Samsung and Huawei kicked the foldable smartphone market during MWC 2019. It proved to be a truly challenging market due to all the difficulties involving the build of these handsets. However, by the end of that year, both companies managed to deliver their products. In 2020, Samsung proved that it is ready to mass manufacture a multitude of folding smartphones and expanded its portfolio with a clamshell-like Galaxy Flip. Huawei, on the other hand, had to wait until this week to launch its second folding handset, due to the ban situation. While the Korean firm has the segment under its belt, more companies are set to join this segment soon. Among them, we have Google with its so-called Google Pixel Fold.
Apparently, the search giant is already exploring the foldable display technologies for a future foldable Pixel. Google never was one of the most cutting-edge companies in terms of hardware. A good example is the last year’s Google Pixel 5 that left the flagship segment behind in favor of a mid-range Snapdragon 765G. It’s curious to see Google exploring a market that for now is marked with “niche” and “super-expensive” smartphones. According to reputed leakster, Jon Prosser, the company is really working on a folding Pixel phone.
the google pixel “fold” is a real thing
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 25, 2021
Gizchina News of the week
The leakster has a good track record when it comes to Apple-related leaks. Now, he seems to have some bits to share regarding the Pixel lineup. According to him “The Google Pixel Fold”. In a reply to a tweet asking when the phone will launch, he states that it will arrive late this year or early next year. It’s uncommon to see Google launching devices in the beginning of a year, but apparently, this can change with the Pixel Fold. Of course, this is just a tentative name right now. It may come with a different moniker.
late this year / early next year
— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) February 25, 2021
Google is building folding smartphone support since Android 10
The search giant added support for foldable phones with the release of Android 10. The operating system has native support for foldable devices with different folding patterns. Features such as app continuity, resizable apps, and multi-window support for more than two apps are present in Android. Most of them become available in a smartphone with a foldable display. We expect more features to keep coming with the upcoming Android versions to improve the usability of devices of this kind.
Interestingly, yesterday, reports indicated that Samsung will make foldable OLED displays for Xiaomi, Google, and Oppo. This further confirms that Google is really playing with the development of a folding smartphone. The display will likely come with a high-refresh-rate. However, it’s unclear right now, which kind of form factor Google will adopt with its foldable phone.
