Google 'Pixel Fold' Delayed Yet Again as Apple Eyes 2025 for Foldable iPhone

[MacRumors]

Google is said to have delayed the launch of its first foldable smartphone yet again, due to the device reportedly failing to meet the company's expectations.

According The Elec, the company had planned to launch the device during the fourth quarter of this year, but Google has now chosen to delay its release. The outlet's sources said the delay was likely because the product is "not as complete as Google wishes."

The report didn't say when the foldable Pixel was now expected to launch, but well-connected Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young revealed on Twitter that multiple sources in the supply chain have told him the device has been delayed until next spring.

This is the second time Google has postponed the launch of its rumored Pixel Fold, or "Pixel Notepad," as some have called it. Documents leaked in 2020 suggested Google planned to release a in-folding smartphone in late 2021, but that didn't happen.

Google didn't even mention foldable devices at its recent I/O developer conference, leaving some Pixel fans wondering if the device had been canned. Minds were immediately cast back to 2019, when Google revealed it was developing technology that could be used in a foldable but admitted in the same breath that it didn't see "a clear use case yet."

The Samsung OLED panels that Google is believed to have chosen for the device are said to include a 5.8-inch outer screen and a folding 7.6-inch inner screen, similar to the Oppo Find N. The phone is also rumored to feature an ultra-thin glass (UTG) cover, also supplied by Samsung.

Oppo Find N​

Previous rumors have claimed that Google's device was lagging behind Samsung's Fold series. However, Young believes it is not a problem with the display that is behind the delay, but more probably the emergence of software innovations or a new chipset that Google wants to incorporate into the device.

Apple has been known to be working on foldable display technology for some years now, filing multiple patents regarding the technology. Apple analyst ‌Ming-Chi Kuo‌ said in September that Apple will introduce the first foldable ‌iPhone‌ in 2024. However, Young more recently reported that Apple's long-rumored foldable ‌iPhone‌ has been delayed until 2025. News of the delay came after discussions with supply chain sources, suggesting Apple is in no hurry to enter the foldable market.

According to leaker Dylandkt, Apple is experimenting with multiple foldable iPhone prototypes, but that doesn't necessarily mean a foldable ‌iPhone‌ is coming in the near future.

Article Link: Google 'Pixel Fold' Delayed Yet Again as Apple Eyes 2025 for Foldable iPhone

 

[xserret]

This whole idea of a foldable phone remains so unconvincingly superfluous to me... (similar to 3D TV sets..)
I bet before the obvious shortcomings are fully addressed some other disruption will come to make it almost useless..

 

[Shalev]

IMO the OPPO FOLD N is the perfect foldable form factor (iPhone mini x 2), hope apple will go that route.

 

[ninethirty]

Solution in search of a problem.

 

[ImperialForces]

I was at target yesterday and took a look at the Samsung foldable phone. There’s a palpable crease through the center of the screen. Not interested at all.

 

[bobtem]

How bout Pixel on one side, Apple on the other?

 

[SAIRUS]

Apple will move to foldables publicly when the economics make sense.

Why make a device that can transform into another device when they can continue to sell you two devices at no additional cost to them?

Not saying their R&D isn’t playing with it for something in their backlog but the numbers don’t really add up unless they price it at the level of an iPad and an iPhone…oh crap.

 

[heystu]

I remember when the iPad was first announced, thinking (like many others) "Why on earth would anyone want to buy an over-sized iPhone?!" - and of course I was totally wrong, the iPad was (is?) a game changing device that has revolutionised our lives (I use mine to play Solitaire and watch Amazon Prime in the middle of the night).

Looking at the advent of foldable devices I think (like many others) "Why on earth would anyone want to buy a foldable iPhone?!" - and this time I think I'm totally right. I can't imagine ever wanting/needing this kind of device when I have a perfectly fine iPhone 11 Pro in my pocket, and an iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro stowed away in my laptop bag.

To me it makes so little sense trying to reinvent the wheel.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

I simply don't like this form factor and the quality of the screen doesn't feel right to me.

 

[city_17]

I can understand people being skeptical, but ultimately the proposition of foldable screens is very simple: more screen in the same package. That is something that appeals to everyone and has clear benefits.

However, on these fold-style phones you pay for that in thickness, which may not be a trade-off everyone likes. That's why I think the real future is in the roll-out style phones that give you essentially the same thing as current phones, but more screen real estate when you want it.

So in the long term I think foldable screens will be a success, it's just more a question of what implementation will work best.

 

[Mavelous]

I used a foldable wallet for a couple years before I found the trifold wallet was much more efficient. It’s the New Apple TriPhone! (Trademark)

It’s the new TriPhone! trademark

 

[Expos of 1969]

...and of course I was totally wrong, the iPad was (is?) a game changing device that has revolutionized
ruined our lives (I use mine to play Solitaire and watch Amazon Prime in the middle of the night).

Fixed it for you. Sleep disruption is certainly not a revolution to celebrate.

 

[MNGR]

This whole idea of a foldable phone remains so unconvincingly superfluous to me... (similar to 3D TV sets..)
I bet before the obvious shortcomings are fully addressed some other disruption will come to make it almost useless..

This whole idea of a foldable phone remains so unconvincingly superfluous to me... (similar to 3D TV sets..)
I bet before the obvious shortcomings are fully addressed some other disruption will come to make it almost useless..

This whole idea of a foldable phone remains so unconvincingly superfluous to me... (similar to 3D TV sets..)
I bet before the obvious shortcomings are fully addressed some other disruption will come to make it almost useless..

Agree about foldable.
But we have OLED 3d tv’s and are happy with the movies we watch on them

 

[snipr125]

IMO the OPPO FOLD N is the perfect foldable form factor (iPhone mini x 2), hope apple will go that route.

Yes indeed, if Apple release a foldable iPhone in this 5.8 form factor (when folded) us small iPhone lovers will be very satisfied. In fact it will satisfy both groups, those who like small phones and also the majority who prefer larger screens. A 2 in 1 solution. It’s going to happen people Samsung, Oppo and now Google, Apple will also be following suit with their own version.

 

[spiderman0616]

LOL at all these companies trying to make a "complete product" out of an incomplete technology.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Not a fan of foldable phones. I also don’t think Apple will release foldable iPhones in 2025

 

[AppleTO]

The rollable phones seem like a much more realistic device than the foldable ones imo.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

Even though I try to be extremely careful and cognizant about the care of my iPhone, I live in a state that is basically a giant sandbar. I have enough trouble keeping sand, dirt, grit out of the area between the magnetic case and the body of the iPhone. I can’t image what that same debris would do to a display, if it were to be caught in the fold.

 

[jjudson]

It's nice they are toying with this tech -- sort of like when you go to a car show and see the concept models that you know will never be produced. But we are a long way from getting screens that can be convincingly and durably used for foldable devices. I can't see me buying any of the iterations out these days, and at this point, it's very gimicky...

 

[lazyrighteye]

I remember when the iPad was first announced, thinking (like many others) "Why on earth would anyone want to buy an over-sized iPhone?!" - and of course I was totally wrong, the iPad was (is?) a game changing device that has revolutionised our lives (I use mine to play Solitaire and watch Amazon Prime in the middle of the night).

Looking at the advent of foldable devices I think (like many others) "Why on earth would anyone want to buy a foldable iPhone?!" - and this time I think I'm totally right. I can't imagine ever wanting/needing this kind of device when I have a perfectly fine iPhone 11 Pro in my pocket, and an iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro stowed away in my laptop bag.

To me it makes so little sense trying to reinvent the wheel.

Coming from someone whose life has been revolutionized through midnight Solitaire and Prime sessions, surely you have the capacity to see bundling the experiences of two devices into one device could be considered revolutionary. Surely.

Conceptually, the idea of aspect ratio options in one device is interesting. That said, I’ve not yet seen an implementation that I’d remotely consider. If there is anyone who can sway me, history says it’s Apple. We’ll see.

 

[kaycrystal626]

I remember when Apple innovate, now they just play catch up.

 

[darngooddesign]

Apple will move to foldables publicly when the economics make sense.

Why make a device that can transform into another device when they can continue to sell you two devices at no additional cost to them?

Not saying their R&D isn’t playing with it for something in their backlog but the numbers don’t really add up unless they price it at the level of an iPad and an iPhone…oh crap.

The MSRP of the Z-Fold is $1800USD, which is around the price of an iPhone Max and iPad mini.

 

[darngooddesign]

I remember when Apple innovate, now they just play catch up.

Was the seamless AS transition not innovative enough for you? What about the range of chips with great power and superb low-power consumtion? Is the tech behind the M1-Ultra not innovative enough?

Apple isn't going to release a folding phone until the hinge/screen tech is mature enough because no one cuts them slack like they do other companies. If Apple's foldable broke on launch day, like the the Z-Fold1 did, we would still be hearing about fold-gate. There are reports of Samsung not covering folding screen issues under warranty, despite promising they would; can you imagine if Apple did that?

TLDR - Samsung can release a Z-Fold1, Apple has to release a Z-Fold4.

 

[lkrupp]

Get a clue, Google and Apple, drop this useless idea.

 

[jmgregory1]

With age comes the benefit of wisdom, or at least in the case of plastic screened devices having the experience of living through an age where phones and PDA’s had plastic covered screens that so easily scratched that you were lucky if they lasted a year of daily use - and that was back when we all were using these devices a fraction of the time that we’re on our devices today. And I don’t want to hear from people saying the UTG screens are far better - these micro-thin glass layers have to be covered with a plastic screen protector to keep them from scratching or getting damaged and just the UX of touching a screen that has give to it is a huge negative and a big reason why every manufacturer moved to solid glass screens for every device.

And don’t get me started with the hinge and the potential for damage. In the same way that manufacturers keep moving away from mechanical switches and buttons (due to the potential for failure), a hinge is a mechanical device that will fail - something you don’t have to worry about with a non-folding device. Apple isn’t going to resolve the issues related to the physics of glass or mechanical movement and they’re not going to risk jeopardizing their good reputation with a folding device that will no doubt make a lot of people mad when it doesn’t perform to expectation (expectations that a decade+ of iPhone use has created).