Google really wants you to buy the Pixel Fold, and has given up on trying to keep it under wraps after so many Pixel Fold leaks. It officially announced the phone’s existence in a tweet co-opting Star Wars Day.
The tweet says, “May the fold be with you,” and links to the Google Store, where you can pre-order the device without even getting a sales pitch.
✨May The Fold Be With You✨https://t.co/g6NUd1DcOJ#GoogleIO #PixelFold
May 10 pic.twitter.com/K8Gk21nmo8— Made by Google (@madebygoogle) May 4, 2023
The sales pitch will come next week at Google I/O 2023, where the company plans to use its typically coder-focused developer conference to show off a bunch of hardware rumoured about in circles for what seems like eons. Seriously, I’m so tired of talking about it. I am excited to see this smartphone surface to air so I don’t have to keep using the words “maybe” and “supposedly.” My fingers are tired. My heart is weary. Just let the foldables run free.
You’ll see a quick eight-second teaser video if you click through to the tweet. The fine print at the bottom says the phone is “coming soon” and that the hardware hasn’t been officially vetted for sale yet. No specifications are tacked on to the teaser, nor pricing or availability. We know from leaks and rumour mongers that the Pixel Fold will most definitely have a bigger battery than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and a slightly wider screen on the front — specifically, a 5.8-inch front display with a 17.4:9 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh rate. The inside display will also supposedly feature a 120Hz refresh rate with a 6:5 aspect ratio. We also know what the main camera hardware will probably be: a 48-MP primary camera, a 10.8-MP ultrawide camera, and a 10.8-MP telephoto lens with up to 5x optical zoom and 20x Super Res Zoom.
Google didn’t mention the price in its tweet, though you can get on the list to pre-order. Expect the Pixel Fold to cost about as much as Samsung’s offerings. It’s been rumoured to be priced at $US1,800 and $US1,920 for the 256GB and 512GB models, respectively. This will likely mean the models will be $3,000-$3,5000 in Australia. Pre-ordering now might also get you some freebies, though Google doesn’t make it explicit through the online store quite yet.
We’ll know everything soon enough. Next week is Google I/O 2023. It starts on May 11 with a live-streamed keynote starting at 3 am AEST revealing everything Google wants us (and interested developers) to know about its products in the future. Stay tuned to Gizmodo Australia for the news.