Google was planning to launch one of its most anticipated devices, the Pixel Fold, by the end of this year. Now, a new report on 9to5Google says the launch of the foldable smartphone has been postponed, and in all likelihood, will be launched by the end of spring in 2023.
While chip shortages and issues with global supply chains may be a major issue, the main reason why the Pixel Fold or Pixel Notepad, as it is being called in some circles has been delayed, is the fact that the engineers at Google are simply not happy how the device’s development has been up to this point.
One of the major reasons why development has been slow, and why production will be even slower for the Pixel Notepad is the supply of foldable panels. The Pixel Notepad was reportedly going to have a foldable, 7.58-inch main display manufactured by Samsung Display, but the company is busy producing panels for Samsung's own devices, including the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and hasn’t been able to allocate resources and production facilities for other customers.
The phone is now scheduled for a launch next spring. Notably, Google unveiled a bunch of new and upcoming products at its Google I/O conference in May, and Pixel Notepad was not one of them, despite several rumours that Google was just putting some finishing touches to the phone.
The Pixel Notepad, if it ever launches, will be Google's first foldable smartphone. Earlier reports say it would sport Google's Tensor chip, and the same camera setup as Google's Pixel 6a, though if the phone really launches nearly a year from now, these specifications are likely to change.
The Pixel Fold is slated to be priced at around $1400 when it launches. Although this would make the Pixel Fold substantially more expensive than the cheapest Pixel 6, as well as Pixel 7, it would still be about $400 cheaper than the cheapest Galaxy Z Fold 3 & the Galaxy Z Flip 3. However, do keep in mind that for the upcoming fold devices, Samsung plans to reduce the price significantly. Moreover, Google will be very late to the party with the Pixel Notepad, so any chances that it had of undercutting the Samsung Z Fold 4 are out of the window.
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