Samsung has been paving the way in the last four-years for the future of smartphones. Google wants to change that. Google announced Wednesday that its first foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold will be available this summer for a pricey $1,799(PS1,749).
Google unveiled its newest product, along with a cheaper version of its flagship, the Pixel 7A. They also revealed an updated Pixel Tablet, and some new features for Android 14.
Here’s what you need to know: Google Pixel Fold: First Hands-on Look
Google’s announcement of a foldable smartphone can be viewed as another sign that the current version is outdated and in need of an update. Samsung released its first foldable smartphone nearly four years ago. Since then, every major manufacturer of smartphones has followed suit.
Google has been a major holdout, but this is changing. Brian Rakowski says that now is the time to launch foldables because many of the problems associated with early foldables, including software optimization and design, have been resolved.
Rakowski explained that the device is inherently more expensive. We wanted to make sure that if someone was going to purchase a high-end device, it worked well.
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Google’s Pixel Fold is a promising device. I have only had a few moments with it, but already I can see that they are working on some innovative ideas. Google’s foldable phone vision is all about productivity and multitasking, just like the Galaxy Z Fold 4! Google’s foldable phone is similar to Samsung’s, in that it’s a book-style device that can be transformed from a smartphone into a tablet. Google faces many of the same challenges as other companies in the industry. For example, reducing the overall thickness and removing the crease. The Pixel Fold does have some advantages in terms of design and software.
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It is unclear whether the Pixel Fold can be convincing enough to boost the foldable market, which is still in its infancy. International Data Corporation estimates that foldable phones will only account for 1.2% of global smartphone market shares in 2022. Samsung is a serious competitor to Google, even though this market is still relatively young.
Samsung, the leading brand of foldable phones, is the leader in the space of foldable smartphones, with 62% market share as of the first six months of 2022. Google has a lot of work to do.
The Pixel Fold’s screen is larger than that of the Galaxy Z Fold 4
Google is hoping that the Pixel Fold will address my biggest concern about the Galaxy Z Fold 4: its thickness and the shape of the cover screen, which is noticeably narrower than a regular phone’s screen. Samsung’s foldable phone can feel awkward when it is closed due to its thickness and its shape, which is noticeably smaller than a normal phone screen.
Google has made improvements in both areas. The Galaxy Z Fold has a 5.8-inch display, but the Galaxy Z Fold is much wider. This should make it easier to use apps and navigate the interface. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 looks more like an Oppo Find N2, as had been suggested by leaks.
When closed, the Pixel Fold feels thicker than your typical phone. The Pixel Fold is completely closed when it is shut. There’s no gap at the hinge. This gives the Pixel Fold a more sleek look when compared to the Z Fold.
When I opened the Pixel Fold, however, I noticed that when framing the inner 7.6-inch screen, the bezels were thicker than the ones found on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 The crease on the Z Fold 4 is also visible.
The Pixel Fold is a high-end smartphone with a lot of hardware. The Pixel Fold, like the rest of Google’s Pixel phone line-up, runs on Tensor G2’s processor. The Pixel Fold also features a triple lens camera system, with a 48 megapixel main camera and a 10.8 megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom as well as a 20x electronic zoom. Also included is a 10.8 megapixel ultrawide lens.
You may wonder why a Pixel Fold that costs as much as the Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t come with a camera as good as the Pixel 7 Pro. This phone features a 50-megapixel sensor with larger pixels and a 12-megapixel camera ultrawide, as well as a 48-megapixel camera telephoto that can zoom 5x optically or 30x digitally.
Rakowski said that Google had to compromise to fit the camera sensors in the device. The device measures less than six millimeters when it is opened.
He said that the 7 Pro was two-thirds as thick. It was quite a challenge for the engineers to fit everything in.
Google Pixel Fold software: Google’s promising ideas
The Pixel Fold may have a dual-screen display, but it’s not much use without the software that can take full advantage of the screens. Google’s ideas about how to make the Fold’s dual screens useful are interesting based on what I have seen.
Google, for example, is considering how the interior and exterior screens could work together to perform tasks such as language translation. Google showed how it could work using Google Translate. Hold the phone open so the outer screen faces the person to whom you are speaking, and the inner screen faces you. Google Translate displays the translated results on the cover screen, so the person speaking the foreign language can see what you’ve said. The response of the person is displayed on an inner screen that faces you.
It’s not a mainstream scenario, but it is a good example of how foldables can be used in situations that would be impossible on a phone with just one screen. Google also uses these two screens in its camera. The cover screen is used as a viewfinder when the main rear camera is being used to take selfies with the phone open.
The Pixel Fold also has a lot of multitasking features that we’ve seen in other tablets and foldables, like the Galaxy Z Fold. This includes split-screen applications, a horizontal toolbar, drag-and drop support for using apps together, and the capability to divide apps into the top and bottom of the screen if the device is folded half way. Google calls it “tabletop mode” and is essentially Samsung’s “flex modes.”
Google says its top 50 apps are also optimized for the Pixel Fold. Remember, this is referring to Google’s apps and not the top Google Play Store apps.
Google Pixel Fold – Early thoughts
The Pixel Fold looks promising but its price is likely to make it difficult for many people to buy. Google’s Pixel phones have been very competitive in pricing, so I hoped that the Pixel Fold would follow suit.
Rakowski explained that lowering the price of foldables is difficult because they are more complex and larger devices. They also have more components. Rakowski believes that prices will come down as manufacturing processes improve.
He said that the story is very similar to what happened when smartphones were introduced. As you find ways to optimize, mass produce, and get better yields over time, the cost of certain components will come down.
It’s still exciting to see the variety of foldable phones, and to see Samsung compete with other manufacturers. Google is likely to add new features as more people use their Pixel Folds, just like it does with its Pixel phones. This is more exciting than new hardware.
Google’s moves could give Samsung more motivation to expand the capabilities of its own foldables, hopefully leading to more innovation (and lower prices) for foldables in general. Google’s move could also give Samsung more incentive to improve the capabilities of their own foldables. This will hopefully lead to more innovation and lower prices for foldables.
