A new rumor has it that an upcoming Google Pixel smartphone will be made with ceramic materials – and if that’s the case, it could help solve one of the worst things about my Pixel 6.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my Google Pixel 6 – it’s a step up from my Google Pixel 3A in all the right ways – but it can get really hot, which is a particular issue given the hot weather we’re experiencing here at UK recently.
If I want to play a mobile game like Genshin Impact, it can quickly start to feel like my phone case is going to melt (maybe that’s why Google’s official Pixel 6 cases were being warped).
Fortunately, it looks like Google is working on a solution to this heating problem by making a Pixel smartphone out of ceramic materials, and it could arrive as soon as the Google Pixel 7.
The rumor comes from a post on Chinese social media app Weibo that was discovered by 9to5Google (opens in new tab). Poster digital chat station (opens in new tab) said Google plans to partner with Foxconn, a manufacturer in China that also makes Apple’s iPhones.
Apparently, Foxconn will not only help create the Google Pixel Fold – which could be called the Pixel Notepad – but also a new Google Pixel flagship that uses ceramic. One of the main benefits of this material is how it handles heat; phones that are made of ceramic don’t feel as hot to hold as their non-ceramic counterparts.
As with all rumours, we have to take this with a pinch of salt, but if Google releases a Pixel 7 or Pixel 8 made of ceramic, I hope it means I can finally play some of the best Android games without my smartphone burning me up.
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In addition to handling heat better, the smartphone’s ceramic components offer a few other benefits. Like glass, ceramic does not interfere with radio signals, which can be a problem with metals, but it is also more scratch resistant than glass.
On the downside, ceramic phone parts can be more prone to breaking if dropped and are generally more expensive.
With that last point in mind, it’s no surprise that the leaks also suggest that the ceramic Pixel 7 will be a new, more expensive flagship – think of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra compared to the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus. .
The Digital Chat Station post claims that this ceramic Pixel would use a 50MP camera with an IMX787 sensor and a Tensor 2 processor. These details have already been linked to a high-end Pixel 7 codenamed Lynx, suggesting that it and Google ceramics will be the same.
It’s unclear whether the Lynx will launch alongside the two Pixel phones we expect to see later this year or alongside a Google Pixel 7A at a later date (assuming the Lynx launches), but hopefully it won’t be too long before we get one. Ceramic pixel in our hands, without having to worry about burning them.