We've been tracking the Pixel Fold for months, and recent leaks have seemed to point toward a Google I/O 2023 announcement on May 10. Now, after Google unexpectedly tweeted a render video and set a product page live, the foldable has gone official.
Google's social team did its best to shoehorn a May the Fourth Star Wars reference into its announcement tweet, but the real fun is in that gorgeous 3D product render. With the light reflecting off its polished metal frame and fold-flat hinge, you can almost forgive the comically large bezels on the Pixel Fold's internal display. Almost.
Important details you might have missed show up in the fine print at the bottom of this teaser. The device is "Coming soon," but Google points out it hasn't been cleared for sale by regulatory bodies — though we recently saw the Pixel Fold pass through the FCC, so authorization should be granted shortly. Still, this points to a product launch sometime after the unveiling at Google I/O on May 10 — potentially closer to a mid-summer availability timeframe.
Meanwhile, a Pixel Fold product page has gone live on the Google Store. Nothing new is revealed here, but the page confirms an I/O 2023 unveiling and offers a link to sign up for updates on the Pixel Fold and other products from the Google Store.
Going off the latest leaks, we expect the Pixel Fold to be a solid competitor to Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5. Google's offering should have a Tensor G2 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB of storage. The outer display should be a 5.8-inch 120Hz FHD+ OLED with a more traditional aspect ratio than Samsung's tall and narrow Z Fold, and the inner display should measure a whopping 7.6 inches on the diagonal. Cameras are expected to be an iterative update to the Pixel 7's rear shooters, so it's safe to say they'll be some of the best around.
This isn't the only piece of Google hardware we're expecting to see at I/O 2023. The Pixel 7a should make its debut next Wednesday as well, and the company might take the wraps off its new Pixel Tablet, which has an interesting form factor. And if we're lucky, there could even be a quick teaser for the upcoming Pixel 8 flagships.