Design behind Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and the Pixel Tablet - Google Store
How Pixel designers make the call.
The Google team behind Pixel 7a, Pixel Fold, and the Pixel Tablet is creating new kinds of devices.
Your phone or tablet should be as stylish as you are, a device that reflects your personality and feels good in your hand. Above all, it should work flawlessly.
That’s just what the Google Pixel design team discussed when they began thinking about the newest phones and tablet. “We wanted to make devices that feel soft and approachable, like they’re a part of your life,” says Brian Cutter, an industrial designer who leads the Color, Material, and Finish team for Pixel. That means they have a look you want to show off, and they’re easy to take anywhere.
When it came to thinking about the latest in Pixel’s A-series,
, the goal was to design something both beautiful and built to last. To achieve this combination, Cutter and the Pixel team brought a balance of playfulness and performance. They used premium materials like aluminum on the buttons and a glossy recycled plastic for the enclosure, similar to Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.
“The overall theme here was playful simplicity,” says Cutter. For color, the team opted for a springtime palette in four colors: Charcoal, Sea, Snow, and the Google Store exclusive color Coral. To find the perfect hue, Cutter looked to items from the real world, as with Sea, which was inspired by ice and Arctic glaciers. “We chose these primary colors that look bright from a distance but up close have depth to them,” Cutter says.
Pixel A Series
Pixel A Series
Pixel phones are made to be helpful and easy to use, so simplicity and elegance runs through all designs. That’s why
looks and acts a lot like other Pixel phones when it’s closed. But when you open it up, you’ll find that Google’s first-ever foldable phone is anything but ordinary. With luxury materials and a signature design engineered with features like split-screen multitasking, Pixel Fold offers an unmatched immersive experience.
It all hinges on the hinge, according to Cutter. Pixel Fold has the most durable hinge on any foldable. It’s so important that the Pixel design team decided to create the Fold around it. “A lot of other phones try to blend the hinge into the device, but we wanted it to stand out,” he says. With Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus™ on the outer screen and an IPX8 rating for water resistance, the Pixel Fold is built to last. It’s all wrapped up in a slim body with a perfect weight distribution, so it fits perfectly in your pocket or in your hand, making it the thinnest foldable of all.
Google designs its products with an eye toward how people use them every day. Since tablets spend most of the day at home, the
comes with a Charging Speaker Dock that makes it more helpful in your home. When it’s locked and docked, the tablet goes into Hub Mode, which makes it easier to control your smart home devices hands-free. You can also get some of the best features of a smart display, like a digital photo frame, smart home controls, and hands-free help from Google.
“It’s not just a practical thing,” says Cutter. “The dock gives the tablet a home, and makes it more helpful at home.” When on the dock, its profile is meant to take on the look of a pedestal, "creating visual simplicity,” says Cutter. “It's a very practical design, but also very beautiful in the way it lifts the tablet off the table.”
To be sure, good design makes you want to show off your device, not hide it away. Whether it’s the inviting new colors on Pixel 7a, the innovative design of Pixel Fold, or the revolutionary Pixel Tablet and dock, the best devices are the ones that look as great as they work.
