One of the few big phones left to launch in 2022 is the Google Pixel 7, along with its Pro sibling, and a series of bizarre potato chip posts has revealed the shades that the models will come in.
Google Japan has posted on Twitter and its own website showing the four different colorways, linking each to some potato chip flavors that it has (presumably) invented.
#GooglePixel7 & 7 Pro で、あなたも #TeamPixel に。家族や友人と楽しめる 4 つの味の #Googleチップス を、抽選で 2,000 名様にお届け！応募期間は 9/23 (金) 18 時まで♪応募はこちら ⇒ https://t.co/bmpLwUE8TMSeptember 13, 2022
There's Hazel Onion for the off-green version, Salty Lemon for the lime green one, Obsidian Pepper for the black handset and, our favorite, Snow Cheese for the white one.
It's worth pointing out that, in Google's images, the standard Pixel 7 is shown in black and lime green, while the Pro comes in off-green and white. It's not clear if this is for illustrative purposes, or whether some shades will be locked to certain phones.
These aren't the actual names for the color options of the Pixel 7 range, it's worth noting; Google has actually used foods to advertize its mobiles before, shipping some Pixel 4 devices in fun cereal-box-style packages and again, pairing Pixel 6 devices to crisps once more. So it's just a weird marketing game, though one that does reveal to us the phones' colors in all their glory.
From our research, we can't see Hazel Onion, Obsidian Pepper or Salty Lemon being actual flavors of... well, anything, but apparently Snow Cheese in Korean cuisine a powdery substance made of cheese, garlic and onion used to top certain dishes. Since the teasers were posted exclusively on Google's Japanese social media channels, we're presuming that this is a coincidence.
We've actually seen lots of these colors before, as Google has actually already shown off the Pixel 7 phones earlier in the year, but these new images mean something else.
Analysis: the teases begin
Google builds up to its phone launches in a certain way, that's quite rare in the mobile phone industry.
Instead of remaining silent on the devices, then unveiling all the information in one fell swoop, Google tends to tease its phones in the build-up to their launch. That happened with the Pixel 6 series a lot, which built up hype a fair amount.
It's likely that Google is going to emulate that strategy in 2022, as we're not expecting the Pixel 7 phones to launch until October.
Other than the initial unveiling at Google IO in May, this is the first tease we've seen for the Pixel 7, but it's possibly the first of many. If Google does use its 2021 strategy again, we could be about to hear a lot more about the new devices.
Hopefully, we'll learn about their photography talents too, so we can work out ahead of time if these will find their way onto our list of the best camera phones.
