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In mid-April, Patently Apple released an intellectual property report titled “A Google patent released today shows that their engineering team is working on future foldable devices.” It was the first patent we discovered on Google that involved switching to foldable devices.
We now learn that Samsung Display will begin manufacturing foldable OLED panels for Google, Vivo and Xiaomi customers in October. The three companies are planning to unveil their respective foldable phones in the fourth quarter of this year.
According to TheElec, “Google is preparing a foldable phone with a 7.6-inch foldable display. The phone has been dubbed ‘Pixel Fold’ by the media.”
Google’s attempt to tackle Apple’s iPhone has so far proved unsuccessful. Google will make a second run on iPhone later this year using new form factors, an updated UI (see video below), a privacy protection statement, and now a new foldable form factor to make the leap to Apple .
While Google is trying to blur the privacy lines to match Apple’s leadership position, they are now considering matching Apple’s “Find My” network according to XDA. Their report released last week stated that Google Play Services launched version 21.24.13 in their beta channel last week that they discovered “new [code] strings that clearly suggest that Google is working on a “Find My Device” network that leverages its Google Play services. If this new “Find My Device” network becomes active, you will be able to help other Android users locate their lost or stolen device. “
It is currently unknown whether any of Google’s major updates coming to their hardware and software later this year will help the Pixel family of smartphones dent the iPhone.
With Microsoft’s Surface Duo and Pixel Fold coming out later this year, the pressure will be on Apple to get its first foldable to market. Although Apple has patents that support various foldable form factors, there is still no guarantee that one will ever hit the market.
While foldable phones haven’t been a hit with consumers right now, Google may decide to attack this market segment with aggressive pricing to change consumer sentiment. How aggressive can Google be with pricing? Stay tuned.
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