While the Google Pixel Fold has been long rumoured, recent things have been a bit quiet on the information tidbit front, although no one has indicated that a foldable phone might be on its way.
Given that Google is attempting to make Android more comfortable for foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, there''s an argument that the search giant does not need to make its own folding phone. However, a realistic version of a foldable phone from Google''s perspective is still a flurry prospect.
Here''s what we''ve heard so far about the Google Pixel Fold and the search giant''s foldable plans.
Latest Google Pixel Fold updates (Updated September 2)
Google Pixel Fold rumored release date
The date for the Pixel Fold''s release is that the foldable might be seen in 2023. According to a new paper, Google is contemplating a foldable for 2023." According to a new report, the tech giant is planning to relocate more than half of its high-end phones to Vietnam from China.
According to reports last year that Google had canceled its plans for the Pixel Fold, though concerns about the phone continue to plummet. Soon, display expert Ross Young (opens in a new tab) predicted that Google would launch the phone in the fourth quarter of 2022, following its initial assembly in Q3.
According to a separate report in The Elec out of South Korea, the Pixel Fold will not be released this year.
Google''s own camera app may have leaked the Pixel Fold, according to a recent report. This may indicate the Pixel Fold is in works, and maybe even on the verge of reaching it.
At this point, we''d assume that we''ll not see the Pixel Fold until 2023 at the earliest. Considering that the Pixel Fold was a no-show at Google in May despite the fact that the company showed off a Pixel tablet that will not launch until next year, we''d suspect that the Pixel Fold isn''t quite about to be launched.
Google Pixel Fold price
Right now, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the most expensive foldingable you can get, with $1,799. Flip phones like the new Galaxy Z Flip 3 or Motorola Razr 5G are a little less affordable at $999 and $1,399, respectively, considering the term "last."
Google''s approach with its most recent Pixel phones has been to undermine competition, with the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro both very competitively priced. In fact, we believe it''s one of the Google Pixels'' attempts to beat the current iPhone and Galaxy phones.
Could the Pixel Fold do the same? Well, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is $200 less than its predecessor, so Google will certainly want to be on par or below Samsung''s new offerings.
Google Pixel Fold name: Pixel Notepad?
For the time being, we''ll refer to the Pixel Fold as the device, which is the familiar name for most rumorists.
Google Pixel Fold design
The best example we have of how the Pixel Fold might look is the use of animated imagery from Android 12L. This foldable and tablet-focused version of Android uses abstract illustrations of a foldable phone, one which might be based on the Pixel Fold. If it is, then we''ll be seeing a book-fold-style device with a huge inner display. Instead, the shape of the device does not appear as much like the Squarer Oppo Find N.
One rumor has suggested that the Pixel Fold might be able to eliminate the notch. It suggests that the camera on the bezel of the handset may be removed, while the Pixel Fold may be prevented from using a notch or pinhole. This suggests that the Pixel Fold might opt to eliminate the under-display camera at the expense of having as little bezel as possible.
Other details about Google''s design intentions for the Pixel Fold are mostly based on multiple patent filings for foldable devices. One such patent also shows a device that opens on a hinge to reveal a larger screen, with the ability to slide out an additional display for additional screen properties. Another patent similarly teases a foldable that might fold in three places.
We''re not sure if these designs are anywhere near to reality that''s the advantage of relying on patents, which may cover items that never see the light of day. However, from the designs being discussed in these filings, it appears that whatever Google has in the works has more in common with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the way the smartphone unfolds to reveal a larger display.
The new report suggests that Google has agreed to make hands on foldable OLED panels. (Samsung is a leading display company and actually supplies the screens found on numerous phones made by Apple.) The original report claims that Google has ordered 7.6-inch panels, which reportedly correspond to the size of the Galaxy Z Fold 3''s internal screen. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 should also have the same screen size when it arrives later this year.
Ross Young, president of the DSCC, believes the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 4 should have a 7.6-inch screen size, but believes the Pixel Fold will have a different-sized external display for Google''s foldable. Young believes the Pixel Fold will have a 5.8-inch screen similar to the Oppo Find N''s screen, according to the 6.2-inch panel on the outside of Samsung''s Galaxy Z Fold phones.
Another report from The Elec (opens in a new tab) confirms the Google Pixel Fold may include a 7.6-inch display.
Samsung reportedly will provide Google with its ultra thin glass layer, which has been a major component in making Samsung''s foldables more durable. The display will supposedly also use LTPO technology, meaning it can scale up to 120Hz.
Waqar Khan, a designer, has devised several different concepts for the Pixel Fold, as well as the latest Pixel Fold design using the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Pixel 6.
Google Pixel Fold specs and cameras
Given the fact that past Pixel phones have been a majorstay among the most popular cameras, we''d anticipate that any Pixel Fold that will then be shipped will follow suit and put a focus on cameras.
Google opted to include more cameras on the Pixel Fold than the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G versions, although the company appears to favor a less-is-more approach, instead opting to offer the finest post-processing software for better photos.
According to research from the Google Camera app, there might be only one 12MP rear camera on the Pixel Fold, and two front-facing 8MP cameras. The single 12MP sensor is dissatisfactory considering the competitor Galaxy Z Fold 3 boasts three rear cameras.
Google may however be able to guarantee that the Pixel Fold gets the best photos of any foldable animals with its software capabilities.
It''s not clear how these two front-facing cameras are organized. Perhaps the best alternative would be to have one on the front with an exterior display and another inside the main unfolded display. However, if there''s only a single display on the Pixel Fold, the two cameras may be a main/ultrawide pair.
A recent post by leaker and developer Kuba Wojciechowski mentions the Pixel Fold''s likely camera hardware. This includes a 50MP main camera, two 12MP sensors, and an 8MP one.
The Pixel Folds internal screen will be no notch on the Chinese channel, according to a new tab. When translated to English, this rumor might be understood in two ways: When the phone is open out or it might mean that there will be a tiny camera on the phone. This rumor doesn''t mention any specs of the camera in question.
Google would adopt its own in-house Tensor processor, as well as the processor that drives the Pixel Fold.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset might not beat the likes of the Snapdragon 8 but it is still quite powerful. It''s also smart and provides a range of features in the current Pixels, so having it in the Pixel Fold, as well as potentially allowing the phone to adjust to a user''s needs, makes sense.
Recent evidence suggests the Pixel Fold is operating a chipset with eight cores and a clock speed of 2.8GHz, which is similar to the Tensor chip. This slice of silicon might be combined with a 12GB of RAM and a Mali-G78 GPU.
Google Pixel Fold software
Android 12 has a better software support for folding phones, running Google''s operations system, so that''ll almost certainly be at the heart of the Pixel Fold; we doubt Google will make a custom folding phone OS. After all, Google has worked closely with Samsung to optimize its own apps for foldable screens.
The possibility to incorporate more foldable-friendly devices into Android and then optimize them on a Google-built smartphone may be a factor in Google''s desire for a Pixel Fold.
The Android 12L platform, which is now available, includes features aimed at foldable phones to Google''s software. Specifically, devices running Android 12L may provide an interface that benefits from the vast screen experience that''s available. Additionally, multitasking options, like a multi-window, and a taskbar, will be provided.
Google may be testing out how the Pixel Fold''s interface might work in Android 13. It was discovered in the first Developer Preview that switching between two different DPIs allows you to have two separate home screens that you can easily organize separately from one another. This is how the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series behaves, and it follows that Google is considering how to implement this natively.
Google Pixel Fold outlook
While the actual status of the Google Pixel Fold remains for discussion, we believe that the time is right for a Google-made folding phone.
Google has shown that it can make a smooth mobile operating system, particularly when the Pixel Launcher is added on top. We appreciate the idea of a foldable phone approach, as software remains the one that keeps them back.
If Google can nail the side of things, it might create a foldable phone that sets the standards for others to follow, regardless of hardware and software. Time will tell here, but we''re unreportedly optimistic about the potential the so-called Google Pixel Fold might have.