Google’s head of design for hardware products shared some interesting details during a recent Made by Google podcast. She said that the second foldable phone from Google was in the pipeline, but it was scrapped because it wasn’t good enough.
As many of you know, the Pixel Fold did launch during this year’s Google I/O, earlier this month. In an alternate reality, we could have gotten the second foldable phone from Google already.
Google did make a second foldable phone, but it “wasn’t good enough”
Ivy Ross said: “I’m really proud of the team because there was another foldable model that we had created, that we had the discipline to hold back and say ‘nope, it’s not good enough yet,’ and really wait until we felt like we could do something that was good enough or better than what was out there already”.
Based on her comments, the Pixel Fold is actually not the first foldable phone that Google aimed to launch. The phone that got scrapped came before the Pixel Fold, it would seem.
Ivy Ross added: “So, it’s really a testimony to the fact that we’re able to do that and recognize when something isn’t good enough”. She did not detail what kind of a device was this, but we’re guessing it was also a book-style foldable. Google, for some reason, didn’t think it’s good enough, though.
Chances are Google will take a crack at a clamshell foldable too
Will we see a clamshell foldable phone from Google? Well, yes, chances are that will happen. Ivy Ross did not confirm it or anything of the sort, but considering the popularity of the Galaxy Z Flip series, it’s easily possible.
The Galaxy Z Flip 3 accounted for 70% of the Galaxy foldable series’ sales in 2021. In 2022, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 accounted for 47% of Samsung’s total foldable shares, while the Fold stood at 28%.
It seems like the Galaxy Z Flip series is more popular than the Galaxy Z Fold series, which is not surprising. Clamshell foldables are more appealing to teens, women, and casual users, it would seem. Having that in mind, chances are Google will take a crack at a clamshell foldable too.
2023-05-30 15:09:25