Google’s foldable phone, the Pixel Fold, will be closer to OPPO’s Find N in appearance than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. The media has been tracking the development of this foldable phone for more than a year. At present, the aircraft has two independent internal codenames, namely “Passport” and “Pipit”. While the final name is far from certain, we’ll call it the Pixel Fold for the sake of simplicity.
Evidence suggests that the Pixel Fold will shrink in terms of cameras compared to the Pixel 6. It is also confirmed that the Pixel Fold will use the same Google Tensor (GS101) chip as the Pixel 6 series. Late last year, reports surfaced that Google was canceling parts orders for the production of the Pixel Fold, suggesting the device would not be hitting the market. However, we now have reason to believe that development work continues.
In Android 12L Beta 2 released today, 9to5Google has spotted a new animation describing how to insert a SIM card into a foldable phone. They look similar to the animations used when setting up the Pixel today during the phase where the phone asks for a SIM or eSIM. What’s more, the code for this animation mentions the Pixel Fold’s “Pipit” codename.
The first animation above shows a folded device with a somewhat stout shape and a prominent volume rocker on the right. On the left, we can see what appears to be a hinge, while the SIM card tray is mounted on the bottom. We believe this animation will describe the Pixel Fold’s smaller external display.
Meanwhile, the second animation depicts the same device in a wider, expanded state. Along the top and bottom, there is a small groove where the hinges are. With this new view of the same SIM card installation process, we can conclude that the SIM card tray is located in the same half of the phone as the external display. Sadly, no other ports or button locations on the Pixel Fold have been revealed.
These animations that may be related to the Pixel Fold, aside from a strong indication that the Pixel Fold is still in active development, were added between Android 12L Beta 1 and Beta 2, and what surprised us most was the shape of the device described.
So far, many have been expecting Google’s Pixel Fold to be similar in size and shape to the Galaxy Fold, with a roughly 22.5:18 aspect ratio. Instead, these animations show that the Pixel Fold is visually similar to the recently released OPPO Find N foldable, which has an almost 8.4:9 aspect ratio.
Through careful measurements, 9to5Google believes that the ratio of the internal display of the described device is roughly 7:8. The Pixel Fold was originally rumored to have a 7.6-inch inner screen compared to the Oppo Find N with a 7.1-inch inner screen.