The Pixel Buds Pro launched earlier this week in four delightful colors, but it should come at no surprise that Google considered many more during the development process. Here are some variants that we believe came closer to launching, but ultimately didn’t.
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
The Pixel Buds Pro are available in Coral (salmon/orange), Fog (light blue with gray undertones), Charcoal (lighter gray), and Lemongrass (light yellow/green).
However, the Pixel Buds companion app lists a total of eight “SKU colors”:
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_CARBON
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_FOG
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_STANDARD_BLACK
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_REAL_RED
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_LIMONCELLO
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_PROCELAIN [sic]
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_APPROX_GREY
- ALLEGRO_SKU_COLOR_CLEAR
“Allegro”, a musical term, was the device codename for Pixel Buds Pro, while “Stretto” was A-Series and “Presto” for the 2020 Pixel Buds.
Carbon (Charcoal), fog (Fog), real red (Coral), and limoncello (Lemongrass) are all accounted for leaving four unknowns.
“Standard black” is fairly straightforward and would have presumably been darker than what we have today. “Approx grey” might have just been a different take on Charcoal given the “approximate” modifier.
“Clear” is curious and immediately evokes transparent or translucent plastic, a la the Googler-only version of the Stadia Controller for the game streaming service’s launch team and the Nothing Ear (1), but we think Clearly White is the more likely candidate given previous hardware tendencies.
The mystery Pixel Buds Pro color candidate today is “PROCELAIN,” which we think is a misspelling of porcelain. If so, it’s hard to imagine how this color isn’t just another white. The shade might be different, but it’s hard to imagine what. Another possibility is below:
Google considered various colors for the Pixel Buds Pro that sadly weren't released in the end.
I tried to imagine how Porcelain could have been. Here's a mockup: https://t.co/94dXiHuJns pic.twitter.com/FYdnG4NRmJ
— Dylan Roussel (@evowizz) July 29, 2022
Meanwhile, the Pixel Buds A-Series launched in “Clearly White” and “Dark Olive.” Google, according to similar code in the companion app, also considered “Blue” and “Black.”
- STRETTO_SKU_COLOR_WHITE
- STRETTO_SKU_COLOR_GREEN
- STRETTO_SKU_COLOR_BLACK
- STRETTO_SKU_COLOR_BLUE
