Google reveals why it decided to ditch its second foldable phone

Google recently confirmed that it was gearing up to unveil a second foldable phone but abandoned the project because it wasn't good enough. To recap, the Pixel Fold became official at the recently concluded Google I/O 2023. Users have been heaping praises on the foldable phone's design and features.

Meanwhile, some earlier reports indicated that Google has ditched its second foldable phone. Now, this speculation was confirmed by the company's head of design for hardware products Ivy Ross during an episode of the official Made By Google podcast.

Google's entry into the foldable phone market

Following in the footsteps of leading smartphone manufacturers like Samsung, the search giant recently jumped on the foldable phone bandwagon with its own version of a foldable phone. The Pixel Fold is currently available for preorder on Amazon and Google's official website.

The Pixel Fold is a feature-laden foldable phone that's likely to give Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Fold 5 a run for its money. Unlike the recently unveiled Pixel Fold, Ross claims the second foldable phone the company was working on isn't good enough. As a result, Google decided to cancel the project.

The decision shows the company's desire to offer superior-quality products. "I'm really proud of the team because there was another foldable model that we had created, that we had the discipline to hold back and say 'nope, it's not good enough yet,' Ross explained.

Furthermore, the design lead said the company will wait until it has something that was good enough or better than its existing product. Regrettably, details about this second foldable phone have been few and far between.

Nevertheless, the word on the street suggested that the second foldable phone will have two screens. In other words, it would be a Flip or Fold-style handset rather than Huawei Mate XS2-like out-folding phone. The folks at Android Authority believe a Pixel Flip would have been an excellent Pixel Fold alternative. Notably, the Galaxy Z Flip phones account for 70 per cent of all of Samsung's foldables shipped in 2021.

According to Samsung president TM Roh, the smartphone market shipped out 10 million foldable phones in 2021. Recently, the Korean brand also confirmed that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 accounted for a significant 60 per cent of its foldable sales in Europe. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, on the other hand, accounted for just 40 per cent of the company's foldable sales. Inspired by these figures, Google could also be planning to release a clamshell Pixel soon.

Google Pixel Fold: Can it beat the Galaxy Z Fold series?

In the meantime, Google is preparing to start shipping the Pixel Fold next month. The newly launched foldable handset sports a 5.8-inch exterior display and a 7.6-inch internal display. The profile of the Fold is thinner than most foldable phones available in the market. Under the hood, it packs a powerful Tensor G2 chip from Google, Moreover, the phone comes with five years of software support.

The hinge of the Pixel Fold is made using high-quality stainless steel, which is a major plus. Moreover, the handset's hardware and software integration is seamless. However, Samsung is currently dominating the foldable phone market with its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip series. Google entered the market to compete with Samsung and other brands that have launched their own foldable phones.

However, the company's decision to cancel its second foldable phone seems to suggest that it could be struggling to lock horns with the Korean smartphone giant. It is also worth noting that foldable phones haven't gained widespread adoption yet. On top of that, they carry steep price tags, making them very expensive for many consumers. So, it will be interesting to see whether Google will release a Pixel Fold successor or alternative anytime soon.