Google Pixel Fold Release Date to Push Through With 2021 Release, Production of OLED Screen Starts in October

Google Pixel Fold phone will continue its production and release this year. Google may have stopped the production of Pixel Watch, but its foldable phone Pixel Fold will be on the way this year.

The leak posted on August 2020 revealed that Google was planning to release its first-ever folding Pixel phone in late 2021.

Google Pixel Fold Phone Release

According to the site TheElec, Samsung will start production of folding OLED panels this October for Google, Xiaomi, and Vivo's upcoming folding phones, all of which will be revealed in late 2021.

Google has not exactly kept its folding phone plans a secret. In 2019, the company published patent applications for its own folding screens and admitted that it had been prototyping the patents for a while now.

Google told CNET in an interview that it did not have a clear use case yet. Now, it seems like Google has a foldable that could be nearly ready to announce.

According to 9to5Google, the codename of the patent at the time was Passport. In May, a new reference was spotted in Android 12's code, alongside other codenames believed to be the upcoming Pixel 6 and Pixel 5a 5G.

TheElec stated that it will have a single 7.6-inch panel that folds inward, while Vivo's upcoming phone will have an 8-inch main screen and a 6.5-inch outer display. It did not mention the size of the new Xiaomi phone's screen.

However, it is not clear whether a Pixel Fold would come with a display designed by Google itself, though it is possible. Samsung acts as a contract manufacturer for many other companies, producing some of Apple's homegrown processors as an example.

Either way, one part of the screen's sandwich may still largely belong to Samsung itself. ETNews reports that Samsung will supply its proprietary ultra-thin cover glass to other smartphone manufacturers, and Google is expected to use it.

Xiaomi already announced a folding phone earlier this year called Mi Mix Fold. TheElec stated that Oppo will be delaying a new foldable phone to 2022, with a 7.1-inch main screen and a smaller outer one between 1.5 and 2 inches diagonally.

Google Pixel Fold Rumored Details

Aside from the release date, the possible price of the foldable phone was also questioned. Based on the price range that Google has attached to its other foldable phones, there is a direction that Google might go in when it comes to the rate.

Right now, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 2 is $1,799, while Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola Razr 5G are $1,199 and $1,399, respectively. With Google's traditional pricing, Pixel Fold may be closer to the $1,000 mark.

As for the design, Google's design plans for the Pixel Fold come from multiple patent filings that Google has made for foldable devices.

One patent shows a device that opens on a hinge to reveal a larger screen, with the ability to slide out an additional display for the added screen. One patent also shows a device that could fold in three places, although it is not confirmed if it is what the Pixel Fold would look like.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster