Google may use ceramic materials in future Pixel phones

Orange Pixel 6 colorway
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Google is reportedly switching to ceramics as the primary material for its future Pixel phones.
  • The future ceramic-made smartphone will supposedly be powered by a Tensor 2 chipset and feature a 2K display.
  • Rumor also has it that two of Google's future flagship phones, including its first foldable device, will be manufactured by Foxconn in China.

Google will reportedly go for ceramic materials with its future Pixel smartphones, according to a new rumor, which shed light on two of Google's upcoming devices.

According to Digital Chat Station, Google is partnering with Foxconn to manufacture an unnamed Pixel flagship and the Pixel foldable phone in China (via 9to5Google). This is somewhat surprising given that Google previously relocated its manufacturing operations to Vietnam.

What's more intriguing is the source's assertion that the Pixel flagship phone in question is made of ceramic. This phone is currently shrouded in mystery, with Digital Chat Station only claiming that it will be powered by a Tensor 2 chipset and feature a 2K display.

Nonetheless, previous rumors have given us a hint as to what Google has up its sleeve. Digital Chat Station claimed via a Weibo post that the ceramic Pixel phone will include a 50MP camera featuring an IMX787 sensor. An earlier leak purported that the same sensor would be used for a supposed higher-end Pixel 7 model codenamed "Lynx."

The mysterious device is said to be a more expensive model than the Pixel 7 Pro, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. If the rumor is true, this will be the first Pixel model to include ceramic material, unlike most of the best Android phones we've seen in recent times.

According to 9to5Google, the IMX787 sensor will function as a telephoto camera. It is also said to have a 64MP sensor. The Weibo post revealed nothing new about Google's Pixel foldable phone, which isn't due for launch until early next year. 

That said, Google's rumored plan to build future handsets out of ceramic materials is an unexpected twist — one that could make glass and plastic smartphones a thing of the past.


Jay Bonggolto
News Writer & Reviewer

Jay Bonggolto always keeps a nose for news. He has been writing about consumer tech and apps for as long as he can remember, and he has used a variety of Android phones since falling in love with Jelly Bean. Send him a direct message via Twitter or LinkedIn.