Google reportedly working on foldable Pixel for 2021
According to a leaked document, the phone may be slated for late 2021.
The Pixel 4.
Google has big plans for its flagship line. On top of discontinuing its current Pixel 4 to make way for the upcoming Pixel 5 phone that it announced on Monday, the tech company is allegedly making a foldable Pixel phone for 2021, according to 9to5Google.
The outlet cited a leaked internal document that it reviewed, which listed future Android builds. The document "explicitly referred" to a foldable device that is code-named "passport" and is slated for the fourth quarter of 2021.
While this does sound exciting, it's important to note that Google hasn't announced anything official yet, and it did not immediately reply to a request for comment. 9to5Google also reported that the document lists devices whose development was eventually abandoned, including a version of 2017's Pixel 2 XL that never came to pass.
But it's not surprising that Google is developing a foldable phone. In December 2018, it filed a patent application for a foldable device, and in May 2019 Google confirmed that it's been prototyping the folding technology. In addition, Google supports foldable phones with its Android OS platform to develop the technology from the software side. Whether or not we'll be able to buy a foldable phone from Google by 2021, however, is still unconfirmed.