We’ve been hearing rumors about the Google Pixel Fold for years, and it looks like the phone could land soon.
Right now, there are only a handful of companies that really make foldable phones, with Samsung dominating the market with phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. But it could have some serious competition soon.
Leaks suggest it could be called Pixel Fold or Pixel Notepad, but the name isn’t set in stone, so we’re mainly calling it Google Pixel Fold for now.
We’ve heard a few details about the possible design, screen, camera and other specs, all of which you’ll find below. We also included information about a possible release date, which according to most rumors may fall in early mid-2023, as well as price leaks.
As soon as we know anything more about the Google Pixel Fold, we’ll add it to this article, so check back regularly if you want to stay up to date.
To the point
- What is this? Google’s first foldable phone
- when is it coming out? Possibly May 2023
- How much does it cost? Probably $1,799 (around £1,520 / AU$2,660)
Google Pixel Fold release date and price
Early leaks suggested that the Pixel Fold would land in late 2022. We’ve heard it many times, but with no sign of the phone at the Pixel 7 unveiling, that also looks unlikely now.
Indeed, a more recent leak (from another source) suggests that while a late 2022 launch was apparently planned, the Pixel Fold will now not land until 2023. This is backed up by another launch date rumor saying the phone could land in Q1 (i.e. between January and March) from 2023.
That said, the latest rumored release date points to May 2023, so we may have to wait a bit longer.
We’ve also heard before that the Pixel Fold has been cancelled, so there’s a chance it won’t arrive at all. But that claim comes from Ross Young, who recently came back with one of the leaks above, saying it’s now scheduled for Q1 2023 – so he was probably either wrong earlier or Google put it back on the table.
Indeed, the term “isPixel2022Foldable” has been spotted in Google’s code, suggesting the phone will land soon.
We’d also take all these leaks with a grain of salt, especially since some rumors about the previous release date were wrong. For example, the report claimed that Google (among other companies) had purchased foldable phone screens from Samsung Display, and went on to say that smartphones using these screens would be launched in 2021.
The same site recently said the same, and another Samsung Display phone leak listed the Pixel Fold as launching in Q4 2021.
That obviously didn’t happen, but it could just be that the Pixel Fold dropped all the way to 2023, it seems.
As for how much it might cost, one leak suggests a price tag of around $1,400 (around £1,040 / AU$1,960). This would make it significantly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, but still expensive.
In fact, its price could be identical to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, with a more recent leak putting it at $1,799 (around £1,520 / AU$2,660).
Design and display
The main information about the Google Pixel Fold comes from a large leak that included unofficial renders, some of which you can see below. Though unofficial, they are apparently based on images and information provided by a reliable source.
As you can see, the design here looks very similar to the Pixel 7 lineup when folded up, but with an overall form factor reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold lineup.
The Pixel Fold is apparently covered in metal and glass and is said to only come in white and black shades. It’s also apparently very heavy, and you can see that there are large bezels above and below the main screen.
Image 1 with 2
There is also a report claiming that Google has ordered foldable OLED panels measuring around 7.6 inches diagonally from Samsung Display – a claim we’ve heard many times before.
A newer report – from @OnLeaks in partnership with HowToiSolve (opens in a new tab) – indicates a 7.69-inch foldable screen and a 5.79-inch display on the case.
They also claim the dimensions when unfolded are 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm (up to 8.3mm including the rear camera bulge), and include renders that look very similar to the ones above, one of which can be seen see below.
Another leak suggests that the display will have a resolution of 2208 x 1840 pixels and will offer up to 1200 nits of brightness and a refresh rate that will also increase to 120Hz. The same source indicates overall dimensions of 123 x 148 mm.
That said, an animation found in Android 12L Beta 2 shows a foldable phone with a design more like the Oppo Find N – as short and wide as opposed to tall and narrow like the Z Fold 4.
You can see this animation above, and while it’s possible it’s just a generic animation, there’s also a chance it’s showing Pixel Fold.
Image 1 with 2
Elsewhere, we’ve heard that the Pixel Fold’s cover display (its external non-folding screen) could be 5.8 inches.
Beyond these leaks, we’ve also seen a Google patent that shows a screen that opens to the size of a tablet but can be further stretched a bit further, like the foldable phone concepts we’ve seen. However, it looks ambitious for Google’s first foldable phone, so we’re not convinced it’ll have that look.
Patented mobile (opens in a new tab) it also uncovered two additional patents for the foldable Google Pixel phone, one with a fairly conventional clamshell design and the other with two hinges, allowing it to form a Z shape when unfolded and go from smartphone size to full tablet size.
So it seems Google is experimenting with a lot of different foldable designs, but it’s likely that the company has opted for a design reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Fold featured above.
Image 1 with 2
Specifications and features
The benchmark suggests the Pixel Fold will have the same Tensor G2 chipset as the Pixel 7 Pro, which comes as no surprise, along with 12GB of RAM.
That said, the older original Tensor chipset was also spotted in a benchmark for the Pixel Fold which further mentions 12GB of RAM and Android 12, and elsewhere we’ve also heard rumors of a Tensor chipset. However, these are older leaks, so we believe that Google has already updated it to G2.
Given that this chipset appears to be designed to get the most out of the Pixel 7 series cameras, this could additionally mean the same cameras will be used as well, but we’re not at all sure about that. If it has these cameras, you can expect a dual- or triple-lens setup, with main, ultra wide-angle and possibly telephoto as well (5x optical zoom).
However, another leak pointed to different snappers, with the Pixel 5’s 12.2MP main camera paired with the Pixel 6’s 12MP ultra-wide and two 8MP selfie cameras (one on each screen). This is something we’ve heard many times before.
According to one source, we’re looking at a 64MP + 12.2MP + 10MP rear camera – so not all leaks and rumors agree at the moment when it comes to the Google Pixel Fold’s rear camera. As for the selfie cameras, both are apparently 9.5MP while the leaked renders (above) show a triple-lens rear camera.
There is also a chance the phone will have cameras under the display as a Google patent for this technology has been found. That said, the leaked images do not suggest this.
Other than that, we don’t know anything about the specifications of the Google Pixel foldable phone, but we can speculate a bit. First, it will probably run on Android 13, but it will certainly work regardless of the latest version of Android at launch.
Going by the standard Pixel range, it’s likely to have decent cameras as well, but perhaps fewer lenses than rival phones. We would also expect the company’s foldable product to support 5G.
Finally, a minor tweak in the Google Camera software suggests that there is indeed a Pixel Fold on the way, and that Google is preparing its own software for it.