Google has shown off the forthcoming Pixel Fold, laying to rest any doubts about this phone’s existence – and the timeline for its reveal.
Google has teased the new folding phone not only on social media, but it even has a page on the Google Store for it, inviting people to sign up for more information. This also gives us a good chance to look at the Pixel Fold design – and it certainly looks like a neat package.
The Pixel Fold carries hallmarks of Pixel design, clearly related to the Pixel 7 models with that camera bar across the rear, although it appears to be less pronounced. But the curves of the sides and the overall aesthetic unmistakably screams “Pixel!” to us. It also looks really slim, so that rumoured 5.7mm thickness when unfolded may be correct. The smooth hinge action can also be clearly seen.
The Pixel Fold has long been the subject of rumour and speculation, having been through many years of will-they-won’t-they, it seems that 2023 is the year that Google will venture into the folding phone market. This is a book-style opening device, so it will be a direct rival for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, with Samsung currently dominating the market for this type of device. It’s perhaps an odd choice for Google to start with, seeing as Samsung generally sells more of the flip-style devices, the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
The official tease doesn’t tell us much more about the device apart from when we’ll hear more about it, with Google I/O on 10 May being the date for your diary. We’re expecting the Pixel 7a and the Pixel Tablet also to be announced at the event, so it’s going to be a bumper time for Google’s hardware department.
The rumours suggest that we’re looking at a 7.69-inch internal display and a 5.79-inch external display which sounds really usable. This phone is expected to be powered by the same Google Tensor chip as found in the Pixel 7 Pro, while there’s high hopes for the cameras. Cameras are where many folding phones make a compromise against flagship devices, but Google’s focus on computational photography in Pixel devices could see the rumoured 50-megapixel main camera being the main attraction on this device.
But in reality, what we’re really looking for is software advancements. Android hasn’t kept pace in the world of tablet apps alongside Apple, and with the Pixel Tablet and now the Pixel Fold looking to make greater use of that larger screen space, the making of this device will be in the software experience.
We’ll bring you more on 10 May.
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