It actually started with the Pixel 5a back in August, but many of us thought that Google might be looking to release cheaper cases for its cheaper phones. As it doesn’t really make sense to spend $40 on a case for your $400-$500 smartphone. But when the Pixel 6 was announced last month, the fabric cases were still MIA. Instead, Google is selling these plastic, TPU cases for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. They aren’t bad cases, in fact, I quite like them on both of my Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro smartphones. But, I would much rather have a fabric case on these phones.
The case for fabric cases
Fabric cases look really nice. But that’s not the main reason why Google should have kept making them. There are a few reasons why they were so great. One thing is that, when they get dirty, you can toss them in the washer and clean them up. Yes, seriously, you can just toss them into the washer. Can you do that with the new plastic cases? Nope. This means you can be a little more careless about how dirty the case gets, since you can just wash it. Next up is, grip. Phones are slippery, especially now that they are made of glass and metal. And even some cases don’t add a lot of grip, so they can still slip out of your hands. But with a fabric case, that is almost impossible to happen.
Finally, the fabric cases were really nice because they were made completely from recycled materials. Specifically the Pixel 5 (and 4a series) fabric cases. Which is great for the environment.
The new plastic cases are cheaper, however
One of the advantages of these new plastic cases is that they are actually cheaper than the fabric cases were. These are selling for $29 from Google, whereas the fabric cases were selling for $39. So that’s good for those that are looking protection, and want to get a first-party case for their Pixel 6. Like the fabric cases, these are made from recycled material, but not quite as much. Google says that about 30% of these plastic cases are made from recycled compost. That’s still good, but not quite as good as the fabric cases they made before.
Ironically, these new cases protect the Pixel 6 a bit better than the fabric ones did. That’s because these are dual-layer cases. But also because they have a lip over the display, so that if you do drop your phone that display is protected. Whereas with the fabric cases, they were flush with the display. With no real lip. So the display was pretty exposed.
Pixel owners need more case options – or just a more rugged phone
The Pixel gets a lot of attention, but not a lot of sales. So that is likely why we don’t see a lot of case options for it, compared to say the iPhone or the latest Galaxy smartphone. That may change with the Pixel 6 though, as Google through everything (and the kitchen sink) in that phone. And it’s getting a lot of attention as usual, but it looks like it is also transitioning into sales. The usual suspects – Spigen, Caseology, Ringke, etc – all make cases for the Pixel 6. But they are all pretty much the same as for every other phone. And honestly, pretty boring. And that’s where Pixel users get left behind, compared to other smartphones out there. Then there is the other side of this argument. Google could just make a phone that doesn’t need a case. Or anyone could. Making these phones out of glass and metal means that users almost are forced to buy a case for their new phone. And that’s another expensive on top of spending almost a grand on a new phone. Of course, for a lot of smartphone makers, that’s more money in their pockets. Since many do make their own cases now. They are more expensive, but usually are more high-end feeling and have more features. And you know that they are going to work with things like wireless charging. So that’s a good reason for phone makers to make their phones more fragile, instead of more rugged. Samsung even did a rugged phone for a few years, in the “Active” series, though it was exclusive to AT&T. Which also meant that it did not sell particularly well.
I actually like to use my phone naked, without a case. But the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are both super slippery, and have slid off of my desk many, many times already. So they will remain in a case. But just imagine if Google had made these more rugged, then that wouldn’t be an issue.
Google, please bring back the fabric cases
Hopefully, Google will hear from enough people and decide to bring back the fabric cases for the Pixel 6 or even the Pixel 7 next year. They could sell both the plastic and fabric cases together, especially since they are different prices. That would give Pixel owners an option in terms of first-party cases. And would be a win/win all around. Typically when a company gets rid of things, they don’t bring them back. However, Apple has proved that theory wrong in recent years, particularly with the new MacBook Pro. Samsung has also done this, removing the SD card, only to bring it back the following year. So it’s possible.
