The Google Pixel Fold was one of the highlights of the first half of 2023, combining a stylish and surprisingly-slim design with great cameras and impressive screens. In all, it was a brilliant first attempt at a foldable phone by Google, but there are plenty of places where the inevitable Google Pixel Fold 2 could improve things.
With that in mind, we’ve created a wish list of the five things that we most want to see from the Pixel Fold 2. You’ll find that further down in this article, but ahead of that we’ve included some educated guesses as to the release date, price, and some of the specs of the Pixel Fold 2.
There aren’t any leaks or rumors about the phone yet, but as soon as there are we’ll be sure to add them to this article too, so keep this page bookmarked.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The second foldable phone from Google
- When is it out? Possibly mid-2024
- How much will it cost? Likely at least $1,799 / £1,749 (around AU$2,630)
Google Pixel Fold 2: release date and price
Google’s main Pixel line gets new models on a yearly basis, so if the same is true of the Pixel Fold line then we can expect the Pixel Fold 2 in 2024, likely around May. Of course, that’s just speculation for now.
We can also only speculate about the price currently, but the Pixel Fold starts at $1,799 / £1,749 (around AU$2,630 but with no Australian availability), so it’s likely the Google Pixel Fold 2 will have a similar starting price – or perhaps even a slightly higher one.
There’s a chance the Pixel Fold 2 will land in Australia even though the first model hasn’t, since Google does have a presence there, but that remains to be seen. A US and UK launch is all but guaranteed.
Google Pixel Fold 2: news and leaks
For now there’s no news about the likely design and specs of the Pixel Fold 2, but since the current model looks a lot like a foldable Pixel 7, it’s reasonable to assume the next one will look like a foldable Pixel 8.
The Pixel 8 isn’t out yet either, but leaks suggest the design isn’t changing much, so the design of the Pixel Fold 2 might not deviate far from the Pixel Fold’s appearance either.
One upgrade are expecting is a move to the Tensor G3, which will likely debut inside the Pixel 8 line later this year. Alternatively, if the Pixel Fold 2 launches late in 2024, then there’s a chance it could even get a Tensor G4; putting it in line with what we’d expect from the Pixel 9. In either case, that will mean a power boost compared to the original Pixel Fold.
We’ll add to this section as soon as we hear any leaks or rumors about the Google Pixel Fold 2.
Google Pixel Fold 2: what we want to see
The following five things could make the Google Pixel Fold 2 substantially better than the original Pixel Fold.
1. Smaller bezels
The Google Pixel Fold mostly looks great. It’s slim, stylish, and looks more like a conventional smartphone than the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. But the foldable screen has surprisingly large bezels around it.
These don’t look like they belong on a phone of this price, so we’d like to see these slimmed down significantly for the Pixel Fold 2.
2. A lower price
Foldable phones are inevitably pricey prospects and the Google Pixel Fold is no exception, with a price tag that’s in line with the top Samsung foldables.
That’s not entirely unreasonable, given that it’s virtually two devices in one, along with a likely expensive folding screen. But it does mean the Pixel Fold will be out of reach for a lot of people.
We’d love to see these devices become mainstream, and for that they need to be cheaper, so we hope Google finds a way to cut costs with the Pixel Fold 2 – without cutting down on the quality.
3. A better chipset
While the Google Tensor G2 in the original Pixel Fold is a reasonable chipset, it’s far from the best around. This chipset is also found in the Pixel 7 line, which came out in 2022, so it’s not super-new, and will soon be superseded by the Tensor G3 we’re expecting in the Pixel 8.
The G3 probably wasn’t ready in time for inclusion in the Pixel Fold, but other great chipsets like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 were.
So, for the Pixel Fold 2 we don’t want a repeat of this – meaning we don’t want the Tensor G3. We’d like to see Google either equip it with the Tensor G4, so it’s in line with what we’re expecting from the Pixel 9 line, or better yet use the latest flagship Snapdragon chipset, as those are typically more powerful than Google’s Tensor ones, although this would be highly irregular considering the path the company seems keen to continue down with Tensor.
4. A bigger battery
Battery life is almost always an issue with foldable phones. After all, their big and numerous screens can be very power hungry, yet there’s not really room for a tablet-sized battery inside these phones.
Still, most foldable phones don’t even match typical flagships for battery capacity, and we’d think the form factor could manage that. So we’d like to see Google move from the 4,821mAh battery in the Pixel Fold, to at least a 5,000mAh one in the Pixel Fold 2. That would be in line with the batteries found in the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and the OnePlus 11.
5. Longer-term support
Google is promising at least three years of Android updates and five years of security updates for the Pixel Fold, and while the latter figure is respectable, three years of operating system updates for a phone this expensive really isn’t very impressive.
Many iPhones are supported for as long as five or six years, and Samsung promises four years of Android updates for a lot of its handsets, so Google – which makes Android – really has no good excuse for not doing more. Hopefully, that will be remedied with the Pixel Fold 2.