Googlers try to convince us that Pixel Fold is different from other Foldables
On the eve of Google’s Pixel Fold launching, Engadget got the chance to sit down with a few Google Designers to talk about the new foldable. Which is a first for Google. While Apple is typically late to market with new products and technology, Google is pretty late here too. After all, the first foldables started to land on store shelves back in 2019.
Google is aiming to help and explain why their foldable isn’t just another foldable. Starting off with the shape of the Pixel Fold. It’s one of the wider foldables on the market. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 which has a very skinny front display, Google’s is actually more of a regular phone size. And George Hwang, one of Google’s product managers on the Pixel Fold, said that this design choice was on purpose, and wanted it to be shaped more like a passport. Hwang said that when they “talk about the Pixel Fold, we often talk about the outer display first.”
Hwang continued on by saying that their “focus on form factor was critical and quite intentional to make sure that we offered a usable exterior display, such that you could use the phone like you want to.” That might sound kind of odd, but with other foldables, that outer display is tall and skinny. Making it tough to use for every app. But this outer display is a 17.4:9 aspect ratio, making it even wider than most smartphones these days. Many are 21:9 or 20:9 in 2023.
Google explains how software can be tricky on a foldable
As you might expect, software can be tricky on a foldable. Particularly a book-style foldable like the Pixel Fold. Because, not only does Google need to build in phone and tablet software to take advantage of the cover display and the main display, but also how the main display is opened. If it’s opened completely flat, or at an angle.
Google’s other product manager that Engadget talked to, Andrea Zvinakis, stated that they “wanted there to be a user benefit to unfolding the device rather than just seeing an expanded phone layout. That’s why we created things like dual shade for notifications that leverage both sides of the display.”
Of course, this new style can also unlock other potentials, like the dual-screen interpreter mode that Google showed off at I/O last month. Allowing two people to see what’s being said, in different languages. Making this really useful for traveling to foreign countries where your language might not be the main language spoken.
Sadly, Google wasn’t able to offer a lower price for the Pixel Fold. It still starts at $1,799, the same price as Samsung’s competitor. But that should change in the coming years as foldables become more mainstream and the components get cheaper.
On the eve of Google’s Pixel Fold launching, Engadget got the chance to sit down with a few Google Designers to talk about the new foldable. Which is a first for Google. While Apple is typically late to market with new products and technology, Google is pretty late here too. After all, the first foldables started to land on store shelves back in 2019.
Google is aiming to help and explain why their foldable isn’t just another foldable. Starting off with the shape of the Pixel Fold. It’s one of the wider foldables on the market. Compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 which has a very skinny front display, Google’s is actually more of a regular phone size. And George Hwang, one of Google’s product managers on the Pixel Fold, said that this design choice was on purpose, and wanted it to be shaped more like a passport. Hwang said that when they “talk about the Pixel Fold, we often talk about the outer display first.”
Hwang continued on by saying that their “focus on form factor was critical and quite intentional to make sure that we offered a usable exterior display, such that you could use the phone like you want to.” That might sound kind of odd, but with other foldables, that outer display is tall and skinny. Making it tough to use for every app. But this outer display is a 17.4:9 aspect ratio, making it even wider than most smartphones these days. Many are 21:9 or 20:9 in 2023.
Google explains how software can be tricky on a foldable
As you might expect, software can be tricky on a foldable. Particularly a book-style foldable like the Pixel Fold. Because, not only does Google need to build in phone and tablet software to take advantage of the cover display and the main display, but also how the main display is opened. If it’s opened completely flat, or at an angle.
Google’s other product manager that Engadget talked to, Andrea Zvinakis, stated that they “wanted there to be a user benefit to unfolding the device rather than just seeing an expanded phone layout. That’s why we created things like dual shade for notifications that leverage both sides of the display.”
Of course, this new style can also unlock other potentials, like the dual-screen interpreter mode that Google showed off at I/O last month. Allowing two people to see what’s being said, in different languages. Making this really useful for traveling to foreign countries where your language might not be the main language spoken.
Sadly, Google wasn’t able to offer a lower price for the Pixel Fold. It still starts at $1,799, the same price as Samsung’s competitor. But that should change in the coming years as foldables become more mainstream and the components get cheaper.
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