9to5Google Weekender: Isn’t it wild that Pixel will be the first to challenge Samsung in foldables?

Ben Schoon | Apr 30 2023 - 9:00 am PT

As more and more foldables are hitting the market, expanding out of China and leaking constantly, I’ve lately been regularly reminded and blown away by the fact that Google Pixel is somehow going to be the first brand to truly give Samsung a challenge on the foldable market.

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We exclusively reported almost three years ago that Google had plans to debut a foldable Pixel smartphone, an endeavor that has turned out to be full of ups and downs, delays, and multiple iterations of the device. But, finally, it’s happening.

At Google I/O 2023, the company is all but certain to debut the “Pixel Fold,” a foldable smartphone similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series with a book-style design that puts a tablet screen inside of a standard smartphone size.

But really, the notable thing here is not that Google is doing this, but the fact that the Pixel Fold will be the first device launched in the United States as a challenge to Samsung’s near-complete monopoly on the market here. There have been some competitors internationally, most notably in Oppo’s Find N2 Flip, as well as domestically, in Motorola’s two Razr releases, but Samsung has pretty much enjoyed a complete hold on the foldable market in the US thus far. It’s led to Samsung being incredibly iterative on the past four generations of its foldable, responding only to customer complaints rather than trying to truly compete.

It’s hard to fathom that Google will be the first to challenge that in a meaningful way, bringing a foldable that not only matches one of Samsung’s big selling points, water resistance, but could even surpass Galaxy with a different aspect ratio and better cameras.

Google’s track record with smartphones pretty clearly tells us that the Pixel Fold will be far from perfect, but the simple fact that Google is challenging Samsung in the US with a device that, at least based on leaks thus far, is actually comparable is just shocking. Personally, I never would have thought that Google would be the one to do this first. OnePlus seemed like the best bet, or LG in another timeline where the brand didn’t throw in the towel.

Hopefully, the Pixel Fold will actually stick the landing and really compete with Samsung, but in the meantime, I’ll just continue to be blown away that this is actually happening.

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Top comment by Andrew O'Neill

Liked by 4 people

Not surprised. Google and Samsung are more like partners than rivals with all the stuff they share. That and I'm not sure "challenge" is the right word if only because they're very different user experiences with buyers generally having a preference for one style or the other.

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This week brought us our first look at an elusive variant of the Pixel 7a, “Coral.” The upcoming color is expected to be a Google Store exclusive, but its vibrant color is quite stunning, and notably, it also makes the first time Google has ever had a four-color lineup for a Pixel.

Other Pixel 7a leaks:

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