Google doesn’t want to keep a secret: We already know the design of the first folding Pixel. For those of us who advocate foldables as the future of the phone (in a few years, when they just stop being overpriced), this Pixel is a great hope. The OPPO Find N2 is a form factor based on images that aim to follow after Android Stock and a promising camera system.

Nevertheless there few difficulties to be solved If Google wants to differentiate itself with its folding. Reaching the market in 2023 with an immature technology and without the prior knowledge of giants like Samsung (even Xiaomi and OPPO, who are already several generations old) is a huge challenge.

Nothing fails at the hardware level. Take a look at the best known subforums to reveal an obvious secret: Pixels have had some hardware and software bugs. I had major bugs myself on the Pixel 6 Pro and some hardware bugs on my previous Pixel 3 XL.

Samsung had a pretty disastrous first-gen Fold with serious hinge and panel issues. Google faces the challenge of coming back a few years later with all their homework done.

Do your homework at the software level. The system is the most relevant on a Google Pixel: direct updates, no bloatware, and a user interface that many of us value as the best in Android. Google has released the ‘L’ version of its system to adapt it to large panels. Manufacturers like Samsung have managed to make the most of this with multi-window and docking station, among other options that bring your Fold closer to a PC.

Here, Google has significant room to shine, with an Android version adapted for its folding, a leveled multi-window, and taking advantage of the Android L dock.

Show that there is no reason to cut the camera. The biggest downside to some foldables like the Samsung Fold is that even though their price exceeds that of flagships, they never cease to shine in the photography department. The design that Google showed off shows a triple camera configuration: main, ultra-wide angle and periscopic zoom.

It should be a foldable flagship, and a flagship deserves the best camera. If Google manages to make the camera foldable from the Pixel 7 Pro, that would be a key point of purchase.

Overcome the deployment challenge. Google cell phones are standard cell phones: some come to Spain and some do not. A few doubts are planted with this folding Pixel. According to price leaks in the US, we can expect a final ticket of close to 2,000 euros if it arrives in Spain. If it does not reach Spain, another product will be included in the list of Pixel devices that very few users can access.

Convince us with your form. To date, there is no 100% convincing Fold type fold as a format. The OPPO Find N2 convinces when closed (it looks more like a traditional phone), but when we turn it on we are met with a very square format that does not get along well with multimedia.

Offerings like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 are slightly better at playing multimedia, but are too narrow for some users when closed. While Google continues to check for relevant software adaptations to optimize the format, it seems to have bet on the first solution.

It is a matter of curiosity at what price, in which countries this device will come, and how this first-generation Pixel will age. Of course, the fact that a giant like Google is in this format says a lot in its favor.

Image | Google

on Xataka | Folding sales will skyrocket in 2023. They will remain insignificant numbers