Google foldable phone patent spotted, expected to launch next year

• Google's foldable phone patent has been spotted, giving us a look at its design.
  
• The device is expected to feature a design similar to the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
  
• The foldable phone from Google is expected to feature thick bezels.
  

Google has been working on its foldable phone for quite some time now, and the head of the Pixel division confirmed this as early as 2019. After a report last year hinted that the device would feature a 12.2MP primary camera, a patent filing revealed the device’s expected design.

According to a report by 91Mobiles, the device, which is expected to be named Pixel Notepad or Pixel Fold has been spotted on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) portal. The patent was reportedly filed in June 2021 and has been published now.

Google foldable phone design

The patent has revealed the design of the foldable device from Google. It is identical to the Galaxy Z Fold. However, it looks like the device will have considerably thicker bezels.

The device will fold in half and feature an external display. It is expected to feature a crease similar to the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 4. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the device’s selfie camera will reportedly be placed in its bezels. Samsung used an in-display selfie camera for its recent offering.

The device is expected to be launched next year, and the design and specifications of the device may change by then. The patent application is already more than a year old, and a lot may have changed since then.

Will increase competition in the foldable phones segment

The introduction of the foldable phone from Google will significantly increase the competition in the foldable phones segment. This may also affect Korean giant Samsung, which is currently leading the foldable phones segment and occupies over 60% of the market share for foldable phones.

Xiaomi recently introduced the Mix Fold 2, a foldable smartphone with similar specifications to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The device was launched in China, and at the moment, it is not known if the device will be launched globally. If it does, it will offer an affordable alternative to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 as it has been priced lower than Samsung’s foldable device.

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