Google Pixel Fold Gets A New Release Rumor

Foldable smartphones may be all the rage in 2022, but there is no denying that one manufacturer — Samsung – dominates this space. The Korean smartphone company continues to sell more foldable handsets than any other manufacturer, and it has been consistently doing that for over three years, having launched its latest foldable phone a few weeks ago. Samsung's success comes despite rivals like Huawei, Honor, Oppo, and Motorola trying their luck with various foldable smartphone models. However, a combination of reasons — from lack of availability in international markets to unfinished software — has prevented these companies from posing any threat to Samsung.

Aiding Samsung's luck was the fact that Google has been delaying the launch of its foldable smartphone for a long time now. Google's foldable phone — dubbed the Pixel Fold — was initially planned for a fall 2021 launch. However, Google abruptly canceled its launch before deciding to abandon the project. Then, much to everyone's surprise, Google revived the project in 2022, with some reports discussing the possibility of a launch by the end of this year. New information, however, points toward the likelihood of the Google Pixel Fold making it to consumers' hands in 2023.

While it's too early to comment on what the hardware on the Google Pixel Fold may look like, a NY Times report reiterates the possibility of the device being made in China. Given the complex engineering that goes behind making foldable phones, Google seems to be wanting the device to be produced in factories that are located in areas that have an established supply chain, which — as things stand now — happens to include China. The advantages of choosing such locations are manifold. Apart from reducing the cost of logistics, such a move also helps companies source and replace faulty parts with relative ease.

While companies like Google and Apple have been reluctant to offload the production of some of their more advanced models to manufacturing plants located in countries like India and Vietnam, even this is gradually changing. Apple is expected to start manufacturing its upcoming iPhone 14 models at factories located in India. While likely depending on China to make the Pixel Fold, Google is projected to move the production of a chunk of its upcoming Pixel 7 series devices to Vietnam.

While China continues to be an attractive manufacturing hub for these brands, recent supply chain disruptions and the rising tensions between China and the West seem to have made them wary about putting most of their eggs in the Chinese basket.