Google Pixel Fold just tipped delayed

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Google Pixel Fold phone isn’t coming out this year.

(Image credit: Waqar Khan | Remix via Nick Bush)

Google’s anticipated foldable, the Pixel Fold, appears to have been pushed from the “on again” to “off again” column by a fresh story.

This year, the Pixel Fold, or the Pixel Notepad, was said to be in production and expected to be released later this year. One South Korean news outlet reports that Google would delay the release of its first foldable phone.

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The Elec cites “people knowledgeable with the subject” as saying that the Pixel Fold was not ready to compete with other foldable smartphones. The long-rumored device is now on the sidelines.

Consider this tweet from Ross Young(opens in new tab) of Display Supply Chain Consultants if you’re not convinced by what The Elec has to say. As a result of reports from the supply chain, the Google foldable launch has been postponed. According to Young, the Pixel Fold has been postponed until the spring of 2023.

This is the second time Google has purportedly halted the development of a foldable phone, according to a report. In November of last year, reports surfaced that the Pixel Fold had been scrapped after being expected to arrive in the near future. A new batch of reports surfaced almost shortly after that stated that the project was revived and that Google planned to release it in late 2022, maybe at the same time as the Pixel 7.

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Google confirmed the Pixel 7’s arrival at Google I/O 2022 earlier this month. There was also an early look at the Pixel 6a cheap phone and the Pixel tablet that isn’t expected to be released until 2023. At I/O, there was no talk about foldable phones. This suggests that the Pixel Fold isn’t as far advanced as other foldable phones.

It was previously speculated that Google’s Pixel Fold phone would have a cover panel that could be opened to expose a larger display. According to The Elec, Google’s foldable phone is expected to have a 7.57-inch primary screen and a 5.78-inch display on the phone’s outside surface when it launches in 2019. In order to keep the phone closed, an ultra-thin glass cover would be placed over the display.

It sounds a lot like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3, which also has a 7.6-inch inside display, if you’re familiar with the finest foldable phones. (The 6.2-inch cover display on the Fold is a little larger than the Pixel Fold’s rumoured size.) A folding phone from Google would have to compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, which is slated to be released in the second half of the year. You can see why Google is being cautious about releasing the Pixel Fold at this time.

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Currently, Samsung dominates the foldable phone industry, but we’ve heard that other manufacturers, such as Motorola, are working on competing handsets, such as the Razr III. As of now, it doesn’t appear that Google will be one of those opponents.

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