“May the Fold be with you,” Google wrote on Twitter today announcing its first folding phone, the Pixel Fold, just days ahead of I/O 2023. The Google Pixel Fold will launch officially on May 10. Today’s announcement confirms the product but even more importantly, it gives us the first official look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold-style foldable— in all its true glory. Not that any of it is surprising. The Pixel Fold, too, has leaked to death much like any other Pixel device (probably one of the reasons why Google chose to announce it a bit early) but it’s always nice to see the real thing and let’s just say, the real thing looks stunning.
Google Pixel Fold: First look at design
The Pixel Fold is turning out to be a top-shelf “premium” foldable with what appears to be a glass back and metallic outer frame. The camera housing is distinctly Pixel with a trio of sensors including a dedicated periscope telephoto. The outer screen seems to have a wider aspect ratio (relative to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold devices) more akin to an Oppo Find N2, which is to say the Pixel Fold could be a pocketable folding device.
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On the inside, you’ll find a screen that folds in the middle. While it’s difficult to make out the hinge mechanism from the promo reel, it appears that the Pixel Fold will have a droplet hinge meaning it will come with a gapless design— but we’ll see. The one thing that stands out more than anything else is the size of the bezels around the folding screen. They are sizeable and house the selfie camera at the top end.
Th Pixel launcher can’t be missed and we can expect the Pixel Fold to be one of, if not the best place to use Google’s foldable-focused Android “L” software. Google was supposed to launch the Pixel Fold last year itself, but that didn’t happen which meant Samsung got the first dibs at that software. Still, it will be interesting to see Google’s pure, unadulterated form and function.
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The Pixel Fold is expected to be powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chip and will launch alongside a slew of other products including the Pixel 7a and Pixel Tablet. The Pixel 7a is confirmed to launch in India but there is no final word on the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet yet. Stay tuned for more updates.