TL;DR
- Google has posted a new Best Phones Forever video poking fun at the iPhone 17 Air’s rumored design.
- Leaked images show the iPhone 17 Air could have a rear camera housing that looks similar to the Pixel’s camera bar.
- Google’s video sees an iPhone dismissing this design leak, while pointing out a variety of Pixel-first features later adopted by Apple.
The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever made, taking us back to the polarizing era of thin smartphones. Leaked renders also show a rear camera housing design that bears a resemblance to the Pixel series, and Google has now poked fun at this rumored design in a new video.
Google posted another video in its #BestPhonesForever series, which features an iPhone and a Pixel phone having a conversation. The new clip, titled “Responding to the Rumors,” sees the Pixel phone talk about the iPhone 17 Air’s leaked design.
“There are a lot of rumors circulating about iPhone’s upcoming redesign,” says the Pixel phone, while showing a screenshot of a headline comparing a leaked iPhone 17 series design to a Pixel.
Do you think the iPhone 17 Air looks like a Pixel phone?
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“It’s crazy. Can you imagine me doing the same thing you did first years later?” the iPhone responds. However, it also caveats the response by pointing out a stream of Pixel features later adopted by Apple. These features include night mode, widgets, and Magic Eraser.
“Anyway, we want to remind everyone that these rumors are just rumors,” the Pixel says before the iPhone repeats the line verbatim.
A familiar camera design
For what it’s worth, leaked images show the iPhone 17 Air’s rear camera design does indeed resemble the Pixel line’s. The camera bar has been a fixture on Pixels since 2021’s Pixel 6 series. In fact, the camera bar/visor also appeared on 2015’s Nexus 6P. Check out the comparison below, pitting the apparently leaked Apple design against the Pixel 9 Pro.
However, it’s also worth noting that Google and other Android OEMs have copied Apple in the last few years by offering phones with flat edges. Apple wasn’t the first to offer a phone with flat sides, as devices like 2014’s Galaxy Alpha also had this design. But the iPhone maker certainly popularized the feature in recent years. So copying design elements isn’t exactly a one-way street.
