I’ve said it a few times before, but there’s never been a phone I’ve waited longer for than the Pixel Fold. Even the Palm Pre and the 6-month wait I endured for my first real smartphone doesn’t even touch the surface of how long I’ve been anticipating this new, folding device from Google. On some level, the first time I saw the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, I already began wondering about what a device like that would look like with Pixel software on board.
And then it finally happened: rumors began to swirl that Google was actually building a folding phone in-house. I couldn’t believe it at first, and then as the rumors continued and the leaks finally showed up, I finally felt certain that the Pixel Fold was actually on the way. But even as those developments rolled on and all the questions around Google’s first folding phone were basically answered, I quickly realized it would still be a long wait for it to actually arrive.
Google shares why the Pixel Fold development took so long
And now that we’re finally – FINALLY – on the cusp of the Pixel Fold actually shipping to customers, Google has offered a bit in the way of explanation as to why this device took so long in development. It’s complex, sure, and we’ve known about it since the very early days (which is a bit unfair for hardware development cycles), but even taking all of that into consideration, it is clear that the Pixel Fold as we’re about to have it wasn’t exactly the first version. This device has taken some detours along the way.
In the latest Made By Google podcast – Pixel Perfect: A Look at the Design of Google’s Latest Devices – Ivy Ross, Isabelle Olsson, and Claude Zellweger talk a bit about the latest Google hardware products and the industrial design that goes into building devices like the new Pixel Tablet, Pixel 7a, and Pixel Fold. At around 17 minutes into the podcast, there’s a section all about the Pixel Fold and why it’s taken so long to finally get to a released product.
I’m really proud of the team because there was another foldable model that we had created that we had the discipline to hold back and say, “nope, it’s not good enough yet,” and really wait until we felt like we could do something that was good enough or better than what was out there already. So it’s really a testimony to the fact that we’re able to do that and recognize when something isn’t good enough.
via the Made By Google Podcast
Clearly, this indicates that there was at least one model before the current Pixel Fold that was built and simply wasn’t ready for actual production. And that lines up with many of the rumors and other code names that floated around before we had concrete leaks of this new foldable device by Google. In all reality, there were probably quite a few variations and even though one surfaced out of that group, at the end of the day that device wasn’t good enough for what Google thinks a folding phone should be. So they kept pressing on until they got it right.
Why all this could make the Pixel Fold special
And this is precisely why the Pixel Fold – even in its first iteration – could be a standout. Sure, there aren’t many other folding phones in the US market, so it doesn’t need to do a whole lot to stand out; but the fact that Google canned other builds of the Fold in order to make it truly great means we could see something fantastic with this first attempt.
It’s easy to see in other hardware that manufacturers simply push out the product they’ve worked on regardless of whether or not it’s actually good enough. Google’s been guilty of this exact thing in the past, and because of the fact that timelines trump quality, I’d imagine it happens all the the time. If you have to have a new phone out every single year, even if things aren’t the way you want them, you release that phone. Otherwise, it reflects poorly on you as a phone maker.
With the Fold, there was no pre-determined timeline and no real expectations from anyone. Google was allowed to sit back, build the product, and determine when and how it was unveiled to the general public. It reminds me a bit of another piece of hardware Google made that – from my perspective, at least – has never been matched: the Pixelbook.
Though there were tidbits here and there about the Pixelbook before it launched, Google had no hard launch date to stick to for that device, and that meant they could continue refining it until they felt they had things just right. With the Pixelbook, the initial reaction wasn’t over the moon, but 6 months into that device’s life cycle, tons of people got on board with it and realized that Google had crafted something truly special.
And I think a lot of that came down to non-rushed development time. They had time to build the Pixelbook the way they wanted, and the same is true of the Pixel Fold. Whether or not that continues year after year will be another story, but I feel like this first generation of the Fold will be something we remember for a very long time. Yes, because it is the first foldable from Google, but I think more so it will come down to the fact that Google had ample time to build what they felt was a worthy piece of hardware for this segment.
Not long from now, we’ll start to unfold the full story and I do hope I’m correct in my assumptions. Google has the ability to craft brilliant hardware, and there are past devices that truly stand the test of time. The Pixel Fold could very well end up as one of them, and if the stories told in that podcast are to be believed, I think we all might be in for something very special in just a few weeks from now.
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