Pixel Fold: What Rumors Say About a Google Foldable Phone - CNET

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Google could beryllium the adjacent large tech institution to propulsion its chapeau into the foldable ring. There person been rumors fluttering for a portion that a bendy Pixel telephone mightiness spot the airy of day, particularly fixed the company's absorption connected hardware successful caller years. Although the sanction of a imaginable Google foldable telephone is obscurity adjacent confirmed -- it could beryllium called the Pixel Fold or maybe the Pixel Notepad -- the rumor mill seems to person settled connected a timeframe for a launch. According to reliable show expert Ross Yong, it'll motorboat arsenic aboriginal arsenic the outpouring of 2023. He besides told CNET that "some panels person already shipped."

So acold the institution has kept mum connected the anticipation of a foldable phone. But that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning and Pixel fans from hoping. Keep successful caput that Google confirmed that it had been prototyping the folding technology back successful 2019. Prior to that, it filed a patent exertion for a foldable device.

Don't forget, Google isn't the lone institution that's reportedly joining the foldable phones bandwagon. It appears to beryllium an unfastened concealed that Apple's gearing up to bash the same, though that whitethorn not amusement up till 2025. (Read CNET's sum astir a potential iPhone Flip.) Samsung meanwhile, seems to beryllium going afloat steam up with its foldable phones. The South Korean institution launched its 4th procreation of foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, astatine its Unpacked lawsuit successful August.

Oppo Find N telephone unfastened and held successful 1 hand

Pixel Fold design: More Oppo Find N than Galaxy Z Fold 4

Animations recovered successful Android 12L, Google's bundle designed specifically for large-screen devices specified arsenic tablets and foldable phones, person offered hints astatine the imaginable quality of the Pixel Fold. Based connected that, Google's foldable telephone volition instrumentality the signifier of a book-style foldable with 2 screens. The Google foldable was initially rumored to lucifer the taller and leaner plan of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 3, which has an approximate facet ratio of 22.5:18. But according to 9to5Google and different media outlets, the opened-up Pixel Fold is much apt to lucifer the squarish signifier of Oppo's foldable phone, the Find N. When closed, it's believed to person an facet ratio person to 18:9. If that's true, it would mean that, similar the Find N, the Pixel Fold could beryllium much earthy to usage arsenic a regular telephone erstwhile closed.

Pixel Fold design: Just 2 colors

Renders based connected images of a Google Pixel Fold were published online successful November by Front Page Tech. The telephone renders amusement 2 colors, 1 exemplary successful obsidian (black) and 1 successful chalk (white).

Pixel Fold camera: Camera module whitethorn beryllium measurement down from Pixel 6

There haven't been galore rumors astir the Pixel Fold's camera, but there's country for immoderate speculation, courtesy of 9to5Google. The website is reporting that the Pixel Fold volition person 2 front-facing 8-megapixel lenses, 1 presumably connected the screen and 1 for the interiors, arsenic good arsenic a 12-megapixel rear camera. The main sensor is expected to beryllium a measurement down from the Pixel 6 series, since it's rumored to trust connected Sony's IMX363 sensor, utilized successful the Pixel 3 in 2018, arsenic opposed to Samsung's top-of-the-line GN1 sensor, from the main 50-megapixel camera of the Pixel 6 series. If I had to guess, the logic for this imaginable determination comes down to the size of the GN1 sensor, which is 1 of the larger camera sensors connected the market. This means it'll beryllium pugnacious for a foldable telephone to transportation it without expanding the wide heft of an already-hefty foldable device. Another rumor points to the Pixel Fold featuring a 50-megapixel main camera on with 2 12-megapixel cameras and an 8-megapixel one.

Pixel Fold price: $1,400 to $1,800

There's nary telling for definite what a telephone volition outgo until motorboat time -- if that happens astatine all. But according to a study by 9to5Google citing an unnamed source, the Pixel Fold volition beryllium priced beneath the $1,800 (£1,320 oregon AU$2,500) mark. Another study spotted by BGR successful March seems to corroborate that notion, putting the terms arsenic debased arsenic $1,399, which is little than Samsung's $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 4. Those rumors look to marque consciousness arsenic they look to align with Google's strategy of undercutting its competitors successful presumption of price.

Pixel Fold processor: Tensor

Considering Google went to the analyzable and costly occupation of processing its ain system-on-chip technology, it's each but definite the Pixel Fold volition tally connected the Tensor chipset, which debuted connected the Pixel 6 series.