Google’s first-party cases for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro didn’t go down too well. In the year since those phones were released, the cases have earned an unfavorable reputation for discoloring and deforming. This one 9to5Google article is a good summary of what was so bad about the $29.99 accessory.
Some Pixel fans have called for Google to return to the fabric-covered cases available for previous generations of its phones. But the company has not gone down that road. Instead, the new Pixel 7 and 7 Pro cases are similar in material to the Pixel 6 cases, but they are now solid colors instead of semi-transparent. At the very least, that should address the problem of stains and yellowing. Google has chosen colors that match the shades of the new devices.
But is the new housing sturdier? Will bending or warping still occur with regular use? It’s too early to say, frankly. Google didn’t have any cases on the floor in the practice area at today’s Pixel event, but for journalistic purposes I took one off a wall installation to get a better feel for any differences. And there don’t seem to be many.
The new housing didn’t immediately seem stronger or stiffer than its loathed predecessor. It now has actual buttons instead of just molding them into the structure, and the camera bar cam is a little more refined, but those are really the main external differences.
But the fact that they’re no longer translucent should mean that Google’s latest $30 cases should age better than the last. Maybe try to use some restraint when taking them off your phone until extended use can degrade their overall durability.
I still wish Google would offer cloth cases as another option and call back the past. I’m also a fan of Bellroy-made leather cases, but like Apple’s leather iPhone cases, they’re ridiculously expensive. The new Bellroy cases are priced at $55 for the Pixel 7 Pro and $49 for the Pixel 7. Google is sell cases from different companies in his store, and you can count on a plethora of cheap options from Spigen and other brands to make it to Amazon soon enough.
Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge
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