Google Pixel Fold delayed as talk of a reveal at the Pixel 6 launch event circulate

Rumours about new Pixel smartphones have centred on the Pixel 5a 5G and the Pixel 6 series in recent months, with the Pixel 5a 5G launching earlier this week. However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Google has a foldable Pixel smartphone in development too.

Unfortunately, 91Mobiles and @heyitsyogesh are now reporting that Google has delayed its foldable Pixel project, albeit without giving any reasons. References to a foldable Pixel appeared in Android 12 Beta 1, with the device referred to by its codename 'Passport' and its model number 'GPQ72'.

Additionally, Android 12 Beta 4 revealed that the device has an Exynos Modem 5123, the same modem found in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Samsung first used the Exynos Modem 5123 in the Exynos 990, so expect 5G connectivity and Wi-Fi 6 support. If Passport has the same modem as the Pixel 6 series, it should follow that they also share an SoC.

Google has already confirmed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will be the first devices with Tensor, a in-house chipset that the company created in collaboration with Samsung. As we have discussed previously, Tensor and the Exynos 2100 may well have comparable CPU performance, which is no bad thing.

Google has distinguished Tensor from the Exynos 2100 in other areas though, such as with AI and machine learning (ML) via mobile Tensor Processing Units (TPU). So far, Google has teased that Tensor will improve camera performance by combinin data from multiple sensor simultaneously.

While Samsung Display is thought to have supplied Google with 7.6-inch panels for the Pixel Fold, 91Mobiles and @heyitsyogesh state that there is no launch timeline for the device, currently. Google may reveal a snippet of the Pixel Fold at its Pixel 6 series launch event though, which is slated for this autumn.

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