The highly anticipated Pixel 9 phones like Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Pixel Buds Pro 2, and Pixel Watch 3 have arrived with a plethora of useful enhancements along with stunning new designs. The design team set out to advance the categories and deliver what Pixel fans had grown to love and anticipate as work on the new devices started.
Making ensuring the form factors felt as cutting edge as their capabilities was one of the goals. Director of Industrial Design Claude Zellweger states, “The tactility, durability, and beauty of the objects that enable AI matter more than ever as AI transforms our mobile experiences.”
The two Google designers provide us with access to some data about the upcoming Pixel releases that are worth examining in more depth.
Pixel 9 Pro XL
A more sculpted shape and opulent finishes reinvent the Pixel’s form
The Pixel 9 Pro is available in two sizes for the first time: Pixel 9 Pro 6.3″ and Pixel 9 Pro XL 6.8″. According to Claude, the sleek, new sculpted design of the Pixel 9 phones all have flat glass on the front and back and more rounded corners. This design is “a logical progression of size, comfort and strength.” The sleek, sculpted form feels fantastic in the hand in addition to looking fantastic.
The phones are made with exquisite finishes and materials: The dual-finish camera bar and shiny, polished metal edges of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL contrast with the device’s satin matte back. The phones are now twice as durable as previous versions thanks to a fully redesigned design, which helps them better withstand drops. Additionally, the cases were thoughtfully included into the phone’s design when the phone was being built.
Wintergreen, Rose Quartz, and Peony, three new colors, are introduced to Pixel
According to Isabelle, “We always strive to create colors that highlight the product’s design while also offering a variety of options that appeal to different preferences.” The team uses commonplace objects as inspiration for some of its new shade creations, and this year’s new colors Wintergreen, Rose Quartz, and Peony were no exception.
A customized new camera design is added to the Pixel
Since Pixel is renowned for its amazing photography capabilities, the camera has been highlighted in the design of the smartphone in recent iterations. The much admired camera bar design along the camera is also being improved with the Pixel 9 this year. The new camera bar, according to designers, is the most sophisticated and effective solution to house the potent multi-camera module found in the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. “It appears more intentional and contemporary, enhancing the distinguishing feature that consumers have grown to identify with Pixel,” Claude remarks.
Its remarkably straightforward geometry pays homage to upscale photography. Another improvement to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s camera bar is that, according to Claude, its new stacked lens arrangement is both aesthetically pleasing and mechanically efficient for its folding construction. According to him, “this layout allows for a larger camera module, so there’s more space for a larger battery.” Additionally, it maintains a strong visual connection to the new Pro camera design while enhancing the Fold’s asymmetry.
The improved durability and pleasing feel of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are attributed to its redesigned hinge
Compared to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it is 26 grams lighter and more than 1.5 mm slimmer. Its completely reworked hinge system, contained inside a brand-new polished aluminum casing, is partially responsible for that reduction in size. According to Claude, engineers and designers collaborated to research foldable products of various kinds in order to develop this revolutionary method. He said that “our goal was to give users stability, accuracy, smoothness, and, ultimately, satisfaction. “The group removed a lot of stuff from our initial generation and concentrated on the perfect hinge system after living with prototypes in our hands and pockets for weeks.”
The redesigned hinge provides a more seamless open-and-close interface and is more resilient. Furthermore, the finely machined casing offers optimal hand feel for both left- and right-handed users. By lessening the impact during a drop, it also increases the phone’s durability.
The stunning water droplet pattern is available in a greater size on the Pixel Watch 3
The Pixel Watch 3 now comes in two sizes: 41mm and a brand-new 45mm version. This is one significant difference. The 3D cover glass, which is the focal point of the watch’s water drop design, was created by designers with a 16% reduction in bezel size for Google’s largest and brightest displays to date.
The new Actua Display has a 40% bigger screen on the 45mm dimension. Inspired by the outdoors and nature, this larger size is brought to life with an exclusive new matte Hazel housing ideally matched with a matching Hazel band. Rose quartz is a new band color choice for the 41mm Pixel Watch 3. It looks stunning when paired with a polished silver housing for a wonderful flash of color.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 have an eye-catching new design and an even better fit for your ears
A new colored mesh has been added to the bud caps of the Pixel Buds Pro 2. The buds have a seamless appearance because to this easier, more approachable style. The buds’ recognizable circular form is further highlighted by this more polished appearance.
In order to create the new shape, engineers, researchers, and designers who worked on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 conducted extensive research. They gathered 45 million data points by scanning the ears of over 3,200 individuals worldwide in order to obtain a more complete picture of the variety of ear shapes and sizes. The redesigned “yoyo” shape and additional ear tip sizes of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the result of this study, making the new buds even more comfortable to fit a larger variety of ears.
