Foldable devices started to hit their stride in the last year or two, with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, Huawei Mate X2 and Moto Razr 5G all showing great promise for things to come.
Now, rumours are appearing that suggest Google could be preparing its own entry into this emerging market, with the Google Pixel Fold tipped to arrive in 2022 – though some reports suggest that the foldable phone may instead have been cancelled.
We round up all the news and speculation about Google’s first foldable.
When will the Google Pixel Fold be released?
There’s no solid information about any release date as yet, as Google hasn’t even confirmed that a foldable device will be launched.
In 2020 9to5Google reported that it had seen leaked internal documents from Google that suggested a foldable device would appear in the fourth quarter of 2021, a prediction repeated by the likes of Ross Young, Jon Prosser, and Korean site The Elec. That obviously didn’t happen though, and the launch of the Pixel 6 series came and went without any foldable – or the also-rumoured Pixel Watch.
Instead, it now looks likely that the phone could launch in spring 2022. That’s because Google has officially announced the timetable for Android 12L, an upcoming version update that will improve support for large screen devices like tablets – and foldables. There are beta releases scheduled until February 2022, with a final release likely in March – Google said in 2021 that it’s coming “early next year.”
Here’s your likely Pixel Fold release window. It’s not too much of a logical leap to think that we should expect foldable hardware from Google no sooner than March 2022. Here’s the official Android 12L development roadmap: pic.twitter.com/E5abqkkJk5
— Alex Dobie (@alexdobie) October 27, 2021
It would certainly make sense for Google to release its own hardware to coincide with the Android 12L launch, especially since it says the software is launching “in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldables.” More to the point, it would be incredibly unusual for the company to release the Pixel Fold before the Android version that supports it.
9to5Google has subsequently found code referring to “isPixel2022Foldable,” which feels like it pretty much confirms that the Pixel Fold isn’t launching this year at least.
A spring release could also point to an unveiling at Google’s I/O developer conference, which usually happens in May.
Is the Pixel Fold cancelled?
There’s bad news though – the Pixel Fold’s release has been cast into doubt.
Display industry expert Ross Young reports that “Google has decided not to bring the Pixel Fold to market,” citing sources in the display supply chain that say Google has cancelled its parts orders for the foldable.
Young suggests that Google is concerned that “the product wouldn’t be as competitive as it needed to be,” as they’d be primarily up against Samsung “in a small niche market facing higher costs than their primary competitor.”
With no other sources reporting on the cancellation yet there’s still some hope that the Pixel Fold is on the way – not least because since Young’s report the phone has apparently appeared on Geekbench 4, which we discuss in more detail below. It may instead simply be delayed, with Young noting that it won’t launch in 2021 or the first half of 2022 – but that doesn’t rule out a later launch.
What will the Pixel foldable be called?
To be blunt, we have no idea – though most people online have started calling it the Pixel Fold.
The only thing we know from Google is the phone’s internal codenames: Passport and Pipit.
‘Passport’ has been spotted in various bits of Android code, including the first public beta of Android 12, as spotted by 9to5Google. It appeared along with a model number – GPQ72 – believed to be tied to the phone’s Japanese variant.
It’s worth noting that this still isn’t conclusive proof that the Pixel Fold will ever launch. The same list also contained a model number for ‘Needlefish’, a Pixel codename from 2019 that was believed to be tied to a 5G Pixel 4 model that never materialised. Since Needlefish never launched, the Passport model number appearing here doesn’t prove anything – but it does add to the evidence that Google is at least working on a foldable phone.
More recently, ‘Pipit’ has appeared in Camera app code and a Geekbench listing, and 9to5Google believes that this is a new codename for the same foldable Pixel phone.
What about the second Pixel Fold?
Before we get too far, it’s worth addressing the rumours of a second Pixel Foldable. First reported by 9to5Google, this phone is known only by its codename ‘Jumbojack’, which appeared in code related to Android 12.1, now known as Android 12L – the mid-cycle software refresh designed to include more substantial foldable phone support into Android 12.
The phone seems to include two displays, one of which becomes unavailable when the device is folded shut (which makes sense). We don’t actually know if it’s a real device intended for public release, or simply hardware used by Google for testing Android 12.1, though references to it as a ‘Pixel’ device in the code suggest the former.
As for the name, 9to5Google points out that it’s likely a reference to a cheeseburger from chain Jack in the Box. The site even suggests this may be a nod to the ‘hamburger’ folding format of phones like the Z Flip 3, rather than the ‘hot dog’ style of the Z Fold 3, though that might be a little more of a stretch.
How much will the Google Pixel Foldable cost?
In truth, we have absolutely no idea on this front. There’s no past record to go on and pricing is still somewhat nebulous for this class of device. One thing that’s pretty certain though is that it won’t be cheap.
Whereas the Pixel range does offer good value for money, most of the foldable devices that have been released so far have cost well over £1000/$1000. To see what we mean, here are a few prices for foldables that have launched in the US and UK so far:
- Motorola Razr Flip 5G – £1399/US$1399
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 – £949/$999
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 – £1599/$1799
- Huawei Mate Xs – £2299 (not available in the US)
With this in mind, any device Google launches in 2021 is likely to start at over a grand, so you might want to start making use of that old piggy bank in preparation.
What features will be in the Google Pixel Foldable?
Obviously, the main addition to the Pixel feature set will be a folding screen of some kind. Whether that’s the side-by-side approach adopted by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Huawei Mate X2 or the vertical orientation used by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr 5G remains to be seen. There’s also the possibility that Google opts for the more conventional two-panel design that Microsoft debuted with its Surface Duo or a scrollable display as found on the sadly cancelled LG Rollable.
Getting the display right will be crucial, as we’ve already seen how hard it is to avoid creasing in the display where it folds or the panels just outright failing as with the original Samsung Galaxy Z Fold.
One early leak suggests that Google will stick closely to the path followed by Samsung’s Fold series – so closely, in fact, that it’s going to buy a Samsung screen. The Elec reports that Samsung is selling folding displays to Google – along with Xiaomi and Oppo – for 2021 devices. Google has reportedly purchased a foldable 7.6in OLED – the same size as that used in the Fold 2 and the Fold 3.
In a follow-up report The Elec stands by that prediction, and adds that the display will use an ultra-thin glass (UTG) coating. That’s the tech that Samsung has used in all of its foldables following the first Z Fold, and since Samsung is supplying the display here, it’s no surprise to see UTG will be included.
There are also a couple of different paths that Google could take in regard to the rest of the specs in its debut foldable. In terms of chipset, it’s most likely that the firm will re-use the in-house developed Tensor chip that debuted in the Pixel 6 series, rather than return to a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip – it seems safe to assume Google will stick to its own silicon from now on whenever possible.
This has been backed up by a Geekbench 4 listing for a phone named ‘Google Pipit’ – remember that Pipit is one of the Fold’s expected codenames.
The listing doesn’t specify the Tensor chip by name, but lists an octa-core ARM chip with a base speed of 1.8GHz and peak speed of 2.8GHz. Tensor is an octa-core ARM chip with its four efficiency cores clocked at 1.8GHz and its two fastest chips clocked at 2.8GHz, so it fits perfectly. It’s seen here along with 12GB of RAM, and running Android 12 as you’d expect.
We think we know a little more about the phone’s camera specs, thanks to the 9to5Google report that unearthed the Pipit codename, mentioned above. The site found code that reveals the four camera sensors believed to be used in the foldable: a 12.2Mp IMX363, a 12Mp IMX386, and two 8Mp IMX335 sensors. The latter two are tagged with ‘inner’ and ‘outer’, suggesting they’re for a pair of selfie shooters.
For context, this essentially looks like a return to the sort of camera specs used before the recent Pixel 6 upgrade. The IMX363 is the same sensor used for the main camera in the Pixel 3, 4, and 5, while the IMX335 is also the same sensor used for the selfie cameras in Pixels up to the 6 – though not the 6 Pro. The IMX386 is also found in the Pixel 6, where it’s used to power the ultrawide.
The camera downgrade relative to the 6 and 6 Pro – at least in regard to the main sensor – may come as a disappointment for some, but it makes sense. The upgraded specs in those phones necessitated the infamous camera bar, but such a bulky solution wouldn’t work on a foldable phone, which is likely to already be pretty thick when folded. Besides, Pixel cameras have never been chumps – so a return to what’s essentially Pixel 5 hardware, especially if powered by the new Tensor chip, would still be pretty powerful.
Sticking with camera, another possibility is that Google will follow Samsung’s plans for an under-display camera in its foldable. LetsGoDigital spotted a Google patent for a novel solution to the tech, which uses a moving mirror under the display, capable of pointing either at a camera lens or at a second display. So when you need the camera, light is reflected into the lens, and when you don’t need the camera light is reflected from the auxiliary display to fill the gap.
More recently, Google has filed a second patent (also spotted by LetsGoDigital) for under-display cameras using different (and likely more cost-efficient) tech to achieve the same result. This version relies on a multi-layered transparent display, which is more similar to implementations we’ve seen elsewhere.
Interestingly, the patent mentions by name one Sangmoo Choi – a former Samsung display engineer who’s now been at Google for over three years, but presumably had experience with Samsung’s early efforts at under-display camera tech.
There’s no concrete reason to believe that either patent is for the upcoming foldable, and it could only be intended for the Pixel 7 series – or even later phones – but there’s at least hope that it’s being readied for a flagship foldable.
Hardware is only half of a new Pixel’s appeal though, and the Android 12L developer preview gives us an idea what to expect from the Pixel Fold’s software. Google has shown off enhanced split-screen support for all Android apps, two-column notification shade and control centre layouts, and a desktop-style taskbar – all of which we can expect to see on the big screen of the Pixel Fold.
If you can’t wait to get the latest smartphone technology in your hands, check out our guide to the best phones coming in 2021 and 2022.