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No Google Pixel Fold 2 news is actually good news
We’re still in January and we’ve already seen leaked renders of the upcoming Google Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, which are very likely to launch in October, in nine months. We’ve also gotten several glimpses of the Pixel 8a, which should come around May-June. But nothing about the Pixel Fold 2. What gives?
Did Google suddenly figure out how to keep a phone under wraps for once? Or is Google not making a Pixel Fold 2 at all? I think it’s neither of these and, actually, I think the lack of Pixel Fold 2 news is actually good news. Hear me out.
Would you rather get a Pixel Fold 2 soon with older specs or wait for a better chip and camera?
Last year, the Google Pixel Fold had already been leaked a million times by January. We knew what it looked like, we knew many of its specs, and we were expecting it to launch around Google I/O 2023. Most of those details turned out to be true, with the only difference being that the phone was announced in May, but only became available at the end of June.
![google pixel fold vs 8 pro google pixel fold vs 8 pro](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/google-pixel-fold-vs-8-pro-scaled.jpg)
And therein lies the problem. The Pixel Fold, Google’s top-of-the-line $1,799 foldable phone launched only three months before the Pixel 8 series, but with cameras and specs similar to the Pixel 7 Pro — a nine-month-old phone. Notably, it had the Tensor G2 processor, which was already a middling chip nine months earlier.
You paid $1,799 for the Pixel Fold and got a chip and cameras that were outdated the moment the Pixel 8 launched, three months later.
So those who paid for this absurdly expensive Pixel in June had to contend with an average chip and watch as the much cheaper (in comparison) Pixel 8 series got the better Tensor G3 only three months later. Feels unfair, doesn’t it? And that particular misstep garnered the Pixel Fold a lot of criticism, too. Granted, a first-generation Pixel of any kind should be considered a proof of concept more than a product, really, and even Google implicitly admitted that by only launching it in three countries instead of the usual 17+ countries that Pixels are available in.
I think Google learned a lesson with its experiment there: a mid-cycle launch works for budget phones like the Pixel A-series, but it doesn’t work for the top-of-the-line Pixel.
![google pixel fold camera bar 2 google pixel fold camera bar 2](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/google-pixel-fold-camera-bar-2-scaled.jpg)
Which brings me back to the Pixel Fold 2. Here’s what we know for sure:
- Every Google product leaks many, many months ahead of its launch. This is a fact at this point.
- The only rumor we’ve heard about the Pixel Fold 2 is that it could be codenamed “comet” and no one is sure if it’s a book-style foldable like the original Fold or a flip-style foldable like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Moto Razr (2023).
So, the fact that there is no proper Pixel Fold 2 leak so far would tell me that it’s highly unlikely to launch in May/June like its predecessor. We’re likely looking at a later date, either alongside the Pixel 9 series or possibly even after.
It is highly unlikely that the Pixel Fold 2 will launch before the Pixel 9 series. So it shouldn't get outdated specs.
And that is good news in my book because it means the Pixel Fold 2 — whenever it launches — won’t get outdated specs at an exorbitant price and won’t be considered uncompetitive the moment it hits shelves.
![google pixel fold ports and crease google pixel fold ports and crease](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/google-pixel-fold-ports-and-crease.jpg)
Now, whether or not we get a Pixel Fold 2 this year or not remains to be seen. Even our leak of the Pixel roadmap for 2024-2025 (which has turned out to be pretty accurate so far) didn’t have much detail about the Pixel Fold 2. All it said was that Google would be evaluating a follow-up foldable on the basis of the original Pixel Fold. (And the market’s status, I suppose.)
As a fan of the original Pixel Fold, and of Android on larger screens in general, I really want to see a follow-up, perhaps with a form factor that resembles the OnePlus Fold more. That, plus a Tensor G4, a more powerful camera setup, and some extra dual-screen functionality would make it a compelling product. Just make it more durable, Google, please?