Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Google Pixel Fold Design, Specs Leaked Ahead of Expected May 2023 Launch
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'm not understanding this comment, who is building a lower durability device and marketing it as superior? I haven't seen Samsung market the Fold devices as more durable, although maybe I'm missing a commercial or announcement so I'd be curious to see that. Even with that, the durability issue is pretty much a non-issue anyway, certainly much less of an issue than say a glass backed iPhone versus a plastic backed iPhone.
Last edited:
Thankfully Apple's faster CPU let's it open apps .00000034 seconds faster and that's just about it. Although Apple's mode where you can use the iPhone as a desktop computer is useful for that CPU, oh wait that's Samsung's Dex mode.
Last edited:
While performance isn't anywhere near as good what really takes advantage of that power on iphones? at moment basically just battery life and overall optimisation. Foldables these days mainly Z fold really takes advantage of the chip by being able to do multiple tasks at once if needed.
iPhone needs at least the option for split-screen multitasking, and iPad needs true windowing. I feel these changes, even if they take years to realize and to implement, would bring Apple’s primary mobile platforms to new levels of productivity and utility without necessarily encroaching too much on macOS.
It would also help Apple achieve more parity with competitors in the Android space (haven’t Samsung’s phones supported windowing for a while now, and with chips considerably less capable than Apple’s?).
I think this video gives perhaps the most objective breakdown of what the Galaxy Fold is good at.
Cons - many apps aren't optimised for the wider screen (which seems to be a consequence of android support for tablets still lacking). Battery life isn't as good. Crease is still quite prominent.
The price has also improved a fair bit. You used to be able to get an iPhone, iPad Pro and still have some spare change left over. Now, it costs less than a 14 Pro Max and iPad mini (and Samsung typically throws in some freebies with it as well).
Personally, I remain of the opinion that most people are better off just carrying a better smartphone than a small tablet that folds into a suboptimal smartphone. In a way, this reminds me of the Surface Pro. It has a fairly unique proposition that can be useful in the hands of the right people (eg: teachers), but most remain better off with more conventional offerings.
Mostly fair points, although still very specific to how a user will use their phone. I will say that the video missed a few things. Samsung provides the ability to stretch apps which don't conform to the larger screen, in practice it works quite well and looks good, and yes that's including the apps the reviewer harped on. I'll challenge you to find an app that won't work on the inner screen, and I don't really mean that as a challenge because I'm sure you will find an occasional app here or there, but I'd be curious about any apps which truly don't work.
I'll also say that every day I find new uses for such a wide screen, as well as Samsung's really great way they have incorporated the multi screen paradigm. It can be something as simple as just having a timer open on one side and a news app or YouTube on the other while I do my morning stretching routine, or having the ability to drag files from one side to the other, or interacting with an app while on a video call. The possibilities are as endless as on a desktop PC, something Apple can clearly learn a lesson from. But it's a moot point on an iPhone because there are no multi screen capabilities, even though personally I would find them useful even on the smaller screen.
Crease: Fair point. It doesn't bother me in the least, but it's definitely something that needs to be addressed going forward. Pie in the sky would be a nice full glass screen like a slab phone. No arguments here.
The battery life is quite good as well, but of course it all depends on how you use it. If I'm playing games all day, no it's not going to last long. But if I use a mixture of the outer and inner screens during the day I can easily get home with 30-40% left after a heavy day of use including tons of notifications, probably a couple of hours of inner screen time, and a few more hours of outer screen time. In practice/every day use I notice it gets about the same battery life as my 13 pro max. Here is Phonearena getting a solid almost 13 hours screen time with browsing, and almost 9 hours with video streaming.
I still can't agree with your assessment that a "better" smartphone is better than the Fold, but I'm not particularly sure what a "better smartphone" means. No smartphone on the market currently will have anywhere close to the size of the inner Fold screen, so if that's the most important thing you value in a phone then there really is no other choice (other than to carry a tablet around). But again this is all very specific to the user, and everyone has different needs.
I suppose I should also stick in my complete disagreement on the Surface Pro lineup, again just my personal opinion but as a tablet it completely trounces the iPad, and it's a capable laptop but not as good as a full laptop. I don't think the proposition is unique in the least, you want a tablet with the capability to also be a laptop. Note that it's only a subpar laptop because of it's portability, put it up against a 13" laptop and it would do really well, but not quite as good.
Here's my train of thought (with the caveat that I have never actually used a galaxy fold short of handling it at phone shops for a couple of minutes here and there).
The way I interact with my smartphone when I am outdoors involves me taking the phone out of my pants pocket, using it in some fashion, then putting it back in my pocket. Multiple this by a number of dozen times each day. I am thinking that not only would a thicker phone be more annoying to keep in my pants pocket, it would also be more cumbersome to unfold the fold every time I wanted the larger display, and then folding it when I am done so I can put it away. It just feels like a lot of needless effort on my part.
It's either that or I make do with the smaller screen on the outside of the phone, and then you wonder why you spent so much on one in the first place.
Without regurgitating the points I made in another thread in the iPad forum, I find the compromises of the surface pro are thermal throttling (intel and thin form factors don't really play well together), the screen being right above the processor, the kickstand / keyboard cover combo means I can't hold the SP by the keyboard the same way I could a laptop, and generally poor battery life (because of the need to be thin so it can double as a tablet).
I also like my tablets to run iOS where it's optimised for touch and can run touch-optimised apps, but perhaps that is more a personal preference. The Surface Pro is basically a touchscreen laptop with a broken hinge that doubles as a mediocre tablet, and I feel it compromises in all the wrong areas for me.
For me, the current iPhone design is at the limits of 1) the size I can use one-handed, 2) the weight I am willing to carry around, 3) the size and thickness that will fit in my pocket. Any device that’s going to exceed those limits is a non-starter for me.
A crease in the middle of a screen would be unacceptable to me, it would feel too much like a device on the point of failure, not a well-designed and beautiful piece of technology. It’s a question of what I’m willing to spend that amount of money on, it has to function well for a good number of years and it has to look the part.
For the uses I have for my phone, a larger screen wouldn’t be that much of a plus. It certainly isn’t transformational in the way the original iPhone was, which combined several things I already had in my pockets and added several more that I wish I had.
I’m far from sold on foldables at all, although if Apple make one I’ll look at their effort.
A crease in the middle of a screen would be unacceptable to me, it would feel too much like a device on the point of failure, not a well-designed and beautiful piece of technology. It’s a question of what I’m willing to spend that amount of money on, it has to function well for a good number of years and it has to look the part.
For the uses I have for my phone, a larger screen wouldn’t be that much of a plus. It certainly isn’t transformational in the way the original iPhone was, which combined several things I already had in my pockets and added several more that I wish I had.
I’m far from sold on foldables at all, although if Apple make one I’ll look at their effort.
Valid points, and the bulk may bother people in the same way that the bulk of the 14 Pro Max may bother people compared to the 13 Mini. Here's my thoughts, unfolding the phone only happens when whatever you are doing benefits a lot from the large screen so it wouldn't be needless effort; if the thing you are doing makes unfolding feel like a burden, you would likely just use the outside screen. For example, I wouldn't unfold it reply to a text.
Personally I don't think the bulk would bother me because it brings the tangible benefit of having a large screen. Taking it back to my 3GS, I don't recall being bothered by the bulk of a Mophie battery case because of the benefits it brought. In a perfect world I would have a folding phone and small phone which I could swap between (both on he same number) depending on what I was doing; the small phone would probably be several generations old because I would only use it in specific scenarios where the folding phone would be too cumbersome.
I was a somewhat early adopter of foldables and have had a z fold 2 for a couple of years now. I absolutely love it and can't imagine going back to a non-foldable. The multitasking on it is something that I feel like I can't do without now. I'll be cooking and have my recipe instructions on the bottom half, and Netflix on the top for something to entertain me. Or if shopping I'll have my grocery list on one half and and instacart on the other. Sometimes if I have to take a work call away from my computer I'll have zoom on one side and ms teams on the other. I play games on it with a physical wireless telescopic controller. I use the front facing screen for all regular phone stuff, though I wish it were a little wider. For me it's been a total game changer in ways I never expected. It's the only device I need. One of my favorite phones, up there with my blackberry, iPhone 5s and Pixel 2.
New renders and design details for the long-rumored Google Pixel Fold have emerged online, including display sizes and overall dimensions, as well as an expected launch date in the spring.
According to established leaker OnLeaks (via Howtoisolve), previous rumors were correct to claim that the Google Pixel Fold will adopt a form factor similar to the Oppo Find N. Google's foldable is set to feature a 5.79-inch outer display with a center hole-punch camera cutout, with a 7.69-inch inner screen and a right-aligned selfie camera cutout embedded in a slightly thicker bezel. The Samsung-built OLED panels are said to feature an ultra-thin glass (UTG) cover, also supplied by Samsung.
The display sizes are said to be housed in a rounded-edge chassis measuring approximately 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm when unfolded, making it marginally wider than the Oppo Find N and approximately the same height, but with a slightly bulkier camera bump with an 8.3mm thickness.
The camera bump on the back side of the screen, reminiscent of Google's latest Pixel phone, houses a triple-lens strip with flash and microphone, while the SIM tray is located at the bottom edge of the outer screen. The USB-C port sits directly opposite when folded. The volume buttons sit on the right edge alongside a fingerprint scanner-equipped power button.
Previous rumors have suggested the Pixel Fold will be powered by Google's Tensor G2 chip processor and come with at least 12GB of RAM. The likelihood is that it will run Android 13. The starting price is expected to be $1,799, with black and silver color options available when the device launches in May 2023.
Google's foldable has been a long time coming. Documents leaked in 2020 suggested Google planned to release a in-folding smartphone in late 2021, but that didn't happen. Google didn't even mention foldable devices at its recent I/O developer conference, leaving some Pixel fans wondering if the device had been canned.
In 2019, when Google revealed it was developing technology that could be used in a foldable, it admitted in the same breath that it didn't see "a clear use case yet." However, well-connected Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young has said the emergence of software innovations or a new chipset that Google wants to incorporate likely held back the device.
Meanwhile, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold and Flip devices having made inroads into the nascent market, and Google is in catchup mode. Where that leaves Apple is unclear. The company's long-rumored foldable iPhone is unlikely to launch until 2025 or later, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple's first foldable device may even be a hybrid iPhone and iPad, or simply a foldable iPad.
If or when its foldable comes, Apple's long game has allowed it to watch and learn. Early foldable devices had a long list of issues with screen quality and durability, which perhaps explains why Apple has yet to come out with a foldable device of its own.
Article Link: Google Pixel Fold Design, Specs Leaked Ahead of Expected May 2023 Launch
And I give it all this praise despite not really liking the Samsung environment. I don't like the native Samsung apps and replaced them with Google's. The camera was a downgrade from my previous pixel 4. Dislike Bixby. It's just a lot less elegant than Pixel or iPhone. I have been waiting for a little while now for Google to launch its version so I can have the best of both worlds. This is exactly what I'd hoped for, though the price tag stings. I can't wait. I really hope it doesn't disappoint me.
I think it's important to quantify what it's being compared to. IMO the Fold 4 is easier to pocket and take in/out of my pocket then my old 13 pro max simply because it's narrower. Now that might not be the case if I was comparing a non max iPhone.
Personally I feel we all adapt to our circumstances with no ill effects or even the bother of noting that adaptation. There was a time when tiny cell phones ruled the Earth, I'm sure there was a lot of complaining when consumers were faced with the bulk of the first iPhone and having to pocket that versus their Moto Startac (heck I used to have a Moto Vader back in the day that fit into the little sub-pocket that jeans have!).
The more time I own a folding phone, the more I find myself unfolding it even for little things. It's fascinating to me that as human beings we are complaining about the 1/2 second time and effort it takes to unfold the phone. But I suppose that's why AR is going to be big some day, just out of sheer human laziness (myself included). But I will take the extremely minor inconvenience of unfolding my phone over having to stuff my iPad between my pants and back ANY day of the week. For those very few times when unfolding it doesn't make sense I still have a more than adequate outer screen to get work done.
Very valid points. I'm actually excited to see Google's form factor with the wider screen and the open phone being in landscape mode, I have a feeling it's going to be a better configuration than Samsung's take.
No it doesn't it does things one at a time it basically has zero multitasking. Should you always need it? No but should you have the option when you are spending 1k? Yes
No it's doing a hell of a lot at once. There are tens if not hundreds of background processes.
It's a conscious user interface design choice and it works.
90% of iPhone users I know can only manage one process. We're in a good place at the moment. Adding complexity compromises the user experience.
So you're just calling those iPhone users simple and their brains can't do more than one thing at once? I have no idea why you should need to go in and out of apps to get certain tasks done or to check certain things done on a daily basis.
You should always be given that choice.
I‘m not entirely sure… I personally use portrait more than landscape, perhaps… that’s more due to the fact Galaxy Fold initially opens up in portrait.
I‘m more intrigued about the wider screen, not necessarily about the unfolding to landscape mode. The primary reason why I unfold the Fold is the narrowness of the cover display… if the cover screen was slightly wider, perhaps.. I’ll use the inner screen less.
How do you propose that you do that? I mean I hear "we need multitasking" but what is that? What do you want to do? How do you do it without compromising the simpler use cases? How do you handle concurrency, synchronisation? How do you handle displaying and working with more than one bounded context at a time?
Throw me some UI designs and some storyboards and I will tear them to shreds in a second I guarantee you.
The only reason iOS isn't a complete crapfest is that Apple understands you can't just waltz in and give everyone everything on day one. Look at what happened to Microsoft when they tried to do that. They now have a severely compromised desktop operating system, a terrible tablet operating system and burned their entire mobile device platform.
You can't be serious? it's not actually complicated to really get your head around.
multitasking on a phone isn't some new process here. It's been around for maybe a decade. It's not difficult for apple to add the same level of multitasking on the iPhone as you have on the iPad. while the iPad is multitasking is simple and not the level of android it at least offers spilt screen so you can do basic tasks without leaving your Home Screen.
the window sizing isn't great where on android you can resize the content as much or as little as you like.
Why should you for example need to be searching for a restaurant and then go out of that page to then go to google maps to search where it is. same for when you are texting and wanting to watch a YouTube video or in your banking app and having your calculator on the same spilt screen page.
So no sorry but there's nothing for you to tear to shreds here. It's quite laughable you think you can. there is no argument you can make to suggest having zero multitasking on your device is a good thing.
That doesn't mean you have to use it but at the very least it needs to be there. Apple knows people want it and why it's on the iPad. It should be on all their devices even their low budget devices.
The fact your last sentence there you are trying to justify apple being slow to add things to their devices. I'm as big an apple fan as anybody but it's important people point out their short comings and areas they really need to improve on otherwise they will do nothing year on year. It's took them 10 years to add widgets and always on displays. Took them 3-4 years to add 120hz to their phones which still is missing from their non pro phones which in 2022 and heading to 2023 is still rather embarrassing but it is what it is. Least it's on their leading devices.
We will finally likely get a pericope zoom lens this year 4 years after it became a thing. sometimes them being slow is justified but often it isn't.
Seeing as I asked for examples to tear up I'll do it.
1. Searching for a restaurant and open in Google maps. That's already supported. You start within the maps context and search for the restaurant. I do this tens of times a week. Not more than one task required
2. Texting and watching a Youtube video. You can do that. It works with Apple TV. The choice here is made by YT because they can't shovel ads down your throat in PIP mode.
3. Banking and calculator. There isn't enough screen estate on a phone to do this and you can do it fine on an iPad. Free42 pops out nicely over the top of numbers + safari on an iPad. It's just not practical do this on a phone screen.
I'm not justifying apple being slow. They are being careful and that's how you don't end up with a compromised platform covered in excrement stuck together with tape.
I'm not arguing no multitasking, I'm arguing that it has to be done thoughtfully, respecting the constraints of the available real-estate on the device's screen without compromising the 90% of other duties the device is required to do and are fine with one bounded context on display.
No it is certainly not supported if we are talking about searching in a web browser which is the whole point of the example. You may be able to do it in the app but if you are looking through multiple searches then no you have to go in and out of the app to see what you are looking at.
There are plenty of other examples for multitasking which can be used on a daily basics even just going through e-mails and browsing twitter, news or anything productive. The examples are endless here so it's not about the examples here it's about how with your iphone you have to go in and out of every task which certainly isn't ideal or productive.
It's simply not the same at all, PIP while is a form of multitasking is simply not at the level of spilt screen multitasking as you have to consistently move the window around while doing any tasks. Spilt screen doesn't need to be moved at all. So again no your two responses aren't good ones I'm afraid. There's nothing you can really say to justify anything for this.
Why are you mentioning apple TV in this discussion? last time I checked you can't grab your apple TV on the go. What you can do on the Apple TV is pointless when talking about multitasking.
For one is false as if you are simply checking your bank and making calculation of what is coming out for example it is very useful. Nobody is saying you need to do an essay when multitasking. You are also talking about on a small phone but if you are using a foldable? there is plenty of room here. You mentioning the ipad is also pointless as we aren't talking about the ipad. The ipad at least has some form of multitasking.
There's nothing to be careful about here. It has nothing to do with being careful. Software improvements aren't excuses to be slow on adding basic features like this. If we are talking about 120hz and periscope lens then sure there's a reason for it being late due to supply issues and having the panels to support 120hz and also to get the parts for the zoom lens is no easy task but software features? sorry there's no excuses not to add this.
Same as for not activating reverse wireless charging. This has been built into the iphone since the iphone 11 but apple refuses to let you use it to charge your air pods or other phones. There's no reason for them not to let you use this at all. You can charge your magsafe battery pack so it's proof it's built in.