Android 12L is the key to the Google Pixel Fold release date

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That’s it – the Pixel Fall Launch event is now in the annals of history, and while we’ve finally seen the Pixel 6 series in all its glory, the mysterious Pixel Fold was nowhere to be found. What happened to the leaflet and when will we see it? The answer may lie in the upcoming Android 12L OS. What is Android 12L? Late last month, Google officially announced Android 12L as a developer preview version. The “L” in the name stands for “Large” and, as Google points out in its official press release: “There are over a quarter of a billion big-screen devices running Android on tablets, foldable devices and ChromeOS. In the last 12 alone. months we saw nearly 100 million new Android tablet activations, a growth of 20% year-on-year, while ChromeOS, now the fastest-growing desktop platform, grew by 92%. “Google has optimized Android 12 to better suit large screens, and there are small improvements all around. There is a new two-column layout on various UI elements such as the notification area, lock screen, and other system surfaces. There is a taskbar at the bottom of the screen which can automatically switch to your “favorite apps”. And accessing the split screen mode has been made extremely easy. The Pixel Fold connection It’s been a while since Google released a dedicated Android version for tablets – in fact, it’s been exactly ten years since Android 3.0 Honeycomb hit tablets in 2011. So what’s going on here? It’s true that phones are getting bigger and bigger, but it’s also true that it’s been like that for some time.

Phones with 6+ (and even 7-inch displays) have been around for more than 5 years and it’s clear that Google has something else in mind. And actually, it’s right there in the official press release:

“We have also seen the rise in foldable devices, with year-over-year growth of over 265%! In all, there are over 250 million active big-screen devices running Android. With all the momentum, we are continuing to invest in making Android an even better operating system on these devices, for users and developers. ”

Google says it will release the final version of Android 12L “early next year, in time for the next wave of Android 12 foldable tablets and devices … We’re also offering the features to our OEM partners to bring to their existing big screen. devices. “

And here it is: the Pixel Fold launch window! According to the official Android 12L timeline, the first public beta will be released in December, while the stable version will arrive on “big screen” devices in March 2022.

Google Pixel Fold release date

Image rendering courtesy of LetsGoDigital

We’re speculating here, of course, but what better way to launch its new fold-out-oriented OS than to add the perfect hardware to go along with it. Or viceversa. We’ve seen the hype around the Pixel 6 series and Android 12 helped a lot, you know, with Material You and all the little features that were conveniently tied to the Pixel 6 at launch.

Google may be planning something similar with the Pixel Fold – it’s safe to assume that if the company wants to launch a foldable phone, it may want to tie it to its operating system designed specifically for folds.

So it’s March 2022, right? More likely. The only big competitor launching the phones in March is OnePlus, and the company has avoided the foldout hype, even trolling Samsung days before the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3. The Pixel Fold teaser is on its way.

Image rendering courtesy of LetsGoDigital

Another thing that is almost certain is that Google will show the Fold when it is ready and there is a fixed time frame for its launch. It’s an established launch model for the company, and after the successful launch of the Pixel 6, Google will certainly imitate the same tactics with the Pixel Fold.

If we take a step back and look at the four beta releases for Android 12L, we could get the potential time window for such a teaser. These four beta releases will take place in December, January and February and we may see the Pixel Fold for the first time in one of these months.

We know this is far from specific, especially when these are literally the only three months before the alleged launch in March, but still – stay alert and watch the online space, the Pixel Fold is lurking in the shadows.

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