Google previously presented only two smartphones in its main lineup, as well as a model with the index "a". In 2024, this will not be the case - the company has significantly changed the naming of its devices, including a foldable phone, which will be called Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
According to insider Camila Wojciechowska, who shared the information with Android Authority, this fall a fourth Pixel 9 phone may be released, which no one expected. The next foldable Google phone will also be part of the overall lineup. So, the following smartphones will be released this fall:
- Pixel 9 - codenamed "tokay"
- Pixel 9 Pro - "caiman"
- Pixel 9 Pro XL - "komodo"
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold - "comet"
The names have also been confirmed by some software created for Google devices in 2024. It is worth noting that Google referred to the device under the code name "comet" as "Pixel Fold 2" until a relatively recent stage of development. It is quite possible that the name "Pixel 9 Pro Fold" is also not final. However, this is what Google is currently using. If Google releases the next generation foldable phone as a full member of the Pixel 9 series, the company will have to work on its flagship level compatibility.
Some consider the first Pixel Fold not a very successful device. It was announced at Google I/O on May 10, 2023, which makes it what Google calls a "mid-year device". Perhaps this was the first sign that Google may not have considered the Fold as a flagship device, as would be expected given the $1799 price. Google usually releases Pixel products at two main events each year: the fall event, where the main focus is on flagship Pixel phones, and Google I/O in the spring, where Pixel A is usually introduced.
In the Pixel Fold, buyers received a nine-month Tensor G2 processor, which was only slightly upgraded compared to the original Tensor, and only three years of Android updates. It may be disappointing that three months later, in October 2023, Google introduced the Pixel 8 series. It not only received significantly improved hardware based on the Tensor G3 processor, but also a seven-year OS update. Additionally, the company introduced artificial intelligence features in the new series that were not present in its predecessors.
There is a way Google will make the Pixel 9 Pro Fold worthy of the Pixel 9 level: it was previously reported that it will use the new Tensor G4 chip instead of Tensor G3. In addition, leaked renders show that the design of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is closer to the design of other Pixel 9 devices, unlike the original Pixel Fold, which resembled more the Pixel 7 than the Pixel 8.
Interestingly, this move will also make Google one of the few manufacturers integrating their foldable devices into the main smartphone lineup. Other brands create completely separate lineups for their analogs, such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold or the Motorola Razr. It would be interesting to know if the phone will debut with the rest of the Pixel 9 series in October, rather than at Google I/O in May.
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