Google Foldable Phone Is Being Developed But Don't Hold Your Breath

Samsung can be credited for having singularly excited the market over foldable phones and then killed the mood. Its fiasco with the Galaxy Fold, which may not even ship at all, has made both consumers and manufacturers think twice about the prospects of foldable phones. That's not stopping them from playing around with prototypes. Google is apparently one of those but the Android maker is cautioning people not to expect a Pixel Fold anytime soon.

Google, of course, has many internal experiments though it isn't known for jumping on phone trends that fast. It also seemed uncharacteristic that it was already preparing Android for a foldable future even before the first foldable phone hit the market. And yet, here we are with Android Q Beta 3 and its Screen Continuity feature to support that exact use case.

Pixel chief Mario Queiroz admits that Google has been experimenting with foldable form factors but downplays its significance. They've been doing it for a long time now, he says, but they're not in a rush to market, unlike Samsung and Huawei. That's mostly because they don't believe there's a clear use case for one just yet.

The first batch of foldable phones is being marketed to those that want bigger screens but don't want to carry yet another device. Queiroz says there needs to be more innovation than just that, something that will make consumers feel the need to have one rather than just being nice to have. That's especially true if you'll be paying $2,000 for one.

This revelation will most likely raise questions on whether Google's ideal foldable phone is an innie or an outie. The Android Q video above suggests the former but, then again, Google did collaborate with Samsung on the Galaxy Fold. For Google, it's nothing to be excited about just yet and they'd rather people be more excited about its newly launched Pixel 3a and 3a XL phones.