It seems like Google is thinking of releasing a foldable Pixel smartphone at some point, while the Pixel 5a is coming as well. Both of these devices got mentioned in a leaked Android document.
This leaked document mentions both a foldable Google Pixel, and the Pixel 5a
This information comes from 9to5Google, and it seems like both a foldable Google Pixel and Pixel 5a are coming next year. This document actually lists Android OS information for all publicly-launches Pixels since the Pixel 2.
On top of that, some unannounced phones are also mentioned. The Google Pixel 5a is mentioned, under the codename ‘barbette’. Three other devices that are currently in development are also mentioned in this document.
Those three devices are codenamed ‘raven’, ‘oriole’, and ‘passport’. It is noted, in this document, that these codenames may differ from the ones used in AOSP. Google’s upcoming phones are usually named after fish, so… it makes sense.
Now, the source guesses that the ‘raven’ and ‘oriole’ could be the Google Pixel 6 models. The details are not revealed here. The ‘passport’ is quite interesting, though, for a good reason.
This phone is explicitly referred to as being a ‘foldable’. This clearly suggests that Google is developing a foldable ‘Pixel’ smartphone. In any case, all three of those phones are said to arrive in Q4 2021.
So, it looks like Google may not only release the Pixel 5a and 6 series handsets next year, but also its very first foldable smartphone. Things may change down the line, of course, but at the moment, that’s what this document hints at.
Google did not want to comment on this
The source did reach out to Google for a comment, but the company refused to comment on it. It stated that it does not comment on rumors or speculation. That was the expected response.
Now, some of you may remember that CNET reported, last year, that Google is developing a foldable Pixel. The Pixel head, Mario Queiroz, did say that the company was only ‘prototyping the technology’.
He also noted that the company has been doing that for a long time, and that there’s no clear use case yet. Well, things may have changed since then, and Google may actually be developing its first Pixel foldable.
It is also worth noting that this document mentions that the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are coming in October. Google already spilled the beans by accidentally confirming October 8 as the launch date.