With Samsung continuing to bet big on the foldable smartphone segment, and no other major consumer electronics player in the sight, the field is ripe for competition. With its latest Galaxy Z Fold 3 device, not only Samsung re-assured of the innovation it will continue to do, it also set a benchmark, stamping how foldable smartphones are the next big revolution in a largely saturated smartphone tech.
And while the likes of Apple still do not seem to be nearing a foldable device launch anytime soon, its Samsung’s Android competitor Google, which is perhaps looking to enter its own line of foldable smartphones.
That’s right, rumours have surfaced about the Google Pixel Fold, which is slated to arrive in the fourth quarter of this year. The same was tweeted by David Naranjo, Senior Director, Display Supply Chain Consultants. This latest addition to Google’s Pixel family is said to feature a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED display.
Naranjo’s tweet included a list of devices that are available or are speculated to feature LTPO OLED displays, and the Google Pixel Fold is mentioned in the list. Hold on to your horses however, as we have not received any kind of official confirmation from Google.
However, the fact that Google had revealed in 2019 that it had started working on foldable smartphone prototypes and that it had provided support for foldable displays in Android 10, may be in the favour of the rolling out of the Google Pixel fold. This also confirms tipster Jon Prosser’s claims in February that the rumours around the development of the Google Pixel Fold were real.
A rumoured Android document had, after all, claimed last year the release of the Google Pixel Fold in Q4 2021 with the codenames “Passport,” “Raven,” and “Oriole.” The final two are speculated to be codenames for the Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro.
What does Google have to say? While the company had confirmed that it was working on foldable prototypes, it is speculated that the finalized model would be folding inwards and the company has declined to state whether it planned to release a foldable phone or whether it is simply testing prototypes to improve Android’s compatibility with existing and upcoming foldable devices on the market. For now, fans have no other option but to wait till October 19 for the giant to unveil the Google Pixel 6 series and shed some light on this issue.
