Google shares how its smartphones are built to last

Google

Google, via a new blog post, has shared insights into the rigorous durability tests while also recounting two remarkable stories of Pixel 6a devices surviving extreme conditions. The tech giant has tested its Pixel devices to temperatures ranging from -30°C (-22°F) to 75°C (167°F) to test its adaptability in diverse conditions, such as transitioning between warm indoor environments and cold outdoor weather.

Google’s rigorous durability tests: Key details

In February 2024, Andrew Prag lost his Pixel 6a while skiing in Serre Chevalier, France. He attempted to track it using geolocation, but heavy overnight snowfall made this impossible. However, six months later, while revisiting the area, Andrew decided to search again. Surprisingly, he recovered Pixel 6a, which was covered in mud but still intact

Google’s Product Integrity Engineering team lead, Ajay Kamath, also shared a similar story in the blog post. His daughter’s Pixel 6a survived five days in the snow after being dropped from a ski lift. To his surprise, the device was still functional and was running in the battery saver mode. Both these examples showcase how Google’s internal testing aligns with actual device resilience in challenging environments.

While sharing these crazy Pixel 6a survival stories, Google also took the opportunity to detail its durability testing processes in the post. Further, the company listed out in detail the process to test their device’s durability, which begins by analyzing real-world usage scenarios and creating tests to simulate these conditions. However, Google has also warned against deliberately testing devices in extreme conditions.