what's the reason the upper 1/3 of the rear is shiny?

[LailaAK]

what's the reason the upper 1/3 of the rear is shiny?
(especially noticeable for the silver Pixel)

thanks!

 

[N4Newbie]

Because it is glass.

Why? I don't know. For effect?

Anyway, they mentioned it during the live stream product announcement earlier today.

 

[pr627]

top 1/3 is glass, the rest is metal

 

[Bala Jram]

Its glass. They have given different look to stand out among crowds! Unique design language.

 

[TP0817]

Disappointing that there's no functional reason for the giant glass pane

 

[N4Newbie]

Disappointing that there's no functional reason for the giant glass pane

Who can say? Maybe there is a reason...

Like, maybe the antennas are behind the glass to improve reception as compared to being behind metal (no matter how thin).

 

[Andy Callow]

Could of sworn it was going to be touch sensitive in some way

 

[MrSlippery519]

They didn't specifically give a reason for it, so it could very well just be for looks.

 

[mdali4142]

Because it is made of glass....so they said that is why it looks shiny and it kinda looks good

 

[anon(669702)]

Usually they throw antennas and the like behind the glass since it's more consistent signal wise than metal with plastic inserts. Once ifixit gets their hands on them we'll see what the deal is.

 

[RadiantDuck]

I thought I read somewhere that it may show where the nfc is so people will have an easier time with contactless payments. That said, I can't cite my sources, so may be talking rubbish!

 

[willo99]

I think it's because some signals (like NFC) can't get through metal, so they had to make a glass portion for it to work with things like tap to pay

 

[jamesrick80]

That look is very unappealing...its almost like they wanted a interesting design and came up with a mismatched mess

 

[Momi7]

First of all it is a new design. And I think this has something to do with the mobile network reception.

 

[EnemiesInTheEnd]

Several people hit on it. The NFC is on the other side of the glass.

 

[rickd88]

Who can say? Maybe there is a reason...

Like, maybe the antennas are behind the glass to improve reception as compared to being behind metal (no matter how thin).

Great point! My m7, m8 and HTC 10 have struggled with antenna and coverage. Maybe Google pushed for the glass for better antenna.

 

[chandroid678]

Does it get messy with fingerprints?

 

[Chandru_B]

May be its because one can identify the partition between power button and the volume buttons while holding it.

 

[Bladen Martin]

What do you guys think about the half glass half metal back

Did google do a right thing or not
Lets decide below

 

[jra716]

Re: What do you guys think about the half glass half metal back

I half like it.