Google: Neither Pixel Flip nor Smart Ring planned

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In a detailed interview with the financial news agency Bloomberg, part of Google's hardware management explains, among other things, that the design of the Pixel smartphones can only be expected to be updated every few years. Google is not planning a foldable in "flip phone" format, nor is the company planning a smart ring. In addition, further tablet plans have been put on hold for the time being.

Pixel: New smartphone design only every few years

With the Pixel 10 series, Google introduced a new generation of its smartphones on Wednesday, which look almost identical to the Pixel 9 series. This is not an oversight, but according to Ivy Ross, Chief Design Officer for Hardware Products at Google, the company only intends to make significant design changes to its smartphones "every few years".

Ross explains that "every two to three years we try to do something with a new design language". She also said that the design of the smartphones for 2026 – the Pixel 11 series – is currently being finalized, while development for the 2027 – Pixel 12 – model is already underway.

Google's head of hardware confirms the statement and explains that the focus of Google's Pixel products is always on the software and adds: "We clearly have a clear lead in the field of AI and that whoever uses Android is at the forefront of AI development."

However, he admits that Google will never be a "big player" in the smartphone market with the Pixel. For Google, growth combined with innovation and "building a good business" is enough.

No flip phone, no smart ring from Google

In addition to smartphones, Bloomberg asked Google managers about possible plans for other product categories: When it comes to foldables, Google seems to be focusing solely on the current form factor of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The company is not pursuing plans for a foldable smartphone in the "folding phone" format. Although Google's partners Samsung and Motorola are focusing on folding phones where the screen can be opened vertically like the classic Motorola Razr, Google wants to stay out of this race, according to reports.

The company is also rejecting smart wrestling. Google has also put the development of a new tablet on hold for the time being "until it has found a meaningful future for this product category", according to Google. This means that the Pixel Tablet, launched in 2023, will remain the only model in this device category after the Pixel C from 2015.

Possibly no Google-owned smart glasses

The Google managers also talk about smart glasses in the Bloomberg interview: According to Osterloh, it is still "open" whether Google will launch its own glasses on the market again after the "Google Glass" data glasses presented in 2012. However, he is firmly convinced that this product category will be part of the company's future.

"We have been in the market in the past, but we believe that now is the time for this technology to really break through and be really interesting and useful," says Osterloh.

"Pixel Glasses" are therefore probably in the stars, but Samsung and other Google partner companies are working on hardware based on the Android XR platform, announced in December 2024. In May, Google confirmed at the I/O developer conference that it wanted to "develop stylish glasses with Android XR" with eyewear manufacturers Gentle Monster and Warby Parker.

He also said that glasses could not replace smartphones in the long term, but rather complement them. Osterloh speculates that the smartphone could one day shrink to become one of several devices in the ecosystem, instead of acting as a central hub as it does today. "Maybe you can get by with a smaller smartphone if you have a display that you wear," said Osterloh.

(afl)