The first leaked Google Pixel Fold 2 image shows an extra camera and a new design
A very different foldable
The original Google Pixel Fold was one of the best foldable phones of 2023, so hopes are high for the Google Pixel Fold 2, and based on the first leaked image, it seems Google is making some big changes to its foldable formula.
Shared by an anonymous source speaking to Android Authority, the photo only shows the back of an alleged Pixel Fold 2, and with some details blurred out, but there’s still plenty that we can see.
For one thing, the device shown here appears to have a narrower cover screen than the original Pixel Fold, leading to an inner display that’s squarer in shape. This has also led to less room for cameras along the width of the rear, resulting in a more conventional square camera block with two lenses at the top and two below, in place of the long single-row block on the original Pixel Fold.
However, there appears to also be an extra lens here, as the first Pixel Fold only has three rear cameras. There’s no news on what these lenses are, but based on the first phone, we likely have a main (wide) lens, an ultra-wide, and a telephoto, along with a mystery fourth sensor.
This could perhaps be a dedicated macro lens or a second telephoto, but it could just as well be the temperature sensor from the Pixel 8 Pro, a depth sensor, or any number of other things.
There’s not much more to say about the image itself, but the source of this image claims that the Pixel Fold 2’s frame feels more premium, though is likely still made of aluminum, like the original model.
Bezels begone
They also claim that this phone is quite thin, but still has a noticeable crease running down the center of its folding display. More interestingly, they say that the inner camera is in a cut-out at the top right of the foldable display. That’s in contrast to the original Pixel Fold, which housed its 8MP internal front-facer within the top bezel.
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That likely means the top bezel is smaller here, which would be desirable, as large bezels were one of our main issues with the first phone.
We would, however, take this design with a pinch of salt. There’s no guarantee that this leak is genuine, and even if it is, from the photo this appears to be an early, unfinished prototype.
As such, it may well change before launch – especially as another recent leak (from the same source) suggested that the Pixel Fold 2 could launch at around the same time as the Google Pixel 9, which means we might not see it until October 2024.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.