Google is reportedly postponing the purported ‘Pixel Notepad’ aka Pixel Fold foldable beyond 2022, according to a new report.
While the foldable Pixel phone was unsurprisingly a no show during the Google I/O keynote (which previewed 2022’s hardware line-up), Google may have given us a glimpse of the potential Galaxy Z Fold 3 rival before the year is out.
However, South Korean tech site The Elec’s sources (via 9to5Google) say Google is pushing back the device for a second year running. The report says the hardware has so far failed to meet the company’s internal expectations.
Considering the issues Samsung initially had with its first and second generation foldable, it’s understandable Google may be having issues mastering the complex form factor. A rush job would do more damage than good, but a Pixel foldable could do wonders for the sector, given the work Google is doing on Android for larger displays.
Previous reports have suggested the device will have a 7.57-inch fold out display, as well as a 5.8-inch outer display. While the cameras may be on a par with the Pixel 6a, the internals could be flagship-class and rock the second-generation (or newer, if Google waits until 2023) of the Tensor processor.
Trusted Take
Google recently unveiled a preview of a Pixel Tablet it plans to launch in 2023, with very little specifics. If the company was planning a foldable, there’d have been little harm in at least telling people that its on the way, in much the same short-on-detail, high-on-excitement style. It could have also encouraged people to hang fire on a foldable, rather than snap up one of Samsung’s forthcoming updates, or others from a myriad of Android-based manufacturers exploring the sector.
However, the decision not to serve up a preview tells us one of two things; it’s so far off Google doesn’t want to even commit to next year, or the device has been scrapped altogether. We’d say it’s probably the former.
It is a shame though, given the work Google is putting in via Android 12L and Android 13 to make the operating system far more suited for foldable and tablets. The outer display running standard Android and the fold out section running the ‘L’ variant would be seriously neat.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
