What's in a name? Google may be trying to release a successor to the Google Pixel Fold

One would imagine that the successor to the Pixel Fold would be called the Pixel Fold 2, but rumor has it that Google has another idea in mind The new foldable is said to be launched with the Google Pixel 9 lineup, and its launch seems to have been pegged for August, so we may soon find out if the next Google foldable is the Pixel Fold 2 or, as many are currently thinking, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, we may soon find out

Whatever the name of this Pixel Fold follow-up, the new model should introduce many improvements The original Pixel Fold was an impressive fold thanks to its wide front display, high-quality camera, and intuitive multitasking capabilities And even though it was flawed in places (thick bezel, some apps not going full screen), it was Google's first attempt at a foldable, which puts it on our list of best foldable phones

However, the pressure is on Google to push the envelope with the Pixel Fold 2/Pixel 9 Pro Fold as it will face stiff competition from the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and other foldable devices expected to arrive in July It has been suggested that the next foldable PIxel will feature a less stepped camera, a narrower and sleeker design, a more powerful Tensor G4 chip (maybe), and other upgrades Here is what we know so far about this phone

First, the name: the Pixel Fold 2 seems like a logical successor to the Pixel Fold, but Google's decision to make the foldable part of the regular Pixel flagship line will apparently result in a name change

After launching the Pixel 8a in the spring, Google is now turning its attention to flagships, and Android Authority predicts that there will be four new phones under the Pixel 9 banner In addition to the standard Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro will likely come in multiple sizes Along with the smaller Pro phones, Google appears to be planning a Pixel 9 Pro XL Meanwhile, the Pixel Fold 2 will be integrated into the Pixel 9 lineup and will take the name Pixel 9 Pro Fold

When Google I/O ended this past May without a new foldable being announced (remember the original Pixel Fold was previewed at Google I/O 2023), the new version will be part of the Pixel 9 lineup this theory that the new version will be part of the Pixel 9 lineup gained more weight We are also convinced of the name change thanks to reports that the new Foldable may jump to the Tensor G4 chipset that is expected to debut with the release of the Pixel 9 Going forward, we're going to call this rumored update the Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Normally, flagship Pixel phones, whether they include the Fold or not, come out in October, which is when Google usually holds its launch events This year, however, Google has thrown us a curve [The company has announced that it will host a Made by Google hardware event on August 13, and the Pixel 9 lineup will almost certainly make an appearance at that show That means that if the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is part of that device lineup, it will be unveiled in mid-August

Pricing for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is unknown at this time, but that could change as we get closer to the August 13 announcement date We don't expect the updated fold to cost less than the Pixel Fold's starting price of $1,799, but given the current trend of rising smartphone prices, we wouldn't rule it out until we hear otherwise For example, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is currently rumored to be going up $100

Design leaks indicate that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold may look slightly different from its predecessor Instead of having a wider covered display, which we prefer over the narrower display of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Google may slim it down a bit

Sources also claim that the internal display will have a more square-like aspect ratio, similar to the OnePlus Open Both of these changes may be in response to complaints that the Pixel Fold does not have enough optimized apps and black bars on the large inner display Sources also told Android Authority that it will lead to an even slimmer design, which they hope will result in a little less weight to carry around

The leaked images also indicate that a major change could be coming to the back of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold: instead of the horizontal camera bar employed since the release of the Pixel 6, the 9 Pro Fold could feature a smaller, thicker camera bump in the upper right corner In the image, four lenses are stacked in pairs

It doesn't look great, so we hope this is just a prototype design that will either be replaced or seriously slimmed down for the final Pixel 9 Pro Fold model

A recent exclusive from SmartPrix shows the first 360 rendered video of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and details about its overall shape According to the report, Google is aiming to make the next Fold the thinnest foldable smartphone currently available in the North American market

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold could also feature a larger display than rival foldable models, measuring 629 inches on the outside and 802 inches on the inside

Color has always been an important part of a phone's appearance, and it seems likely that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will again come in black and white Sadly, we may not see pink or green options like other models

One of the advantages of including a Pixel Fold follow-up in the Pixel 9 lineup is that it could be powered by the same Tensor G4 chipset found in Google's flagship phones this year And that means an improvement over the G3-equipped device

The Tensor chip is not known for its benchmarking capabilities, but there are rumors that the G4 chip may be based on Samsung's Exynos 2400, the Exynos chip that other Android flagships use in their flagship While it cannot compete with the Snapdragon chipset, the new architecture could give the Pixel 9 Pro Fold a significant boost in computing power as well as additional AI capabilities not found in last year's G3-powered Pixel 8 series

It has also been suggested that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold could offer 16GB of RAM, 4GB more than the original Fold If the storage is upgraded to UFS 40, we can expect faster read/write speeds and improved power efficiency

Design leaks seem to indicate a possible Pixel 9 Pro Fold with a fourth camera lens, although the image quality is not particularly good What we can see, however, is that there appears to be only one distinctly square-shaped telephoto lens In other words, the likelihood of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold having a second telephoto camera like the Galaxy S24 Ultra seems pretty low based on this image alone

We do not know what changes the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will offer compared to the original Pixel Fold, which featured a 48MP main lens, a 108MP ultrawide, and a 108MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom The increased resolution of the latter two would be welcome, as would other changes such as a larger camera sensor and increased telephoto magnification

Whatever happens, Google is expected to go all out to enhance its AI camera - both in terms of generating better photos from the start and providing even more powerful editing tools after the shot is taken

It is currently unclear what kind of battery we can expect from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold At the very least, we would expect something similar to the Pixel Fold's 4,821 mAh battery, which lasted 10 hours and 21 minutes in our battery tests Even without a larger battery pack, the durability offered by a more efficient chip would be welcome

We expect Qi wireless charging and at least 30W wired charging to return as well

There are still many unknowns about the successor to the Pixel Fold, including its name and whether it will be part of the Pixel 9 lineup But given Google's hardware event earlier than usual, we expect answers soon - whether it be from the event itself or from more leaks in the coming weeks

Google will have a lot to do if it wants to remain relevant in the foldable phone market Samsung has a lot of experience manufacturing foldable phones, and OnePlus is leveraging its relationship with Oppo to make the OnePlus Open the best foldable phone available

So whether Google chooses a novel design, powerful AI features, improved hardware, or a mixture of the two, the pressure is on Let's hope the rumors we see in the coming weeks and months will keep us optimistic about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's potential