Pixel Fold concept draws heavily on Pixel 6 for inspiration

News
By published

Google's foldable phone would look a lot like its upcoming flagship if this design is accurate

Pixel Fold concept design shows a look similar to the Pixel 6
(Image credit: Waqar Khan/Let's Go Digital)

A not insignificant chunk of the people who follow assorted phone rumors believe that when the Google Pixel 6 debuts later this month, a Pixel Fold will appear alongside it. We can't say for certain if a foldable phone from Google is truly close to launching, but at least we have some ideal of what it might possibly look like.

That look at a would-be Pixel Fold design comes from a concept video created by designer Waqar Khan and posted via Let's Go Digital. The 3D renders appear to be based on rumors surrounding the foldable as well as a patent Google won for a foldable phone with a hinged design.

Essentially, Khan's take on the Pixel Fold looks like what would happen if a Galaxy Z Fold 3 and a Pixel 6 fell madly in love and produced an offspring. Like Samsung's foldable, the Google phone in this concept design features an exterior cover display, with the phone unfolding to reveal a tablet-sized screen inside. Both screens feature punch-hole camera cut-outs, unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which uses an under-display lens for the camera on its interior display.

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

We'd note that this Pixel Fold concept doesn't solve one of the biggest problems we've had with the Galaxy Z Fold 3. Phones that open and close on a hinge tend to be pretty bulky when you fold them up, and that can make them hard to carry around. It'll be up to Google to figure out a way to make the Pixel Fold more portable if this design is the one that's on the table.

As for the Pixel 6 influences, the back of the phone mimics the new look Google has already shown off for its upcoming flagship. That means a horizontal row of camera lens stretching across the back of the device. Khan's design also appears in colors that Google has already tipped for the Pixel 6 lineup.

Pixel Fold concept design shows a look similar to the Pixel 6

(Image credit: Waqar Khan/Let's Go Digital)

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are both slated to debut this month; they should feature a Google-designed processor and assorted camera improvements. Rumors say those flagship phones will launch on Oct. 19.

However, in recent weeks, a growing chorus of rumor mongers have claimed that a Pixel Fold will also debut this year, possibly making an appearance alongside the Pixel 6 phones. The foldable would have the same Tensor processor Google is developing for its other phones.

Other than that, though, little is known about the Pixel Fold. And that lack of more concrete details could suggest that a launch is not as close as the rumor mill claims. After all, the Pixel 6 is likely to arrive in a few weeks, and most of the details about that phone have already trickled out.

It's possible that Google might give us a glimpse of the Pixel Fold this month, holding off on a formal launch until later. If that does happen, it will be interesting to see how closely the design in this concept video matches the reality of the Pixel Fold.

Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels

Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.