In our chat with the Pixel design team, one theme came up time and time again: an unwavering commitment to innovation and effort, rooted in a distinct design philosophy that prioritises both form and function.

Max Gust and Sangsoo Park work on the same design team on different products – Max worked on the design of the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, Sangsoo headed up the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. But they share a common design philosophy – of making technology approachable and familiar – and they extended this to the design of their respective products.

“The design team strives to strike a balance between innovation and familiarity,” Gust says. “We strive to make Google products instantly recognisable while pushing the boundaries of design. The evolution of Google products is not driven by change for the sake of change, but rather by a clear purpose.”

Sangsoo Park puts it this way, “We want to forge emotional and physical connection. To achieve this, we push the boundaries of design, technology, and engineering with a focus on being human, optimistic, and daring.”

Under this guiding principle, Google Pixel 9 Pro and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold were born, marrying premium aesthetics with ultimate user-friendliness. 

Right away, the Pixel 9 Pro design is visually striking. It combines sleek lines and complementary surface finishes, together with the Pixel’s signature camera bar and sculpted enclosure profile give the phone a streamlined aesthetic that’s easy on the eye – and in the hand.

“The matte back glass gives a soft and silky feel, while the polished aluminium enclosure provides a jewellery-inspired contrasting finish. The camera bar features a bead-blasted top surface and high-polished sidewalls, creating a cohesive finish story from all angles,” says Gust.

Working with ground-breaking technology on flagship devices, it can be easy to neglect intuitiveness in the product design. For the design teams, by meticulously crafting every detail with the user in mind, they ensured the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold put user-friendliness first, and harnessed technology to deliver it.

Yet another design feat - delivering the Pro experience in 2 different sizes to choose from; The 6.3” model (Pixel 9 Pro) packs full Pro features into a phenomenally sleek design, while the 6.8” model (Pixel 9 Pro XL), retains the familiar Pro experience and provides a more expansive display experience. Rather than sacrificing features like the camera system for a smaller form factor, we've reimagined the smartphone blueprint. The Pixel's new architecture is more spatially efficient and enables the device to be thinner, allowing the device to coexist in 2 different sizes, yet delivering the same Pro experience. 

Since Pixel 6, Pixel phones have always been distinguished by their signature camera bar, but the Google Pixel 9 Pro has taken it a step further– it’s adopted a pill-shaped form inspired by the signature Google search bar. You’ll see nods to the iconic design in its straight-walled extrusion aesthetic and dual finish, with high-polished side walls contrasting beautifully with the matte, bead-blasted top surface. The effect is a cohesive visual experience from every angle. This bold design decision positions the camera as the focal point, celebrating Pixel’s leadership in its camera, quality and innovation.

“We believe that every detail matters in shaping the user experience. We consider everything from the layout of the Pixel camera bar to the position of the buttons. While technical constraints are sometimes unavoidable, we strive for meticulous consideration and refinement in every aspect,” says Gust.

By carefully selecting materials and streamlining manufacturing, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold have been simplified to require fewer components and help reduce impact on the planet. Like the 100% recycled content in aluminium housing¹ that lowers the carbon footprint of each phone. 

But it’s not just materials; the construction’s been updated, too. The Pixel 9 Pro introduces a new design language making it twice as durable as Pixel 8 Pro, and there are other benefits too.  The flat glass also reduces the energy intensity of the glass-forming process and simplifies the rear glass construction from two pieces to one. So this streamlined construction approach not only makes the Pixel 9 Pro more consciously designed but it also contributes to a sleeker, more modern aesthetic.

“We conducted extensive user research and went through numerous iterations, refining every detail to achieve a shape that is both comfortable to hold and aesthetically pleasing. We can't wait for people to experience this new enclosure curvature firsthand,” says Gust.

The team wanted the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to have the best of both worlds – to operate and feel like a normal smartphone when closed, but to offer that full immersive experience people want from a foldable phone when opened.

“We were particularly focused on reducing the thickness. Achieving this unprecedented thinness has resulted in a far more refined curvature and a beautiful form factor,” says Park.

To make sure the device felt natural to hold, the internal display and surrounding elements were reevaluated and redesigned. The device's slim profile is achieved through a meticulously engineered hinge design, further enhanced by its polished aluminium enclosure hinge cover for reduced weight.

The bezels have also been downsized to what Park calls “a fully immersive inner display.”

One of the most noticeable changes in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold design is the camera.

With its distinctive asymmetry, the purpose-built, pill-shaped Pixel camera bar has emerged as something of a design icon and represents a significant step forward from the first generation. Beyond aesthetics, the camera visor is reimagined and optimised for the asymmetrical form factor of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Park explains how the corner's concentrically positioned double pill icon imparts a fresh yet balanced visual design aesthetic. Simultaneously, it retains a strong connection to the Pixel families with association to Google’s new pill shaped design icon. Lastly, it celebrates the pro camera performance complemented by a precisely machined metal visor.

"We posit that this approach has the potential to yield a harmoniously diverse design language for the Pixel family." says Park.

Even the seemingly straight-forward hinge corners have been meticulously refined. Part of this was to ensure a comfortable grip for both left and right-handed users, but it also helped improve durability – the impact of a drop is now dispersed, which makes it less likely to cause damage.

But along with the longevity, it’s about the premium feel. The tactile physicality that reminds you of the care and dedication that have been invested into every detail. For the action of the hinge, the team took inspiration from the sophisticated feeling of opening the door of a luxury car – that perfect balance of weight and mechanism – and brought that same feeling to closing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

“We conducted countless 3D data investigations and mockup model tests to fulfil all these requirements. This is how we arrived at the optimal solution,” Park says.

The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro Fold represent the culmination of innovation driven by the design team's dedication. These devices not only push the boundaries of technology but also establish a new standard for design excellence for smartphones.