Google isn’t giving up on the foldable smartphone game just yet, and the Pixel Fold 2 is rumored. The news that attracts the most attention is that Android AuthorityMishaal Rahman, who claims to have a live image of an “early prototype” of the Pixel Fold 2.
A lot of things are different about the Fold 2, starting with the rear camera bump. In every Pixel review, we praise the trademark camera stick for 1) looking good and 2) having a symmetrical design that gives the phone a stable base when placed on a table, and this prototype pulls both of those things off. The alleged Pixel Fold 2 prototype, like everyone else in the industry, switches to a curved back design with the camera unit in the top left corner of the phone. It’s hard to tell what happened to the camera stack, but it now has room for four camera lenses instead of the usual three. In the photo, the inscription in the upper left looks almost empty, but this may just be a place for the laser autofocus sensor.
One justification for the bulky camera block could be that the device is narrower and no longer has room for a full-length camera panel. “The cover screen is narrower, but more importantly the aspect ratio of the inner screen is closer to square,” the report says. One of the best parts of the Pixel Fold design was that it opened up to a widescreen device and had enough horizontal room to display the tablet app layout. If you’re in the “must turn into a foldable tablet” camp, then the square screen will disappoint. The other option, which basically follows the Galaxy Fold series, is “must open to show side-by-side phone apps,” and the square screen puts you more in that camp. You could argue that a square foldable is the more practical choice, given the lack of Android tablet apps. I’d argue that the Pixel line should be aspirational, and folding devices aren’t ready for the “practicality” argument given all the durability issues that still plague the devices.
Although there is no image of the internal display, it now has an in-display camera. The Fold 1 hid the camera in the bezel, resulting in a wide bezel around the edges.
There is a chance that this design will be changed before it goes into production. Android Authority says that “The phone is still in the early stages of development, so it’s unclear if this is the final design,” and that this isn’t the normal way Pixel phones get leaked. Usually, we first see a render that shows the design is locked and case makers are ready to begin their designs, thanks to CAD files leaked by the accessory ecosystem. This can be a test to choose a direction. This changes most of the things we liked about the Pixel Fold 1, so we’re hoping for a design fix.
A second Android Authority report It says the Pixel Fold 2 will skip Google’s Tensor G3 and go straight to the G4 chip, which suggests the phone is launching later than usual. The Pixel Fold 1 had a kind of awkward place at Google. It shipped with the Tensor G2 at the end of June, and just three months later, the Tensor G3 came out with the Pixel 8. Google’s most expensive phone didn’t have Google’s fastest chip for most of its shelf life. Aligning the Fold 2 with the G4 launch suggests the phone will launch alongside the Pixel 9 in October. The later launch will also give Google more time to revise the design.
List of images Android Authority