Google Pixel Fold specs, info and release date: everything we know so far
Google is going to do folding phones justice with a tailor-made version of Android to run on it, too
The Pixel 7 Pro has ruled the roost at Google’s hardware division for the best part of a year now, but a foldable is about to join the fray. Google has confirmed that a Google Pixel Fold launch is confirmed for 10 May at Google I/O. At the same time we’ll almost certainly get the launch of the Pixel 7a and the full announcement of the Google Pixel Tablet.
Foldable phones are on the rise, largely thanks to Samsung, Oppo and Motorola in Europe, and Huawei and Xiaomi in China. Google’s effort will need to need to offer an experience conventional phones can’t match, and the big-screen improvements introduced by Android 12L might be exactly what it needs.
Read on as we explain everything we know so far about the Pixel Fold.
Google Pixel Fold release date and price
The Google Pixel Fold is set to launch at Google I/O next week. A keynote will take place on 10 May, confirmed by Google in the above tweet alongside a pretty revealing teaser video.
The latest rumours courtesy of CNBC point to a release date sometime in June, following the official announcement. CNBC also reportedly provided a price tag too — a cool $1700.
Google Pixel Fold rumoured specs
As for the appearance of the device in the reveal video, the hinge looks particularly svelte and the distinctive camera bar at the rear doesn’t stretch to the far edges of the device like it does on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The bezels on the folded-out display do look rather sizeable though. It appears the device will be available in a light grey/white and black/charcoal.
9to5Google claims the Pixel Fold will arrive at a heavier weight than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 – but also contain a bigger battery. The Z Fold 4 weighs in at 263g and has a 4400mAh cell. The Pixel Fold battery is unlikely to exceed 5000mAh, however as it’s the typical ceiling for most modern phones). It will apparently be sold in black (possibly dark grey) and white colours.
It’s also suggested the Pixel Fold will have a 50MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto lenses, plus both internal and external selfie cameras. The outer cover could have a 10MP sensor, while internally there should be an 8MP one.
The initial Pixel Fold info we had to go on in September 2022 came via developer Kuba Wojciechowski, who dug out references to the handset from the Android 13 QPR1 beta. There was a possibility that Google Felix – believed to be a pseudonym for the Pixel Fold – referred to the Pixel 7a, but camera drivers that referenced folded and unfolded positions gave the game away.
In December the device appeared to pop up on benchmarking database Geekbench which shows a listing for Google Felix. The listing goes on to detail some key specs, too, saying the Pixel Fold will run on Android 13, 12GB of RAM and a Tensor G2 processor. That’s the same as Pixel 7 models. 256GB of on-board storage seems most likely but some rumours suggest there will also be a 512GB version.
The leak certainly backs up the animations buried in the code for Android 12L, which suggested the Fold would have a book-like appearance (something now confirmed, of course) with a single outer screen and larger interior one. That could put it closer in size to the Oppo Find N.
A report suggested in April 2023 that Google would source its flexible display panels from Samsung, meaning a 7.6in internal display just like the Galaxy Z Fold 3. It’s also been suggested that some of the panel material – named M13 – will come to the Pixel Fold first before Samsung devices.
Google holds a patent on a hinged smartphone design with a display that folds in multiple places rather than just one. This more out-there designs is a lot further down the line.
