The latest from the Google Pixel Fold news and rumor mills
The Google Pixel Fold is still a rumour, and Google hasn’t confirmed any intentions for a foldable phone. That hasn’t prevented the rumour mill from churning out supposed Pixel Fold leaks and claims.
These hints point to a Pixel Fold arriving soon, which makes sense given the growing popularity of foldable phones (see our top foldable phones list).
So, here’s everything we know so far regarding the Google Pixel Fold and Google’s foldable aspirations.
Updates on the Pixel Fold (Updated January 25)
- According to a recent claim, Google may be offering the Pixel foldable at a bargain price.
- The Pixel Notepad, according to a recent report, might be cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold. Really.
- Android 12L has animated drawings of a Google foldable.
- Online benchmarks for the Google Pixel Fold suggest Pixel 6 power.
The alleged launch date for the Google Pixel Fold
According to reports, Google’s Pixel Fold project has been shelved. However, the verdict is still out on this, particularly since the Pixel Fold rumours are still circulating.
The moment is right for Google to get into the foldables game, as more and more foldable gadgets, including laptops, are being unveiled. Given that it has an ad on YouTube that promotes how Google applications function with Samsung’s newest flexible phones, it would seem obvious that Google is paying attention to foldables as well.
Is it possible that the Pixel Fold will be released this year? Well. It’s impossible to tell for sure, but new speculations about the folding phone’s debut date in 2022 don’t seem out of the question.
Prices for the Google Pixel Fold
As of now, we don’t know how much the Pixel Fold will cost, but 9to5Google claims that it will be less expensive than the Galaxy Z Fold series, and specifically about $1,400.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 costs $1,799, making it the most costly foldable on the market right now. New Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Motorola Razr 5G flip phones cost $999 and $1,399, respectively, making them a touch less expensive than their predecessors.
Rather than competing on pricing, Google’s strategy with its most recent Pixel phones has been to undercut its rivals. The Google Pixels, in our opinion, outperform the current iPhone and Galaxy devices in this regard.
Is the Pixel Fold capable of doing the same? After all, Samsung’s newest product, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, is $200 less expensive than its predecessor.
What do you call the new Google Pixel Notepad Folder?
According to 9to5Google, the Google Pixel Fold may be referred to as the Pixel Notebook. However, it’s possible that Google will include stylus support if this is the case. Other names explored by Google include “Logbook,” according to the source, although presumably it is no longer on the table.
Also Read: Google Pixel Fold teased in Android 13
the design of the foldable Google Pixel
Android 12L’s animations provide us the greatest sense of what the Pixel Fold will look like. The Pixel Fold might be the inspiration for an Android version that focuses on folding phones and tablets. For those of us who are hoping for something like a book-folding gadget, we’ll get one with a large display outside and a huge one within. Oppo Find N-like in its squarer form, this phone doesn’t seem to be as tall and thin as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
According to patent filings, Google’s design ideas for the Pixel Fold are mostly based on the company’s several foldable device patent applications. When the gadget is opened on a hinge, an expanded screen appears, which may be supplemented by slidably slidable displays. Another patent hints to a foldable that can fold in three different directions.
The problem with relying on patents to protect concepts that may never see the light of day is that we have no way of knowing whether they will ever come to fruition. These patent filings suggest, however, that whatever Google is working on has more in common with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and how it opens to show a bigger screen.
According to a source, Google and Samsung have reached an agreement to get their hands on foldable OLED screens. Displays made by Samsung are featured in numerous phones made by Samsung’s competitors, including those made by Apple.) According to the initial source, Google has bought 7.6-inch screens, which is the same size as the internal display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Google’s Pixel Fold is expected to have a 7.6-inch display, according to The Elec, a new report.
The ultra-thin glass layer that Samsung has used to make its own foldables more robust is expected to be supplied by Samsung to Google. A 120Hz scaling capability is expected to be provided by LTPO technology as well.
Waqar Khan, the Pixel Fold’s designer, has created a number of concept designs for the device, with the most recent taking influence from the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Pixel 6. An external display opens up to expose the bigger screen, exactly like the fold. In the meanwhile, Google used a design for the Pixel 6’s camera array that extends horizontally over the back of the phone.
Camera and technical details of the Google Pixel Fold
Since previous Pixel phones have consistently been among the top in their class when it comes to cameras, we can safely assume that the Pixel Fold will do the same when it is released.
This does not necessarily imply that the Pixel Fold will have a large number of lenses. Aside from a front-facing camera, the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G only have a primary lens and an ultrawide snapper. That changed with the arrival of the Pixel 6 Pro. Depending on the design of the Pixel Fold, Google might add more cameras, but the firm tends to prefer a less-is-more strategy, rather than focusing on the finest post-processing software for taking better photographs.
A single 12MP rear-facing camera and two 8MP front-facing ones were detected in Google Camera app data, thus this is the only rumour we have at this time. The single 12MP sensor is unimpressive in comparison to the three rear cameras of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. In any case, Google’s algorithms could still be able to assure that the Pixel Fold shoots the greatest photographs of any folding camera.
The placement of the two front-facing cameras is a mystery. In this case, the obvious solution is to have one on the front with an external display and another on the primary unfurled display inside. But if there is just one display on the Pixel Fold, it is possible that the two cameras are used as the main/ultrawide pair of cameras.
Tensor is a sensible choice for the CPU in the Pixel Fold, since it was built by Google in-house.
Even though it’s not as strong as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s, the processor used in the current Pixel phones is still powerful enough. Pixel Fold’s use of this technology makes sense since it’s clever and can allow a number of cool features in the existing Pixels, so it’s a good fit.
These claims have been corroborated by recent purported benchmarks, which claim that the Pixel Fold is powered by the same eight-core processor and clock speed range as the Tensor chip. A Mali-G78 GPU and 12GB of RAM are also options for this processor.
The Pixel Fold software from Google
If the Pixel Fold is based on Google’s operating system, Android 12, it’s likely to have greater software support for folding phones. We suspect Google will build a special folding phone OS. With Samsung’s help, the Google Play Store has been optimised for Samsung’s foldable displays.
Google’s interest in creating a Pixel Fold is most likely due to the company’s desire to integrate more foldable-friendly features into Android and then maximise those functions on a phone made by Google.
This is where Android 12L comes in. This version is an expansion of Android 12 and adds functionality for foldable phones. It is expected that Android 12L smartphones will have an interface that better utilises the available screen space. In addition to multi-window and a taskbar, there will be support for other multitasking options.
view from the top of Google’s Pixel Fold
We believe the moment is perfect for a Google-made folding phone, even if the actual status of the Pixel Fold is still up in the air.
With the Pixel Launcher on top, Android has evolved into a stylish mobile operating system thanks to Google. Since a result, we welcome the concept of foldable phones being given the same treatment, as software is still a major issue for them.
It is possible that Google, with its expertise in both hardware and software, may produce the first foldable phone that will serve as a model for others to follow. We’re cautiously hopeful about the so-called Google Pixel Fold’s potential, but time will tell.