Google’s Pixel 6 series has already been promoted on billboards and videos but Google seems to be working on another phone called the Pixel Fold. This is a foldable device that folds towards the inside.
German website LetsGoDigital posted details of Google’s new patent filed on a foldable smartphone. Based on the patent details, it has created render images giving us glimpses of what to expect from Google’s Pixel Fold smartphone:
The Pixel Fold appears to be similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
If the LetsGoDigital report is to be believed, Google has sourced from Samsung for its fold phone and measures 7.6 inches when fully opened. It is expected that the screen will have a 120Hz refresh rate with an LTPO backplane that will allow the refresh rate to be adjusted depending on the content being viewed. Mobile games, scrolling, and transitions on display would update 120 times per second, while static content would refresh more slowly, such as emails and texts.
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To create its render of the Pixel Fold based on existing rumors about the device, LetsGo Digital partnered with graphic designer Waqar Khan. The renders bear a striking similarity to those for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. The phone will have an external display with a punch-hole camera. According to the latest rumors, the foldable device will be powered by Google’s own Tensor SoC.
Even though the cameras on the back resemble those seen on renders of the Pixel 6 series, it isn’t clear exactly what the array is made up of. It is possible that a front-facing camera could reside under the display. Google granted an image-capturing device located beneath the screen a patent in May. It is possible that Google will not name a foldable Pixel with the same name as the Galaxy Fold 3, despite its similarity to the Galaxy Fold 3.
Google receives a patent for an innovative hinge for the Pixel Fold
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There is a rumor that Google is working on another foldable Pixel with the codename “Jumbojack.” We expect only one model to be released by the end of the year, and if there is a second variant, it might not reach consumers until 2022. Hopefully, by next year, we’ll be able to unravel this mystery.
LetsGo Digital also reports about a patent awarded to Google on September 23rd by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The patent title is “Multi-axis soft hinge mechanism and foldable device having same,” and it is designed to be used with an inward folding phone. With this hinge, when the phone is folded, only a tiny seam is created.
The patent states that “a hinge mechanism, following implementations described herein, maintains a desired contour or curvature of the foldable display portion in the folded configuration, and maintains the desired flatness of the foldable display portion in the unfolded configuration.”
The patent is for a hinge mechanism that protects the foldable display part from damage caused by excessive tension or compression due to folding and unfolding the foldable device.
The new hinge, it seems, will protect the screen from damage caused by opening and closing the phone and help the display curve when it is closed and stay flat when it is open.
Android 12.1 could be pre-installed on the Pixel Fold. This build of Android is expected to include user interface tools designed to work with foldable phones and tablets. Users can select two apps to run with a split-screen from a taskbar that displays icons of frequently used and recently used applications. Five icons will appear at once in the toolbar.
