After months of speculation and a plethora of leaks, Google has finally confirmed the existence of its first foldable device — the Pixel Fold. In celebration of Star Wars Day, the tech giant posted a short teaser video on its social media channels, offering an intriguing glimpse into the device’s design, hinge mechanism, inner display, and software. Accompanying the teaser, Google also hinted at a May 10 announcement, which coincides with the first day of its annual I/O 2023 developer conference. Apart from the Pixel Fold, Google is expected to unveil the Pixel 7a, the successor to the Pixel 6a, and the Pixel Tablet at the event.
A Closer Look at the Google Pixel Fold
The teaser video may be brief, but it provides a comprehensive look at the Pixel Fold, revealing key aspects of its design, hinge, display, and software.
✨May The Fold Be With You✨https://t.co/g6NUd1DcOJ#GoogleIO #PixelFold
May 10 pic.twitter.com/K8Gk21nmo8— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) May 4, 2023
Design and Hinge: The video begins by showcasing what appears to be a chunky camera module at the back, featuring three cameras and an LED flash unit, along with a “mysterious” grille whose purpose remains unconfirmed. We also get a glimpse of the hinge, which, for now, seems to fold the two halves shut without leaving a visible gap.
Inner Display and Software: The inner display of the Pixel Fold is surrounded by a rather thick bezel, reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Fold’s earlier models. This design choice may be attributed to Google’s decision to make the foldable device easier to hold when in tablet mode. The inner selfie camera, which has been the subject of recent leaks, is placed near the top right corner. In terms of software, the layout appears similar to a standard Android 13 homescreen, leaving us eager to discover what optimizations Google has in store for its foldable device.
Outer Display: The teaser video also offers a peek at the outer display, which has its Always on Display feature enabled, concealing the bezel. Notably, the Pixel Fold’s form factor appears closer to Oppo’s Find N2 – shorter and wider when folded – compared to the taller and narrower design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Expected Specifications
According to recent reports, the Pixel Fold will be powered by Google’s current generation Tensor G2 SoC, which also powers the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones. The device is rumored to feature a 120Hz, 5.8-inch OLED outer display (1,080×2,092 pixels) with a 17.4:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz, 7.6-inch inner display (1,840 x 2,208 pixels) with a 6:5 aspect ratio.
Camera-wise, the foldable is expected to have a 48-megapixel primary camera, a 10.8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. For selfies, the device is likely to sport a 9.5-megapixel camera on the outer display and an 8-megapixel camera above the inner display.
