It seems that Google is changing strategy with its foldable smartphones. Rather than making them a separate range, the company now wants to integrate these mobiles into the “traditional” Pixel lineage.
The Pixel Fold 2 will indeed exist… but probably not under that name. Google’s next foldable mobile could well symbolically cut ties with its predecessor, the very lukewarmly received Pixel Fold, released in 2023. As the specialist site Android Authority learned, the ultra high-end phone made in Mountain View could join the Pixel 9 range.
A Pixel 9 Pro “Fold”?
While we previously thought that Google was going to present three Pixel models next school year, the search giant’s plans seem to have changed. In addition to the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro XL (which are more or less the successors to the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro), Google could well present a more “compact” Pixel 9 Pro, and, therefore, a Pixel 9 Pro “Fold “.
Aesthetically, from what the leaks around the Pixel Fold have shown, the mobile looks quite clearly like the future Pixel 9. Grouping all the mobiles within the same range is therefore quite relevant from an aesthetic point of view. But this marks a fairly clear change in strategy for Google, that said.
Google dares to change strategy
Indeed, the first Pixel Fold of the name was announced in mid-2023, at the same time as the Pixel 7a, proud representative of the mid-range at Google. Problem is, the Fold had also been more or less treated like a mid-range mobile despite its price of $1,800. Outdated processor, software monitoring not up to par, hardware breakage problem… We cannot say that Google’s involvement in this range has been impeccable.
If the future Pixel Fold really joins the Pixel 9 family, we can legitimately expect Google to offer a unified experience across its entire range instead of treating its foldable mobile as a marginal product. With any luck, the mobile could inherit the same chip as Google’s other high-end products, benefit from the same software tracking and the same features exclusive to the Pixel range. In short, it could become a full member of the Pixel family. A strategy that no other manufacturer has yet dared to deploy, all preferring to keep their foldable mobiles in a separate category.
Source : Android Authority
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