We are a few hours away from the Pixel Fold be formally launched at Google I / O 2023. The first folding of Mountain View has already been officially seen in a small preview that was released in recent days; although now we have had the opportunity to see it in action in commercial with NBA stars.
While the announcement isn’t exclusive to the Pixel Fold, but to the Pixel family as a whole, it does place a special emphasis on its capabilities. Of course, being an advertisement, everything works perfectly and as if by magic. It remains to be seen how the experience with the new smartphone translates to real life.
The first thing to highlight about what you see of the Pixel Fold is that it incorporates features that we could already consider “conventional” among folding mobiles. For example can “split” the inner screen when it detects that it is open at an angle of 90°; something especially useful during video calls or to take selfies group. A feature similar to that of the Flex technology of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.
Speaking of selfies, Google’s announcement also shows the Pixel Fold allowing you to take a selfie using the rear camera, instead of the front. The method doesn’t seem to be the most practical, anyway, since the open mobile must be used to preview the scene on the outer screen.
Although the feature that attracts the most attention is one of the first to appear in the commercial and is related to video calls. Apparently, the Pixel Fold will allow you to initiate a communication using the external screen and continue from inside, without interruptions when opening the device. It is interesting, without a doubt, but it is one of the functions that leaves the most doubts regarding how much the real experience will resemble the one shown in advertising.
Google has also taken the opportunity to highlight the use of already known software tools, such as the Magic Eraser to remove unwanted objects from a photograph, among others. You can see the full ad below.
The Pixel Fold, in the hands of NBA stars
That Google has chosen to show the Pixel Fold in a commercial with NBA stars, such as Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, is no coincidence. Those of Mountain View are sponsors of the playoffs of the best basketball league in the world, through its mobile line.
In any case, the announcement does not reveal anything special in terms of the technical characteristics of the Pixel Fold. For this we will have to wait for its official launch, which will take place this afternoon along with other Google products. What does show clearly is that the frames of the internal screen they are so bulky as appreciated in the renders unofficial.
In terms of specifications, the Pixel Fold would present a 5.8-inch external OLED screen and a 7.6-inch internal screen, also OLED. In both cases, they would offer a refresh rate of 120 Hz. Under the hood, meanwhile, it would incorporate a Tensor G2 chip with a Titan M2 security coprocessor, 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage.
The rear cameras would include a 48-megapixel main sensor, in addition to a ultrawide and a telephoto, both 10.8 megapixels. The front camera would be 9.5 MP, while the interior would be 8 MP. There is still no news about the battery capacity, although a leak ensures that it would last more than 24 hours, or up to 72 hours with an extreme energy saving mode.
Although the questions that remain to be answered about the Pixel Fold go beyond its specification table. The price is, without a doubt, what has generated the most comments in recent times. According to Jon Prosser, the “base” version with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage would cost $1,799. While the variant with 512 GB of internal space would reach $1,919.
To sweeten buyers, Google would include a free Pixel Watch for those who reserve the device starting today. We’ll see if this happens. Beyond the initial pre-sale through the Google Store, the foldable would hit the market on June 27.
All questions about the Pixel Fold will be answered in the next few hours at Google I/O. The conference will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (7:00 p.m. in Spain, 11:00 a.m. in Mexico and 2:00 p.m. in Argentina)and you can find out all the news in hypertextual.