When Google launched their Pixel handsets last year, some were quite disappointed to learn that the handsets weren’t waterproof. According to Google, they apparently ran out of time to include the feature because at one point during the development, they decided to start over from scratch and due to the time constraint, waterproofing was left out as a feature.
However the good news is that 2017’s Pixel will be a different story. This is according to a recent tweet by 9to5Google’s senior editor Stephen Hall who said that they were told last October that this year’s Pixel will be waterproof. Hall also elaborated on the reasons why the feature was left out of last year’s phone, which was due to time constraints as well as conflict between the camera’s hardware and waterproofing, as well as its price point.
Little tidbit we were told in October last year that I forgot about: “Waterproofing definitely coming with next Pixel device.”
— Stephen Hall (@hallstephenj) January 25, 2017
Ultimately Google decided to go with an improved camera which Hall claims was a good move as many of his “normal” friends recognize the Pixel as being a phone with an “amazing” camera. We think so too and you can check out our review of the phone here. That being said there’s no telling how true Hall’s claims are, but 9to5Google has a pretty good track record so maybe there could be some truth to it.
While some might think waterproofing isn’t a big deal, major smartphone OEMs such as Samsung and Apple have included it as one of the phone’s features which suggests that there is a recognizable demand for it at the very least.