We have some rather sad news for all of those Google fans who were eagerly waiting for the launch of the Google Pixel Fold. Unfortunately, it seems that the company has decided to wait a bit longer to enter the foldable phone segment, as its device may not be ready to compete against the most popular devices in the market.
According to information from DSCC, Google has decided to put the Google Pixel Fold on hold. The company seems to believe that its foldable option won’t be as fantastic to compete against Samsung’s devices in the United States and Europe.
“DSCC has confirmed with its supply chain sources that Google has decided not to bring the Pixel Fold to market. Not in 2021 and reportedly not in the first half of 2022. Our sources indicated that Google believed the product wouldn’t be as competitive as it needed to be. They likely figured that competing against Samsung in the US and Europe in a small niche market facing higher costs than their primary competitor, would stack the odds against this project. I point out regional differences as in China, where Samsung is not as strong, we do expect to see many competing products with similar form factors from Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei and Honor.”
The Google Pixel Fold was rumored to feature an LTPO display with variable refresh rates that could go up to 120Hz, and a similar footprint to the one of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, rumors also suggested that the camera in the Pixel Fold was going to be a step back in Google’s camera evolution, as this device would’ve packed the same IMX363 12.2MP sensor that has been present in Pixel devices since the launch of the Pixel 3. So if Google fans wanted a camera upgrade, their best option would be the latest Pixel 6 series.
Previous information led us to believe that the Google Pixel Fold would arrive before the end of 2021. Still, it seems that we may have to wait a bit longer to see a new foldable phone that may compete with Samsung in the US and Europe, as the Chinese foldable options will most likely focus on the Chinese market, where Samsung isn’t that strong.
Source DSCC