Google appears to have accidentally revealed new Pixel smartphones during a drop test

By: Nastya Bobkova | 25.01.2025, 06:27
Google's durability test: how does the Pixel withstand a fall? Google demonstrates a drop test for Pixel smartphones: what kind of model is it?. Source: Google

Google has published a new blog post sharing details about how the Pixel passes tests for shock resistance, temperature fluctuations, water resistance, dust resistance, and material wear.

Here's What We Know

As part of this testing, a short video with a drop test appeared, but it is not entirely clear which Pixel smartphone is being demonstrated.

The four-second video shows six smartphones rising and falling to the ground. The screen shows a white background and a camera with a central hole, which excludes the Pixel 5a and earlier models.

In the middle of the video, a USB-C port and a speaker cutout on the right are visible, indicating that this cutout is not a SIM card slot. According to previous leaks, this is likely to be the Pixel 9a, which has a shifted speaker and SIM slot.

However, the video shows a camera with a small protrusion that seamlessly fades into the metal frame. This is not typical of the Pixel 9a, and due to the low quality of the video, it is difficult to determine whether this is a bumper or a design feature.

This phone also has a dark colour and a matte finish, which adds to the intrigue. If it's not flat edges and has a camera bumper, it's probably a Pixel 8 or 8a model. Given Google's habit of protecting information about its new products, this test may be just part of the preparation for the upcoming announcement.

As for the Pixel 10, we expect Google to improve the design, including making the edges flatter, as it did in the Pixel 9 series. Therefore, the changes are likely to be less significant compared to the transition from Pixel 6 to 7 or 7 to 8.

Source: Google, 9to5Google