Update (November 14, 3:40 pm ET): This article has been updated with a tweet from analyst Ross Young of Display Supply Chain Consultants.
What you need to know
- A slew of rumored Google Pixel Fold renders has surfaced online.
- The leak reveals a wider foldable phone in its unfolded form, making it look more like the Oppo Find N than a Galaxy Z Fold model.
- Google's unannounced foldable phone could cost similarly to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and may debut in May 2023.
Google's silence on the rumored foldable Pixel model almost dashed our hopes of ever seeing a Galaxy Fold challenger from the search giant, but leaks and rumors have thankfully kept them alive. A new, massive leak may prove that the Pixel Fold isn't just a pipe dream.
Jon Prosser, who leaked the Pixel 6 and Pixel Watch designs, is back with another leak, this time spilling the beans on the unannounced Google Pixel Fold, which could also be called the Pixel Notepad (this is apparently still up in the air). Prosser has shared a bunch of supposed renders of the foldable device via his website, Frontpagetech. These 3D renders are said to be based on images provided by Prosser's anonymous sources. If these are correct, we are seeing Google's first foldable smartphone from almost every angle for the first time.
By looking at the renders, it's immediately clear that the Pixel Fold may borrow design cues from the Google Pixel 7 Pro's rear camera visor, with a bar that spans the top of the back panel. According to earlier rumors, the phone would use a Sony IMX787 sensor for the primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide shooter, and a 10MP telephoto sensor.
It also looks like Google's contender for the best foldable phones will look more like the Oppo Find N than a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold model. In comparison to the narrower Galaxy Z Fold 4 and previous models, the renders suggest a wider phone when fully opened out. Previous rumors claimed that it would use a Samsung display and feature a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
This has been backed up by Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. In response to Frontpagetech's tweet about its leak, Young chimed in by saying that both the interior and exterior screens will be manufactured by Samsung Display. The analyst added that the inner screen will measure 7.57 inches, while the outer screen will be 5.78 inches.
The inner display also appears to have large bezels, supposedly housing a 9.5MP selfie shooter. Meanwhile, it can be seen that the top center of the exterior screen has a punch-hole cutout for another selfie snapper of the same resolution, which is more useful when the phone is folded.
Frontpagetech and Prosser also claim that the phone will have a similar price tag as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 — $1,799. This is contrary to previous speculations that the foldable phone would be "cheap" at $1,400. The device might ship in two color variants: Chalk (white) and Obsidian (black). Prosser's sources have also claimed that Google will finally unveil the Pixel Fold in May of next year, likely coinciding with the launch of the Pixel Tablet and Google I/O 2023.
Android Central has reached out to Google for comment and will update this article when we hear back. For the time being, take this leak with a pinch of salt, as the Mountain View-based company has yet to confirm the Pixel Fold.
