The Google Pixel Fold Could Be Just Around the Corner

The old flip phone may be out of date but that doesn’t stop smartphone makers from looking back to them for inspiration. The challenge, however, is a foldable smartphone that incorporates everything users expect from a modern phone. Samsung leads the way in this area with the release of its third-generation Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip, but now it seems Google may be looking to follow suit. Rumours about Google developing a foldable phone have been circling for years now but nothing concrete has come out about it. However, with Google’s I/O event coming up, the hype cycle has restarted. The latest rumour is that Google is gearing up for a Pixel Fold launch in June, according to German tech news website Win Future, with expectations that the foldable will be first shown officially at Google’s I/O event in May with 256GB internal storage capacity. Two colours are also expected for the foldable – ‘carbon’ and ‘porcelain’, with a potential price of 1,700 euros (about $2,730 in Australia) – though Win Future reports that this price expectation may not be reliable. Although the report from Win Future focuses on European availability, Australian availability is obviously not locked in, considering that Google didn’t initially bring the Pixel 5a down under. Let’s break down what we’ve learned about Google’s possible folding Pixel smartphone so far.

Google Pixel Fold: Leaks and rumours so far

On December 8, 2022, Howtoisolve reported on Google Pixel Fold leaked renders. Some size information was included in the leak, including a 7.69-inch inner display a 5.79-inch cover display and a rough 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm size. It’s also expected to be powered by the Tensor G2 Chip (which is inside the Google Pixel 7). The back of the device has three cameras in these renders, and two colours are expected: white and black. On November 15, 2022, Front Page Tech reported on Google Pixel Fold renders, aligning with Howtoisolve’s render leak. Front Page Tech’s anonymous sources offered a glance at what’s to come, and they put together some pretty convincing renders based on what they saw. The renders suggest a wider phone than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. Front Page Tech is “confident” in its renders, though they were recreated to help protect the identity of its sources. The Pixel Fold could look very different when it eventually launches. Still, it’s hard not to be excited about the renders, considering Front Page Tech was close to the mark on the design of the Pixel Watch. Unfortunately, that means it’s also likely right about the price. The Pixel Fold’s $US1800 ($2,499) starting price point mentioned in the video seems possible since that’s the price of Samsung’s Z Fold. It also means that affordable foldables remain quite a long way away. On January 7, 2022, a Google Pixel Foldable smartphone was tested on Geekbench, a tech benchmarking website, with the codename ‘Pipit’. That codename has been found in camera files on the Pixel 6, indicating support for an upcoming device, like the much-rumoured foldable. Theories have been rife about the Google Pixel Foldable ever since Google released Android 12L, a version of Android designed specifically for foldables and tablets. That Pipit Geekbench listing gave us a good idea of what we can expect from Google’s next mobile device, such as 11.32GB (probably round up to 12GB) memory, high scores across recorded categories and processor scores. While the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro were released in late 2021 with much praise, the foldable Google Pixel hasn’t had anything solid confirmed just yet. When the Android 12 beta was released in May 2021, some clever folks discovered code that revealed the potential device names and model numbers of the upcoming Pixel phones. One of these devices was ‘Passport’ which was believed to be the codename for Google’s upcoming foldable phone. Despite speculation, Passport was never released in 2021, but it still leaves open the possibility of a new Google device in the future. Passport could have also turned into Pipit, considering Passport hasn’t been seen in leaks in a while. Display analyst Ross Young dropped some interesting information on July 20, 2021 about Samsung, saying the company will provide foldable displays for six devices in that year. Outside of Samsung’s own Z Flip3 and Z Fold3, this left a few devices unchecked, one of which was believed to be the Google Foldable. Young also dropped some specs for the Google foldable saying it will be 7.57-inches and feature a 120Hz and LTPO display. It should be noted that, in late 2021, OPPO confirmed its first foldable phone with a 7.1-inch screen, giving some weight to this leak.

Today's leak – All 2021 foldables using panels from Samsung Display will be 120Hz and LTPO. This of course covers the 6.70" Z Flip 3, 7.55" Z Fold 3 as well as the 7.57" foldable from Google, 7.11" from Oppo, 8.2" from Vivo and 8.1" from Xiaomi.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) July 19, 2021

When will the Google Pixel Fold be released?

It’s likely that the foldable Google Pixel will release in June 2023, although we did expect it in 2022. Rumours first indicated that the Pixel Fold would be released before the end of 2021, but this obviously didn’t end up happening. The most recent rumour at the time of writing indicates that the phone will be released in June 2023 (via WinFuture). This article has been updated since it was originally published.

The post The Google Pixel Fold Could Be Just Around the Corner appeared first on Gizmodo Australia.