Suspiciously similar iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro designs: Who's the copycat?

As you might know, during Google I/O, Sundar Pichai & Co (surprisingly) took the wraps off the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro about five months before their official release. While we don't have any confirmed technical details about the Pixel 7 series yet, what's for sure is that the new Pixels will take after last year's Pixel 6 and bring back the "camera bar" design, which is slowly but steadily becoming the Google's most recognized visual trait.

But, of course, those of you who like their tech conspiracy theories stretched, surely would've noticed something familiar about the Pixel 7 Pro's camera bar design, which houses three camera sensors.

As it turns out, the Pixel 7 Pro's back now looks like a blown-out version of the unannounced iPhone 14 Pro's front, which will be housing an i-shaped cutout for the Face ID and camera sensors. Isn't that i-ronic?

So, let's take a quick look at why the Google Pixel 7 Pro's rear camera design looks like it does; why the iPhone 14 Pro's display cutout will look suspiciously similar, and of course, give an answer to the latest (and of crucial importance!) conspiracy theory in the smartphone tech world…

Why the iPhone 14 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro designs are much more important than you thought

The front of your phone also needs to be recognizable, and Apple bets on that

Let's start with Apple's iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and their rumored i-shaped dual punch-hole display cutout.

As you know, Apple loves to do things differently. That's why the company had choose and stick with the notch on iPhones for five years straight. Is it pretty? Not really. Does it make the iPhone recognizable from a mile away? Sure. For those with impeccable eyesight.

Back in 2017, the notch made iPhone X and all following models stick out from the crowd of Android phones that were soon going to catch onto the punch-hole trend, officially started by Honor and the Honor View 20.

Did Apple's plan work? Absolutely. In fact, I dare saying that the iPhone is the only recognizable phone when looked at from the front. Now, this doesn't mean it looks better than any other device. But you can surely tell it's an iPhone, which is what matters to Apple.

Cupertino likes devices that market themselves. The old iPhone design (still seen on the iPhone SE) is just as stubborn and stuck around for much longer than needed, but there wasn't another phone with such thick bezels and the iconic Touch ID home button, so it worked for Apple. Respectively, the notch was Apple's way of continuing the tradition of unique-looking iPhones. 

Of course, let's not forget that it also houses a complex array of Face ID sensors alongside a 12MP selfie camera that takes the best 4K selfie videos in the game. So, it's certainly not there only for the looks...

All that being said, Apple simply could've tucked Touch ID behind the power button and call it a day, allowing the iPhone X to have a tinier cutout for a simple selfie shooter. By not doing so, Tim Cook & Co made a deliberate choice of having a huge notch with Face ID, which will probably exist on future iPhones for at least another 2-3 years.

The rear camera bump design has turned into a second logo for Apple and Google 

Phones are becoming ridiculously expensive, which means people keep them in cases, which itself inspires manufacturers to find alternative ways of branding. It's as simple as that!

The camera system on mid-range and flagship phones gets the most attention from both phone-makers and buyers anyway, so why not put all the focus on it? Literally and figuratively. 

Apple's iconic camera triangle, started by the iPhone 11 series, and Google's new camera bar are about as iconic as it gets. In fact, I'd argue that Google's design will help the company's flagships grow into the single most recognizable set of phones in the future.