Google Pixel Fold: the beta of Android 12L once again evokes the foldable smartphone

An aura of mystery surrounds the Google Pixel Fold. This folding smartphone developed by the Mountain View firm was talked about last year without however a real announcement has yet seen the light of day. What end up believing that the device, which carried the code name “Passport”, then “Pipit”, would never come out. Nonetheless, a thorough analysis of the recent beta of Android 12L seems to point to the opposite.

The 9to5Google site has indeed gone through the beta of this version of Android designed for folding screens. During their research, the journalists discovered a series of animations showing how to insert a nano-SIM into a smartphone.

In the latter, we observe a device with a hinge, in the open (tablet mode) and closed position. On the right side of the screen, we can clearly see the Google logo. The nano-SIM is inserted on the lower edge, while we can see a volume control button on the right.

9to5Google has also unearthed a mention of the name “Pipit” in the code in question. This suggests that Google’s folding smartphone is still in development and the project has simply fallen behind schedule.

A different format from the Galaxy Z Fold 3

Regarding the mobile itself, we observe that, once opened, it has a particularly square shape. Google could therefore opt for a slightly different format from that adopted by Samsung with its Galaxy Z Fold 3. The site estimates that it could be a ratio of 7: 8. We are therefore very far from the South Korean model, which offers a more elongated ratio of 22.5: 18.

This Pixel Fold would therefore look much more like the Oppo Find N, which we recently tested in the editorial staff. The latter has a ratio of 8.4: 9 and seems more compact. A format that appears to us to be very attractive, even if the smartphone is not supposed to come out here.

Google could therefore be preparing a serious (and different) competitor to Samsung, for the moment alone in the European market. But the year 2022 promises to be rich in announcements and the Chaebol should soon have foldable opponents in France.