We’ve been hearing about a Google Pixel Fold for a while now, but we’re finally starting to get some real info on the phone, the latest being the possible price.
This comes from 9to5Google, which also recently revealed that the phone could be called Pixel Notepad. According to two independent sources “familiar with Google’s ongoing planning”, the Pixel Notepad will apparently cost around $1,400 (about £1,040 / AU$1,960).
As always, conversions won’t be accurate, but that US price would make it significantly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3’s $1,799 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 starting price. significantly more expensive than the Google Pixel 6 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
The site also claims that the Pixel Fold will be available internationally by the end of 2022. However, there will apparently be a gap between US and international launches. We assume the US launch would come first in this case, so you might not have to wait until the end of the year to get Google’s foldable there, or to see it announced.
Finally, the site reiterates previous spec claims, including that the Pixel Notepad will have the same 12.2MP camera as the Pixel 5 (rather than the Pixel 6’s 50MP), as the latter snapper is a more thick, so less well suited to a foldable.
This will apparently be joined by a 12MP ultra-wide camera, along with two 8MP selfie cameras (likely one for each display). The phone is said to be powered by a Google Tensor chipset (like the Pixel 6 line) and sport a design closer to the Oppo Find N than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 – meaning it’s short and wide rather than tall and narrow.
We’d take all of this with an appropriate amount of salt, especially since it looks like the foldable Pixel might not land for several months – so there’s plenty of time for details to change.
Analysis: The Pixel Notepad will compete with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, not the Fold 3
While a lower price than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is promising, it probably won’t be the main competitor to the Google Pixel Notepad. On the contrary, it will probably compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
That device hasn’t been announced yet either, but should land around August or September, and it’s rumored to have one or two under-display cameras, a durable design, and a camera setup similar to the Samsung Galaxy S22.
We haven’t heard much else yet, but it’s definitely a flagship phone, and it could also cost less than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 at launch, so it could prove to be a tough rival.
