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Google ditches fabric cases on the Pixel 5a for new design [Gallery]

New phones mean new cases, and the Google Pixel 5a with 5G is no exception today. However, this year’s mid-range phone from Google is not getting one made of fabric. 

Google’s new Pixel 5a Cases touts a “durable” dual-layer design that has a squishy, shock-absorbing exterior and hard plastic interior. On the edges, that inside piece has a wide cutout for the volume rocker and power button with users touching and pushing in the outer layer. 

Over the course of designing these cases, we conducted more than 5,000 hours of quality and reliability stress testing to measure how well they stood up to high temperatures, harsh chemicals, or physical impact.

Interior cutouts for the USB-C port and headphone jack are wider than the top layer, thus emphasizing the dual-tone look. Additionally, the exterior is somewhat translucent, resulting in a cool ’90s technology vibe. Meanwhile, recycled materials are used throughout, including 75% post-consumer recycled plastic for the inner layer.

In all, the Pixel 5a Cases are $11 cheaper at $29 (¥3,630) than those that came before. It’s available in four colors: 

  • Black Moss: Dark green  
  • Maybe Moon: Gray
  • Likely Lime: Light green
  • Partially Pink: Blue/pink
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Before this, Google released a fabric case for every phone since the Pixel 2 in 2017:

This change comes as the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro designs have led many to wonder how exactly cases for those phones will work without adding too much bulk around the camera bar. 

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Avatar for Abner Li Abner Li

Editor-in-chief. Interested in the minutiae of Google and Alphabet. Tips/talk: abner@9to5g.com