Skip to main content

Google pits design teams against each other to create next winning Pixel phone

Google Pixel 3 XL review
Julian Chokkatu/Digital Trends

Google is rumored to have at least three design teams working on its future smartphones, and it’s a competition between them all to produce the final design. This comes just days before Google is expected to reveal the new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL devices, which leaks show to be midrange smartphones with designs that are similar to the flagship Pixel phones released at the end of 2018.

Recommended Videos

The similar designs may turn out to be a disappointment to some, as the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are hardly regarded as the most attractive devices of their time. Google’s apparent plan to have multiple design teams working in competition could be a reaction to the lukewarm reception to the controversial design decisions taken to create Pixel phones up until now. When we say controversial, we’re really talking about the notch, and the bezels.

It’s further evidence Google is working to alter its hardware divisions. In March, rumors spread it had asked members of its Create hardware team to find alternative roles, potentially for a temporary period of time, due to alterations to upcoming product plans. More pertinently, Google parent company Alphabet’s earnings for the first quarter of 2019 showed demand for the Pixel phones was low.

Exact figures were not stated, but Ruth Porat, Alphabet’s CFO, said there had been lower year-on-year sales of Pixel devices, and mostly laid the blame at the door of an overall drop in premium smartphone sales globally. However, the increase in focus on design across the industry marks the Pixel 3 devices out as being visually lacking, despite the technical prowess inside. The internal competition could help give it an edge, and avoid repeating the perceived design errors of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.

Google does understand design, but has struggled with consistency. At the beginning of 2018, Google acquired HTC’s design team that had worked on Pixel devices already, with more than 2,000 engineers and designers joining the team. Its home hardware, including the Google Home Mini and Google Home Hub, are minimalist and attractive, with a focus on using tactile fabric to enhance them. This was part of an effort to create a consistent design language. In a recent interview, Google’s hardware design vice president Ivy Ross said, “It’s important that we keep the same language and signals up until such time where there’s a reason to evolve. I think we will evolve; we’ll keep our values but we’ll evolve. But really we’re just getting started.”

Three competing design divisions could be the start of that evolution, but it’s unclear whether we will see the results for the Pixel 4, or devices after that.

Andy Boxall
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Five reasons I’m excited for the new Google Pixel 9a
Person holds Pixel 9a in hand while sitting in a car.

Google has consistently ranked among the best smartphones for its affordable devices over the past six years, particularly with its Pixel A series. The Pixel 3a set the trend for major phone manufacturers to provide a compelling experience at half the price of flagship models, intensifying competition in this segment.

In the last three months, we’ve seen Samsung introduce the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36, which deliver features from the Galaxy S25 series at a significantly lower price point. Then there’s Apple, which entered the market with the iPhone 16e, priced considerably higher than its rivals. Additionally, Nothing offers the Nothing Phone 3a and Phone 3a Pro, arguably the best phones available at $379 and $459, respectively.

Read more
Android 16 brings a blind fingerprint unlock perk to Pixel phones
Enabling off screen fingerprint unlock feature in Android 16.

Google is currently moving full steam ahead with the development of Android 16. Following the release of a third beta update just over a week ago, Android 16 has reached the platform stability milestone. Though the latest test build is light on feature updates, it brings a cool new trick.
On Pixel smartphones, users can now unlock their phone even if the screen is completely dark. First spotted by the folks over at Android Authority, the new “Screen-off Fingerprint Unlock” feature has been integrated within the phone’s Security & Privacy dashboard.
So far, Pixel smartphone users had to wake up the screen and put their thumb atop the fingerprint sensor icon on the Lock Screen. This had to be done either by waking up the screen with a tap gesture, or by pressing the power button.
Thanks to the new screen-off unlock convenience, users can simply place their thumb atop the in-display fingerprint sensor and get past the Lock Screen. There is no longer an intermittent hassle of lighting up the screen.

 
I was able to enable this feature after installing the Android 16 Beta 3.1 build, which runs atop the March 2025 security update, on a Pixel 8 smartphone. The new feature is a thoughtful convenience and works flawlessly.
It does, however, take a bit of muscle memory to land the thumb right above the fingerprint sensor on an otherwise dark screen. Also worth noting here is the fact that Google won’t be the first smartphone maker to offer this convenience.
I tried unlocking my OnePlus 13 and Samsung Galaxy S25 without waking up the screen, and it works just fine. Both devices are currently running Android 15, and notably, offer a faster fingerprint unlock experience compared to the Pixel 8, irrespective of whether the screen is on or off.
I’d like to point out that the screen-off fingerprint unlock system has arrived with a beta build, and Google might remove — or delay it — when the stable Android 16 update starts rolling out widely in the coming months. 
For now, your only option to experience it is by enrolling in the Android 16 beta-testing program on a compatible Google Pixel smartphone. I would, however, recommend waiting out a few more weeks for the stable update to land on your Pixel smartphone, and save yourself the buggy mess of test builds. 

Read more
Google Pixel 10 leak is a warning shot for Apple to lift its iPhone game
Leaked render of Google Pixel 10.

Google’s Pixel phones have cultivated a solid reputation for their stunning camera chops. In 2025, Google might take things to the next level with the Pixel 10, edging past mainline iPhones in the process. As per a fresh leak, it seems the company’s next baseline flagship will take the zoom capture prowess to newer heights.

The folks over at Android Headlines (in collaboration with @OnLeaks) have shared alleged product renders of the upcoming Pixel 10, which shows a triple-lens camera array at the back. On the Pixel 10, buyers will be greeted by a dedicated telephoto zoom camera.

Read more