We’re still a way out from the launch of the Pixel 5, but obviously the phone business doesn’t just look a few months ahead. No doubt there are years of Pixel devices in the pipeline, and apparently one of them is a foldable device codenamed ‘passport’.
The documents, which have been reviewed by 9to5Google, make note of four Pixel devices: the Pixel 5a (barbette), which has already been hinted at in Android’s source code, and two other first party devices currently known as ‘raven’ and ‘oriole’. Apparently the Pixel 5a is set for a Q2 2021 release, while raven and oriole are set for Q4 – suggesting at least one of them is a Pixel 6 model.
There’s no word on when ‘passport’ would be released, but the documents specifically refer to it as a foldable. The fact that it’s listed alongside past and future Pixel devices suggests it’s a consumer model, meaning we might be on the cusp of Google releasing the foldable Pixel that’s been rumoured for as long as foldables have been a thing.
Last year Google confirmed it was ‘prototyping the technology’, suggesting it was far from ready for release. But then again none of them were last May, not even the Galaxy Fold that has been announced a few months earlier. But with other companies making strides with foldables (read: actually releasing them to the public), it makes sense that Google would be homing in on a consumer-ready device as well.
The only question now is how much such a device would cost. A lot, we’re guessing. [9to5Google]