Google's First Foldable Phone 'Pixel Fold' Unveiled... Will It Change the Market Landscape?

Thinner than Galaxy Fold 4 but Heavier
Sales Begin in June... Korean Release Date Uncertain

Google's first foldable smartphone, the 'Pixel Fold,' has been unveiled. As the OS powerhouse Google reveals its foldable phone, the foldable phone market is expected to grow rapidly.

On the 10th (local time), Google showcased new smart devices, including its first foldable smartphone Pixel Fold, at the annual developer conference (I/O) held at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California.

Google Pixel Fold

The Pixel Fold resembles the Galaxy Z Fold4 in appearance. The internal screen has a diagonal length of 7.6 inches, and it features a 5.8-inch external display. The refresh rate is 120Hz, the same as the Fold4, providing fast and smooth screen transitions. When folded, its width, height, and thickness are 139.7×79.5×12.1mm, and when unfolded, 139.7×158.7×5.8mm. Considering that the Fold4 measures 155.1×67.1×15.8mm when folded, the Pixel Fold is shorter in length but wider in width. The Pixel Fold is also thinner.

The Pixel Fold is thinner than the Fold4 but has a larger battery capacity of 4821mAh compared to the Fold4's 4400mAh. However, it weighs 283g, which is 20g heavier than the Fold4 (263g).

On the rear, it is equipped with a 48-megapixel main camera, a 10.8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 5x zoom telephoto camera. The front camera is 8 megapixels. The main camera has a lower resolution than the Fold4's 50-megapixel camera. The telephoto camera performs better than the Fold4's 10-megapixel 3x zoom camera.

The application processor (AP), which acts as the smartphone's brain, uses Google's Tensor G2. Industry experts believe its performance will be inferior to the Fold4, which is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. There are also criticisms for using the same chip as the mid-range Pixel 7a. The RAM is 12GB, the same as the Fold4. The price is $1799 (about 2.38 million KRW) for 256GB and $1919 (about 2.54 million KRW) for 512GB, the same as the Fold4. Pre-orders started on the same day, with release scheduled for next month. The Korean release date is undecided.

Given its strength in the Android OS, there is high interest in the Pixel Fold's software. Foldable phones are still considered problematic in software usage because mobile software manufacturers have developed programs with bar-type phones in mind. However, many expect Google's phone to be different. Still, it is disappointing that it does not support the three-way split screen like the Fold4. Google optimized about 50 apps to utilize the Pixel Fold's display. They demonstrated features such as watching videos with the Pixel Fold half-open and taking photos. In the second half of the year, it is expected to be updated to Android 14, significantly improving performance by supporting features like 'Dual Screen Translation,' which uses both screens of the foldable phone to translate conversations in real time.

Until now, the foldable phone market has been dominated by Samsung Electronics, with Chinese manufacturers following. With Google's entry, the market is expected to grow rapidly. Global market research firm IDC forecasts foldable smartphone shipments to increase by 50.5% year-on-year to 21.4 million units this year. Samsung Electronics is expected to respond to Google by unveiling its foldable series somewhat earlier than before, around the end of July.