When will Google’s first flexible phone finally come out? The most likely date is now May 10, and it will be available in June. CNBC says it got a hold of Google’s internal marketing papers that show the long-delayed smartphone will come out at Google I/O.
Most of what CNBC says backs up what Roland Quandt and OnLeaks have already said. You can expect a closed-book phone with a 5.8-inch screen that folds out into a 7.6-inch tablet. It will be powered by Google’s Tensor G2 processor and start at more than $1,700, making it a direct rival to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, which costs $1,800.
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But CNBC says they may be different in one important way: the Pixel Fold will have a bigger battery that “Google says will last for 24 hours, or up to 72 hours in a low power mode,” according to leaked papers.
The phone will also be three-quarters of an ounce (about 283g) larger, according to reports. Google is probably going to say that it has “the most durable hinge on a foldable.” This will likely be a jab at Samsung, whose original Galaxy Fold from 2019 was notoriously easy to break, and whose Z Fold 3 from 2021 still had problems.
Google will allegedly also give away a Pixel Watch with each purchase, just like Samsung sometimes does with its folding phones and Galaxy Watches.
I know, I know, I told you not to expect the Pixel Fold at I/O because of what we’d heard about its supply chain, but it looks like Google may have turned things around. Even if they don’t ship on May 10 with Google’s speech, the Pixel Fold won’t come out until June, according to CNBC and Quandt’s earlier leak.
At Google I/O, Google will almost certainly show off Android 14, which should work better with folding phones. There are already public betas available.
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