I performed a classic comical double-take at this week’s leak of the iPhone 17 redesign. “Surely this can’t be real?” I thought. Can Apple really sink so low as to copy Google’s stonkingly good-looking Pixel 9 series?
Fan renders based on the chassis suggest the new look won’t necessarily clone the Pixel 9 entirely; it might still have the distinctive raised lenses we’re familiar with from recent iPhone designs rather than a shaded bar. Still, the horizontal camera setup and stacked flash are undeniably Pixel. Even if Apple isn’t deliberately copying the look (designs are planned years in advance, after all), Google’s aesthetic has been well-established since the Pixel 6, so the accusations will easily stick — at least in tech-savvy circles.