Pixel Notepad is the purported name of Google’s first-gen foldable smartphone. Featuring a design similar to the Galaxy Z Fold and most other foldables, the first Pixel phone with a bendable screen was supposed to launch in 2021. But Google delayed the Pixel Notepad’s release date, going back to the drawing board to improve the handset. That’s all according to unconfirmed reports, but Pixel rumors are typically accurate.
Google plans to release the new foldable by the end of the year, according to recent leaks. And a new report indicates that Google might start Pixel Notepad production at some point this summer. Additionally, the report also revealed a tentative price for the first-gen Pixel foldable.
Is Google making a foldable phone?
Google has never said that it plans to make any sort of foldable device. The Pixel Fold and Pixel Notepad names aren’t even official. It’s what we’ve been calling the device since the first reports emerged last year.
But Google is indeed making moves that indicate it is making a foldable phone.
First of all, Google started working with Android vendors to optimize its mobile operating system for foldable screens. Android 12L made it clear that Google wants Android to adapt easily to a foldable smartphone screen. And Google included hints that it’s making a foldable handset in Android, as seen below.
Then there are the reports of Fuchsia, the Android replacement, which will work on multiple form-factors, regardless of display shape or size.
More recently, Google confirmed that Android tablets are back on its radar. The company encouraged developers to focus on optimizing Android for tablets right around the time Apple surprised buyers with the unexpected M1 upgrade for the iPad Air 5.
Foldable phones that feature the Galaxy Z Fold design (seen below) become Android tablets when the screen is unfolded.
The only way to showcase to developers and Android vendors what Android for tablets should look like is for Google to make its own tablet or foldable.
Even though Google isn’t ready to confirm its plans, we’ll likely see a foldable Pixel phone this year as long as there is demand. And Samsung had a great year for foldables in 2021, with plans to increase foldable handset sales this year.
Pixel Notepad release rumors
An insider said on Twitter that Google will begin Pixel Notepad production in the third quarter of 2022. That’s in line with recent reports that said production will start during the same period.
If the information is accurate, we could see Google release the Pixel Notepad in the fourth quarter. That’s when we also expect the Pixel 7 to hit stores. Google typically unveils its newest Pixel devices at an event in October.
The insider also listed potential pricing for the Pixel Notepad, as seen above. That’s $1,399, a price tag we’ve seen in previous reports. If accurate, the price will let Google undercut the biggest Pixel Notepad rival by a big margin. That’s going to be the Galaxy Z Fold 4 that Samsung will launch this summer.
It’s unclear where the leaker obtained this Pixel Notepad information from. But it is in line with other reports about Google’s rumored foldable smartphone. And, again, Pixel leaks often turn out to be accurate. However, you should still treat everything as just a rumor, no matter how exciting the Pixel Notepad might sound.
More Pixel coverage: For more Pixel news, visit our Pixel 6 guide.
