Quick Summary
A Google Pixel Fold 2 leak suggests a design shift with a new camera island and potentially bigger displays compared to the previous model.
It might be the first Pixel device to showcase a new design language before the Pixel 9 launch.
Google's next-gen folding phone is expected to be the Pixel Fold 2. Following on from an interesting first crack at the folding phone segment with the Pixel Fold, it appears that Google is going to change direction with the design slightly – and that could signal a change for other Pixel devices too.
The new renders have been shared by Smartprix working with @OnLeaks and such reveals usually prove to be accurate. These new images of the Pixel Fold 2 show some familiar elements, such as the frosted glass back, but the camera island has completely changed.
Since the launch of the Google Pixel 6 in 2021, Google has used a distinctive camera bar across the back of the phone. These Pixel Fold 2 renders show a camera island, with four sensors on the back. I've previously pondered on exactly what the fourth sensor will offer, but otherwise it looks like a comprehensive camera system.
We're expecting that the Pixel Fold 2 will have a 7.9-inch visible internal display area, with a 6.4-inch external display. It's thought to be powered by the Google Tensor G4 processor, will run Android 14 at launch and should get seven years of updates, just like the Pixel 8.
Whether the folding display will last seven years is a different question altogether…
What this means for other Pixel devices
The Pixel Fold 2 release date hasn't been confirmed, but I'd expect it to appear around the middle of the year. The original Google Pixel Fold was launched in June 2023 so I'm expecting to see Google start talking about the Pixel Fold 2 pretty soon. The company will possibly use Google I/O in May 2024 to show off some more of this device.
The Pixel Fold 2 is likely to be the first device to show off this new design, prior to the announcement of the Pixel 9 models in October 2024 – which should arrive to debut Android 15 – and get that new design that moves away from the camera bar too.
One interesting aspect of these rumours is that if the Pixel Fold 2 gets the Tensor G4, it will do so before the Pixel 9 Pro, which is usually the device for Google to debut new hardware and design.
In this sense, the Pixel Fold 2 could cast a slight shadow over what was previously Google's big phone announcement in October, because it will lay down the expectations a few months earlier than in previous years.
Before we get to the launch of the Pixel Fold 2 there will be another device that launches – the Pixel 8a – which could be one of the best cheap phones of the year. It will likely have the Tensor G3 powering it, as well as getting those AI smarts from the Pixel 8, but all at a great low price.
It looks like there's going to be plenty to watch out for in the world of Google hardware in 2024.
