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| Google Pixel Fold |
Foldable devices have become the future that awaits us for smartphones, as all companies have begun to invest in and develop this technology to compete in it and establish their feet in the latest technology trends, as these devices have already begun to make great progress in the past two years.
Devices such as the Samsung Galaxy ZFold 3 showed great promises with a technology that is considered the most advanced, as Samsung was able to provide a semi-integrated experience without sacrificing even water resistance, which ignited the fire of competition in this field, especially after Samsung achieved large profits from a technology that some may think is unfair. Market ready yet.
And now it's Google's turn to make its mark in the world of foldable devices, as rumors indicate that Google is preparing to enter this emerging market from its widest doors. Very exciting.
Why do we think Google is working on a foldable device?
There is no confirmed information about the exact release date of the Pixel Fold phone, nor even the company's work on it. Google has not originally confirmed that it intends to launch a foldable device; But in 2020, some leaked internal documents from Google spread, which indicate the emergence of a foldable device in the fourth quarter of 2021, a prediction that was repeatedly made by important figures in the world of technology and economics such as Ross Young and John Prosser, as well as from news sites. Reliable.
We expected that the Google foldable phone would be officially unveiled at the October event where we saw the launch of the Pixel 6 series, but unfortunately, Google disappointed us and its focus was on the Pixel 6 family only, which raised questions about whether it will appear this year or the next; Since Google does not usually run any other launch events at the end of the year.
It is true that Pixel Fold also did not appear at the Google I / O developer conference last May, but it was revealed indirectly when the first beta version of Android 12 was released, where a user discovered a code that includes the names of all Pixel 6 devices. Which was officially revealed, and among them was the name “Passport”, which was classified as a foldable phone from the Pixel family.
Android 12.1 launched, and the reason is to support the foldable phone experience
We're not used to Google releasing minor versions of Android updates. The last time it rolled out a sub-update was Android 8.1 which was intended for low-spec phones, and since then Google has taken a consistent approach by releasing only one major update each year.
Now, Google has released Android 12.1, which it later called “Android 12L” and is specifically directed at large screens, whether it is tablet screens, foldable devices, or even Chromebook computers.
The launch of a sudden version of Android to support foldable devices is the biggest evidence that Google is preparing to compete strongly, otherwise why the rush with version 12.1 while it is possible to wait to support this new technology in Android 13 anyway?
Android 12L official release timeline
Google developers also announced the time map for the release of Android 12L, to note that the final version will be in March 2022, which is a logical time period for Google to be able to complete work on its foldable phone and reveal it on this date, perhaps at the I / O conference next year!
The “Passport” we talked about is not the only foldable phone that Google is working on, according to some reliable sources, Google is already working on another device called “Jumbojack”, But it hasn't been confirmed if this is a release-specific version or just a model that Google is working on internally to test Android support for foldable devices.
There is some other speculation that Google is already working on two devices, and that the nickname "Jumbojack" indicates that Google is working on a device that folds vertically, while "Passport" offers the casual experience, as in the case of the Galaxy Fold and Flip devices.
Samsung sells foldable screens to Google
Getting the right screen type will be a very important task for Google, as we have already seen how difficult it is to avoid screen wrinkling as the panels fold or break, which was a disaster for the first generation of Galaxy Z Fold phones, as one of the early leaks indicates that Google It will stick to the path followed by the Samsung series, as Samsung already supplies it with foldable screens, according to a source who confirmed that Samsung sells foldable screens to Google in addition to other companies such as Xiaomi and Oppo, and Google is said to have purchased a 7.6-inch foldable OLED screen, which is the same used in a fold 3 phone.
In fact, there is no definite idea at all in this regard, the prices are still somewhat ambiguous for this category of devices and the only sure thing is that it will not be cheap, as all the foldable devices released so far cost more than $ 1000, with the status of Those prices in mind, any device that Google launches in this category in 2021 is likely to start at a great price.
However, we cannot rule out the idea that the Google foldable phone will be the cheapest Pixel Fold in its class, and this is after Google revealed the prices of the Pixel 6, which were less than everyone's expectations, it is clear that Google cares about the budget and does not want to focus on the exorbitant prices in its devices, So will this be the first foldable phone we might really be able to consider buying?
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