What you need to know
- Google’s Pixel 9 Pro is poking fun at Apple over a recent string of iPhone 17 rumors.
- The rumors suggest the device could adopt a horizonal camera bar, which looks a lot like the latest Pixel lineup.
- Google’s design director stated last summer that the Pixel 9’s large camera bump is a product of consumer interests, as people want to take good, high-quality photos.
Google’s #BestPhonesForever series is back, and this time, the company is teasing Apple over a rumor.
Google posted a new entry to the series on YouTube, saying the show’s host, Pixel, is “Responding to the Rumors” with its best buddy, the iPhone. The two devices are discussing the recent string of rumors regarding Apple’s potential design for the iPhone 17. As talks begin, the iPhone says, “It’s crazy, can you imagine me doing the same thing you did first years later?” The Pixel quips back, “Sounds pretty far-fetched.”
One look at this rumored design can be seen on Reddit, where users discussed the purported new Pixel-like look. The rumored render shows Apple’s iPhone with a horizontal camera bar situation, which gives us serious Pixel 9 series vibes.
On the other hand, our friends at TechRadar highlighted a set of alleged CAD renderings, which continue the horizontal bar narrative. Image runs through a few variations, even a small vertical island, but the Pixel-esque design is still apparent. However, as the publication notes, the rumors suggest the bar will be slightly higher on the device and could expand even more for Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max if it’s to be believed.
Google’s Unapologetic Camera Bar
Regardless, these are nothing but rumors, as the Pixel and iPhone state in their podcast. Google didn’t end there with the rumors, as the iPhone walked through other ways Apple “copied” the Pixel. The video highlights Google’s Night Sight and Apple’s Night Mode “a year later.” There’s also the Magic Eraser and Clean Up comparison, too.
Google’s Pixel 9 series camera bar is (unapologetically) huge, but the company’s design director says there’s a reason why. Last August, Claude Zellweger, Google’s Director of Design for Pixel phones, held an interview where they discussed why the camera bump is the way it is. The main takeaway was that the Pixel 9’s camera bar was the product of consumer interests. Zellweger stated Google understands that consumers want the ability to take good, high-quality pictures.
Achieving such a feat, in a handheld device like a phone, requires strong sensors and lenses. Those pieces of hardware aren’t small or thin, thus the massive camera bump we have today. Zellweger teased that the major bump might not last forever, and that’s recently come true with the Pixel 9a reveal.
Some of you may remember Google’s #BestPhonesForever ad campaign from the company’s efforts to draw awareness to the similarities between its Pixel and the iPhone. A previous one we’ve covered involved the Pixel 7 Pro highlighting its ability to unblur photos and capture the night sky, while also providing a VPN to users. Google also showed off the Pixel Fold, poking Apple as it’s yet to create a foldable iPhone. There are 28 videos in total, all of which feature banter between the two devices.
The Pixel 9 Pro is the middle child this year, delivering a 6.3-inch flat display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Google implemented a trove of its Gemini AI smarts in the Pixel 9 Pro, same as the rest of the series. The phone also features a triple camera array, consisting of a 50MP primary lens, a 48MP wide-angle lens, and a 48MP camera with 5x optical zoom.
