Google Pixel 7 gets another design leak — we didn't expect this

Google Pixel 7 reveal at Google IO 2022 — (Image credit: Google)

We got our first Google Pixel 7 teaser at Google I/O, and now we've got some more apparently official details about the design.

According to tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Google's confirmed to him that the Pixel 7 won't be using "soft touch glass" on its back, despite Google having said the opposite previously.

What this seems to indicate therefore is that the Pixel 7 is going to have a shiny, glossy finish. That's unfortunate news for users who prefer the look of a matte phone, or the extra grip that this finish offers.

Update: Google has confirmed to me that the Pixel 7 will in fact NOT be soft touch glass, despite previously telling us all that it would be 🙃May 12, 2022

A glossy finish for the Pixel 7 would match with the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro, which both had gloss finishes for all color options.

But there had been chatter that the soft touch glass used in the Pixel 3 phones would make a return. This type of finish was very comfortable to hold but also didn't suck up fingerprints at the same rate as glossy phone backs do.

We don't know what colors the Pixel 7 will come in yet, as Google only showed them off in what could easily be a white placeholder color, and in a pale green and grey on the Pixel 7 page on the Google Store. The only rumor we have to go off of is for the base Pixel 6, which will allegedly have the options of black, white, coral and blue.

Most of the Pixel 6's design seem to be staying the same, like the overall shape of the phone, with the horizontal rear camera bar, the central punch-hole selfie camera. This makes sense since the Pixel 6 was a radical departure from the Pixel 5's design. Smartphone makers tend to only perform big redesigns like this after a few years.

Other parts of the design do look to be changing though. Google's drawing more attention to the camera lenses this time around, making the camera bar silver (at least in the images it showed off) but having transparent covers over the two or three rear lenses. We've also heard a rumor that the standard Pixel 7 might be swapping to a smaller 6.3-inch body from the Pixel 6's 6.4 inches.

Internally is where we'll see the most important alterations, according to the rumor mill. We'll be looking out for a second-gen Tensor chipset and some minor tweaks to the cameras.

Although Google now acknowledges that the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are coming, we've still got a long wait ahead. Google's given a vague window for more news in the fall, but our expectation is another October launch, like previous flagship Pixels. Keep up with our Google Pixel 7 hub in the meantime for the latest rumors and any new teasers Google decides to release.

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.