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by Saad Hisham, 10/05/2023
At the tech giant’s Google I/O event, the company announced their entry to the foldables market: the aptly titled Pixel Fold. Google also announced their return to the tablet market with the Pixel Tablet. Not a minute was spent naming these devices (effective naming though!).
Currently, the foldable market is dominated by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line. It was reported that Samsung holds 62% of the foldable market share as of last year and, with not much competition, it is possible that that market share has only increased.
The Pixel Fold may just shake things up in the market. Google’s foldable boasts a 5.9” inch 1080p front screen, and a much larger 7.6” 1840p screen when unfolded. Google’s own Tensor G2 chip powers the device, and comes with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage (buyers can upgrade to a 512GB storage if they wish). A 48MP rear camera, 9.5MP front camera, and an 8MP inner camera is onboard the Pixel Fold. All of this is supported by a 4821mAh battery.
The only hurdle the Pixel Fold may have in capturing a heavy slice of the foldable market is its price. The base version of the Google foldable is debuting at £1,749, a full £100 more than the Galaxy Z Fold’s £1,649 price tag. The Z Fold is much further along in its life and it has had the opportunity to fix any issues it may have had since its launch, something that is vital in a completely fresh market. While Google has external data to look at, it would not be out of the ordinary to expect some technical issues here and there. This and the pricing might just drive more folks to buy the Galaxy Z Fold instead.
Also announced during the event is the Pixel Tablet, Google’s first tablet since the Pixel Slate five years ago. The device has an 11-inch 1600p screen and is powered by the same Tensor G2 chip used in the Pixel Fold. Although an exact battery capacity is not mentioned, Google says the device is capable of up to 12 hours of video streaming. The tablet comes coupled with a dock that also acts as a speaker, much like the Google Nest Hub Max.
Unlike the Pixel Fold, the Pixel Tablet is competitively priced. It will debut at $499, which is much closer to the $449 price tag of an Apple iPad, and much cheaper than the $599 iPad Air. While this could be a welcome return for Google in the US tablet market, they are likely to struggle in the UK. The Pixel Tablet costs £599 in the UK, which is equivalent to around $750. You can buy an iPad in the UK for £499 or the iPad Air for £669.
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