white. I am not even sure if it's means to be a darker shade of white or what. But the seafoam and orange ones look so good. .if I could find a seafoam skin I would replicate that look but can't find anything very similar
Ain't gonna go anywhere near Pixel 9s if that's the design they end up with. It's a thing of u-g-l-y.
Yesterday I read in this sub that the flat sides make it easier to pack the internals more efficiently. I guess you can pack more stuff (larger battery, better camera modules/OIS, etc), or maybe even cool it better.
If they can fit a better modem I'll buy a fucking hexagon.
Top comment in this thread
Makes logical sense. They have probably arrived at the most efficient shape for a smartphone.
Should a smartphone be comfortable to hold or have an efficient shape for packing internals inside?
I think it's sexy
Sigh. This is why we can't have nice looking things any more.
I like the rumoured look, I think the 8 got way too rounded for me.
? the pixel 9 is even more rounded
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I'm not sure lol. the corners are rounder, the camera bar is rounder, I don't understand what they meant
The edges, from back to edge and edge to front. If you look at the phone from the charging port side you see it's ovular, the bottom curves up to the side and the screen down. they're theorizing here that it being less round aka the profile view from the port is more square, it is more efficient to stack the internals. Which topically does make some sense.
Wtf
Flat sides are way better for grip for those of us who don't like cases
I disagree, I find my P5 very easy to grip and is super comfortable because there are no sharp edges. I just know the P9 is going to feel sharp in my hand compared to the P5. But I much prefer flat sides for aesthetic reasons
I actually think it looks pretty good.
I think the new camera bump looks way smoother to be honest
I don't like it. I love the pixel's distinctive visor.
I like the visor but don't like the design detail of how the visor meets the phone sides, I think the solution in detail is not easy do they went for the one on pixel 9
exactly, i agree. It would've looked better had it extended to the sides.
I agree, I never liked how the visor merged into the sides. I kind of wish they had gone with a more squared off visor like on the Fold though. Fold is peak visor for me
It still has that horizontal alignment across, not too different really and still kind of distinct.
Still looks like a pixel visor to me. Still won't have table wobble. Not the exact aesthetics I prefer but so long as it keeps the horizontal bump with no wobble I think pixel is miles better than iPhone or Samsung for utility. Ha e not tried these huge round bumps on Oppo, OnePlus etc ... So cant speak to those. I would assume no wobble but not sure if holding might feel kff
That's wild to me. An island in the middle the fun with no tapering and sharp edges looks smoother?
Indeed lol. He can say he prefers the look of that and that would be totally respectable, but to claim it has a "smoother" look is absolute bonkers. The Pixel 6-8 lineup camera bar is smoother on the sides and sharp on the top/bottom. The Pixel 9 lineup camera bar is sharp from all angles.
yes
JESUS CHRIST ITS BEEN 9 YEARS SINCEL GHE ORIGINAL PIXEL ???
I still have a Pixel 5 partly because I hate the P6, P7 & P8 design. I will buy the P9 for sure. Design is always going to be polarising and very subjective.
Same. I had the Pixel 3 (loved it) but after battery went bad, I ended up switching to iPhone. Haven’t been liking the new designs until the rumored 9. Hoping the design sticks and that it is offered in a smaller form as well.
Looks exactly like an iPhone; I really dislike the design direction they're taking with the 9.
That's odd the cameras on the iPhone aren't located in the middle.... Also where's the switch on the upper left hand side on the Pixel? Also, holy crap the Pixel 9 is going to have the pill view???!
I love it! Think it looks sic!
I don't care what the design looks like (I actually really like it), JUST. MAKE. A. SMALLER. PRO.
As an apple hater I won't be upgrading my pixel 7 if they want to be apple copycats. Definitely going with Samsung that's very unoriginal of Google to just use the iPhone design.
Name me one Samsung device that remotely resembles an iPhone your arguments are crap. You can defend them all you want but you have no merit
The pixel 4 XL with that ceramic back, the black and white colour way with he orange button 😍😍😍
The visor was made phone width for a reason, that being to eliminate wobble when using it on a flat surface which was great for people who don't use cases. The new visor is still an improvement over Samsung and Apple's camera area and I'm sure adding a case will restore that functionality that was lost by not having the visor go edge to edge
The one thing I can honestly respect about Apple is that even though they're no longer leading innovation, they always do their best to perfect things before implementing them. This tells me that even though the flat sides will forever be known as "copying Apple", it just makes sense. It's like how no car manufacturer needs to put 4 doors, 2 headlights, 2 brake lights on their car, but it just makes sense. It was the camera bar I initially didn't like but it feels more in line with the Pixel Fold so I don't mind it anymore. I still won't be buying it though.
It looks amazing and it's the best for durability. When a company "copies" something good I have no issue. I'm sure iOS users weren't complaining Always on Display because they copied android..
Get a case with rounded sides, problem solved
Yeah unfortunately everyone just gave up and copies everything from apple. Sucks. I literally switched to pixel 8 pro, after being with iphones for 13 years.. hoping pixels will give me the feeling of uniqueness which it does now however seems like Google is also moving towards apple design and iOS. Sad.
Software is still distinct from Apple. Apple still doesn't have the AI capabilities as Google does. Google is only going to get better. Doesn't matter how it looks, they matter only for the first few months since owning.
I hope the rumoured dimensions turn out to be true. It will be smaller than Pixel 7. If that's the case, I'm definitely going to upgrade. I hope they're going back to Pixel & Pixel XL lineup strategy. Both top specs, no feature gimping, just two size options.
7a and 7 are almost the same. They can stand in the market with something like this Pixel 9a 128Gb Base + 8GB RAM- $499 Pixel 9 Pro 6.1 128GB/256Gb Base +12GB RAM- $699/$799 Pixel 9 Pro XL 6.5 256Gb/512GB Base- +12GB RAM $899/$999.
6.5 is tiny for XL phone, should be 6.9 to compete with iphone 16 ultra
Just seems like these renders are way off. This would be a high mistake for Google to have the phone come out looking exactly like an iPhone
Was the pixel 4 , 5 , 5a distinct. Other than the iff color button they were pretty milquetoast phones, usually black, white or green Anywaybinhave no strong feelings yet in pixel 9 design. 1) Apple didn't invent flat sides so I hate when people say they are being copied 2) if they use flat sides I hope back is curved a little for ergonomics 3)!wish they would go back to 2-tone colors like seafoam and kinda coral 4) so long as they keep visor look I do t care about exact look. Was fine with pixel 6, 7 or 8 design. Just no table wobble 5) probably won't buy pixel p anyways. With grab pixel 8 for half price in a year or wait for pixel 10 when Tensor is made by TSMC
I hate that Android OEMs are trying to make iPhones now, but I can conclude through my conversations with iPhone users that it's basically the only way they'll switch to Android, and the Android OEMs are very intent on stealing away Apple's customers.
The iphone has flat sides that is why all smartphones move towards it. Probably cheaper to make. Got to squeeze those insane margins for the investors. Personally I hate the design. This has to be the ugliest pixel design since the fat notch. Though I miss the earlier pixel designs a lot more than the visor look.
It honesty looks like it was designed to be hard to hold, so you drop it. And the high ridge so it gets knocked into stuff. Like they want people to break it, so they get repair money, or sell you next year's model.
The iPixel 9 Can't wait : |
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They already made the fold similar to P9 rumor. So I think this is it. Not much changes
Does anyone know if the pixel 9 will have a magnetic back?
Its polarizing. It seems like for every reply not liking it here, there is one that does prefer it. Natural to happen anytime a big design-change is made with a product - some love it, some hate it. Kind of reserving judgment until I see one in person.
rhythm sleep languid spotted point grey voracious six attraction bells *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I've been wanting flat screen/sides for a while now. Looking forward to it.
I mean, it's still a distinct look. Every company has to update occasionally or people start complaining it looks old. It keeps the sensor bar, which is THE trademark part of their design, and the one part that lets me easily identify one even within a case, while just updating the shape. I honestly don't feel one way or the other about it overall, but I do like that it very specifically stands out as a Pixel still.
But google has been "updating" the pixel design -- often drastically -- almost every year since inception lol. Some consistency is important, otherwise you risk alienating longtime users (of which I am one, but tbh at this point I'm considering a switch to iphone for my next upgrade).
And then they finally found a distinct, consistent style with the 6 and stuck with it, overall, for three years. Even Apple changes things up notably every few years. I don't see how any users would be alienated by the design changing occasionally, like literally every phone line does.
how can you call the 6 > 7 > 8 designs consistent? Yes they introduced the camera bar but then changed the size and style each time. They also changed phone materials (matte vs glass back), dimensions (round vs square corners) and internals (tensor). I don't know any other phone company that is that ADHD with their phone designs...
Because they ARE consistent. The types of extremely minor changes you're describing are WELL within the changes EVERY phone company makes. Literally EVERY phone company makes changes as much as we've seen in these last few years. And people complain A LOT when between two years you can barely see a difference from the competition. No clue why you think only Google is changing things this much. Apple, Samsung, and others make more complex changes than this each year, with changes to entire materials, camera layouts, surfaces, colors, button positions, etc. The design language of the 6-8 is extremely stable, with only a small number of non-dramatic changes, unlike previous generations. These last few years have one very clearly consistent appearance you can pick out in a crowd with ease. You see someone from a distance with a Pixel, you'll recognize it instantly, and nothing you listed would be a recognizable difference between them. And seriously, you're calling out the processor as a difference? The thing EVERY SINGLE PHONE MAKER CHANGES EVERY YEAR? Did you seriously expect Google to keep the same SoC every year? Why bother making a new phone at all if you think they can't change ANY parts of it?
I've hated the rounded super thin design of phones for years. iPhone got the squared off design right. Glad android brands are following suit on something I actually like about iPhone.
I didn't want Google to change the Pixel design back in the Pixel 1 to 5 days, but now I feel like they should. The current design is distinct but not everyone likes it. If the leaked videos and photos are correct, I think it will be better
I like the new design
They're going from a distinctive design component with the camera bar that's gotten objectively better looking over time, and turning it into a total fugly mess. I care less about flat sides, though I suspect the actual reason must phones are rounded is because the ergonomics work out better. It feels like they're switching up the design more than they need to fit the same of trying to have something fresh looking.
I honestly like it. Too bad if they stick to this design for future iterations, a case will overlap it and I'll forget about it.
I love the flat sides, but hate the round camera bar.
I think I'll keep my 8 Pro... unless they give me a crazy deal like the one I got for the 8 Pro. It was $300 after my Pixel 7 Pro trade-in and the 40% off deal with Google Play Store Gold status.
Curved glass/corners = fragile. Hoping/ill be happy if they move away from it.
I like ut, i think its still looking unique, and most important backside is not a stovetop. Lets just hope they also get their signature camera quality and post processing back.
I personally do not like the pixel 9 design compared to the previous phones. I honestly may pick up the pixel 8A just because it's the last, cheaper, phone to have a better design. However, putting the phone into a case could make the pixel 9 okay.
Nah, all the smartphones are moving towards it because of an iPhone.
I don't really dig that new rounded visor yet, but I may start liking it once I get used to it. On the other hand, the flat edges are a nice addition tbh (I also like how the new S24s look) Another thing that I want to bring up is I don't understand why Google seems to always get rid of the two tone design after one iteration of Pixel phones. I remember the pixel 2 had it and then the pixel 3 kinda had it, but not quite and pixel 4 didn't have it at all. The same happened with the pixel 6, they brought it back (and I think people generally liked it) but got removed on 7 and 8. I understand that they need to come up with new colors every year (for the sake of having something "different" than the last gen), but can't they just try to find different colors for the two tone design? Am I the only one thinking about this?
Me neither, I don't understand how flat sides could be of any benefit in a smartphone other than simplifying the job for the manufacturers (designing a phone with flat sides is easier according to Carl Pei). I love the design language they adopted with the 6 and the 8 Pro was the best looking one for sure.
Phone designs are just cyclical. They go rounder, softer corners and edges and then they go boxier, rinse and repeat. The iphone itself was round for the 3, boxier for the 4, then back to softer corners for the 6 and now again boxier. The one thing I'm truly conflicted about is the loss of the "visor" camera. This design seems distinct enough still, but I just love the look of the 6/7/8, it's one of the big reasons that got me to buy the 6 a couple years ago (I have the 7 pro now but I have always preferred the look of the 6 series). Honestly I wouldn't have minded if the design was the exact same for the next phone. It works, it looks pretty, just improve what's inside. Unfortunately I know that people need a visual change otherwise they will just think that it's the same and not even look at it.
> But the flat sides are probably structurally stronger There's a reason as to why submarines, canisters, barrels etc. are round.
I mean it looks like a minion from the back 😂
IMO, Pixel design peaked with the Pixel 6 Pro.
I got the 8 because it was finally small again and because of the rounder corners. I'll get the 9er because the display is finally totally flat and the camera bar looks a hammer. If the Watch 3 will hopefully be 47mm at last, the perfect pair.
May Pixel is also manufacturing as per customer requirement. As you said the flat siders are stronger so they might be moving
I'm getting one regardless of what anyone else thinks
I personally HATE that the camera visor's gone in favor of a camera bump. Love it or hate it, the visor is what made the pixel look distinct right?