A new rumor says that an upcoming Google Pixel smartphone will be made using 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 very hot, which is a particular issue given the hot weather we've been experiencing here in the UK recently.
If I want to play a mobile game like Genshin Impact, it can quickly begin to feel like my phone case is going to melt (maybe that’s why Google’s official Pixel 6 cases were getting warped).
Thankfully, it sounds like Google is working on a solution to this heating issue by making a Pixel smartphone with ceramic materials, and it could arrive as soon as the Google Pixel 7.
The rumor comes from a post on the Chinese social media app Weibo that was discovered by 9to5Google (opens in new tab). Poster Digital Chat Station (opens in new tab) said Google has plans to partner with Foxconn, a manufacturer in China that also makes Apple’s iPhones.
Foxconn will apparently not only help create the rumored Google Pixel Fold – which may be called the Pixel Notepad – but also a new Google Pixel flagship that uses ceramics. 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 rumors, we have to take this one with a pinch of salt, but if Google does launch a Pixel 7 or Pixel 8 made of ceramic, it will hopefully mean that I’ll finally be able to play some of the best Android games without my smartphone burning me.
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Beyond being better at handling heat, ceramic smartphone components offer a few other benefits. Like glass, ceramic doesn’t interfere with radio signals, which can be an issue with metals, but it’s also more scratch-resistant than glass.
On the downside, ceramic phone parts can be more prone to shattering if dropped, and are typically more expensive.
With that latter point in mind, it’s no surprise that leaks also suggest the ceramic Pixel 7 will be a new and more expensive flagship – think the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra compared to the Samsung Galaxy S22 and Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus.
Digital Chat Station’s post claims this ceramic Pixel would use a 50MP camera with an IMX787 sensor as well as a Tensor 2 processor. These details have previously been linked to a high-end Pixel 7 codenamed Lynx, suggesting that it and Google's ceramic phone will be one and the same.
It’s unclear if Lynx will launch alongside the two Pixel phones we’re expecting to see later this year or alongside a Google Pixel 7A at a later date (assuming Lynx even launches at all), but hopefully it won’t be long before we get a ceramic Pixel in our hands, without having to worry about burning them.
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