The Google Pixel fold is a real thing rather than just a concept – and it may even arrive this year.
It is according to the well-known delicious Jon Prosser, at least, and it supports a story earlier this week that Google asked Samsung to develop a 7.6-inch OLED panel for use on a foldable device.
Prosser’s tweet was not exactly full of detail, but he was adamant that the Google Pixel Fold is a real thing. And in a answer at the request of a follower, he gave the launch window at the end of this year or at the beginning of 2022.
We have no doubt that Google is working on a foldable phone, as the rumors go back to the middle of last year. Smartphone display expert Ross Young, appears in the responses to Prosser’s first tweet, and mentions that in December he himself predicted a single fold from Google that would come at the end of this year.
There are not many details on the Pixel Fold’s specifications to go on. The only thing we know, thanks to a Korean news release, is that the phone can use a 7.6-inch flexible screen.
Whether Google launches the Pixel Fold this fall / winter or next spring, the main competitors are likely to be Samsung. At the moment, it’s the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, which are cleverly balanced inside and out. Of course by the time the Pixel Fold appears, it will likely be up against the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3.
The rest of the current foldable market does not quite match Samsung’s standard. There is also the Motorola Razr, but it has been let down by disappointing hardware – though the 5G version wants to be improved. The Huawei Mate X2 was announced earlier this week and has some impressive specs. However, since it is manufactured by Huawei, the phone is not available in the US and does not offer the Google apps that Android users rely on.
This means that if 2021 becomes 2022, the likely top performers in the foldable category will remain those of Samsung. A new competitor without technical or software issues, such as these rumored Pixel Fold or the iPhone Flip, would be exactly the kind of competition to break Samsung’s dominance by default.
Google’s software skills could mean that Pixel Fold becomes one of our best folding phones when it finally arrives. Meanwhile, we have the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 5a to look forward to, both of which are likely to be the best Android phones at the moment.