Google launched its first Pixel Fold recently but did the company miss a trick by not launching a Flip version?
Google Pixel Fold was showcased in front of the world earlier this month at the I/O 2023 keynote but the company could have launched not one but two foldables during the event as per new reports this week. Google was working on two Pixel foldables but ended up launching just one model for consumers.
Reports say the team which has developed the Pixel Fold was also working on another model but it got cancelled because Google didn’t feel the other foldable was good enough for launch.
The Google Pixel team believed that it is better to launch a product which matches the other products in the market or betters them. So, it seems the company thought the Pixel Fold matches up to those standards, while the other model does not hence it wasn’t fit enough to launch in the market. The report doesn’t talk about the details of this cancelled foldable device, which could be a Pixel Flip version or even a completely different form factor.
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It is quite possible that Google saw other brands in the foldable segment, which includes Samsung, Oppo and Vivo among others. All these companies have a fold and flip model, and Google could have worked on a Pixel Flip version which might not have cleared the tests for the brand. The report also mentions that Samsung has seen majority of its foldable sales for the Flip version, so Google could have a legitimate reasons to bring one to its lineup.
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The fact that Google had two versions in its strategy suggests the company could relook at the challenges and see if the second foldable could be part of the second-gen Pixel Fold launch next year. Pixel Fold is launching in select markets this year, with countries like India not part of the list.
Many say Google will use its foldable devices to improve the Android experience on the form factor, allowing its partners to evolve with their products and eventually make Android a viable foldable software platform.
