What the retail packaging of a given device looks like is far from a make or break proposition. Indeed, it’s one of the smaller factors; sure, first impressions last, but it’s the device that you’ll be using daily. The box, you’ll likely end up stowing away until you need something from it or you’re done with the device and want to resell it. Even given those factors, though, there’s something wonderful about an aesthetically pleasing retail packaging for a new phone. The box a phone comes in won’t make or break your experience with the device, but a good box will make that new phone smell that much sweeter. In the case of Google’s new Pixel phones, the packaging is simple and clean. It gets to the point, gets out of the way, and uses the device as a center point.
On the front of the box, the device you’ve chosen peeks out at you from the bottom of a backdrop that couldn’t be any simpler; a logo, a name, and a bit of text. This is just a sleeve, however. The actual box, which slides out sideways, is a single flat color on the front. The spine of the box on one side shows a simple Google “G” logo, and the other side shows the logos for Daydream, Assistant, and Cast, giving you an idea of the capabilities of the device inside the box. The rear of the box is simply a barren expanse of white, like the front.
Cracking the box open, we’re greeted with another very simple white landscape. Inside, you’ll find the actual phone, along with a folding card containing the owner’s manual, as well as the USB Type-C cable, an adapter, a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, and the new Google 18 watt charger, which should give either Pixel device plenty of juice in very little time. Although the gear set lacks anything fancy like headphones or keychains, the basics to use, charge, and sync the device are all there. The retail packaging is, overall, a very simple affair that doesn’t try to impress the user on its own, instead letting them see the device that they paid for.
