Photos: This is the canceled Pixel Fold that wasn’t good enough for Google

The Google Pixel Fold was launched relatively late compared to first-generation foldable products from other manufacturers. By the time it was finally released in mid-2023, Samsung had just launched the fifth version of its bookish version of the foldable phone (and debuted a second look with the more popular Galaxy Z Flip series), and several other companies had also done. also made their debut. However, this situation could have been very different: Google had another prototype ready a year before the original Pixel Fold, but decided to scrap it because it wasn’t “good enough,” as revealed by Google’s head of design for hardware products. Ivy Ross, in a 2023 episode of the Made by Google podcast.

While the existence of this canceled smartphone is a pretty well-known fact, we never actually saw it in photos or learned its full specs, but that changes today. Photos of what appeared to be a mysterious Pixel Fold-like device first surfaced in a quiet XDA forum thread (the original images are now sadly gone, but we have copies), leading to muted speculation that it was a fake or early version was prototype. Thanks to an anonymous source within Google, Android Authority can confirm that this is actually our first look at the canceled Pixel foldable codenamed “pipit” and its specs.

Before we start, it’s worth mentioning that the devices codenamed ‘pager’ and ‘passport’, both of which are rumored to be canceled Pixel foldables, are actually the same device. Although at one point they were different projects, they eventually converged into a single device that was still called a “beeper.”

The canceled Pixel Fold has an eerily familiar look; the only feature that clearly differentiates it from the final version is a (largely) seamless glass bar that runs the entire width of the device, looking very similar to a Pixel 6. The released Pixel Fold has a smaller camera island made of polished metal , which matches the Pixel 7 Pro in appearance.

Furthermore, the form factor has not changed much. The unusual aspect ratio is the same, the frame and hinge look pretty much the same, and even the matte rear glass was already there (the carbon texture on the top of the device is just a skin added by the seller).

(We apologize for the image quality of the photos below. These are the best we could salvage from the deleted photos in the thread.)

Unfortunately, the device discussed in the thread has a broken inner screen, so we can’t compare it to the first-generation Pixel Fold. However, it is reasonable to assume that it looked the same, if not identical.

Inconspicuous specifications

If “beeper” were to be released, it would have come a few months after the Pixel 6 series, so its specs are clearly a generation behind compared to the first-gen Pixel Fold, which built on the base configuration of the Pixel 7. instead of a Tensor G2 with Exynos Modem 5300, the device came with the first generation Tensor and Exynos Modem 5123, which was notable for the number of issues it had.

Likewise, the device had an older camera setup. While the first generation Pixel Fold looked more like a Pixel 7a with its upgraded cameras, “pipit” had a much older setup with a fairly old Sony IMX363, which debuted on the Pixel 3 in 2018! The other sensors have been downgraded in the same way and the telephoto lens is completely absent. I’ve made a comparison of the camera specs below.

Another area where “pipit” differed from the released Pixel Fold was the outer display. The device had a slightly smaller display at 66 x 128mm compared to 67 x 130mm on the Pixel Fold. The resolution also differed slightly at 1,080 x 2,100 pixels compared to 1,080 x 2,092.

One thing that surprisingly remained the same, however, is the internal display – it remained a completely unchanged panel. What’s interesting, however, is that Google has developed a prototype version of the device with support for stylus input. While the idea seems to have ultimately been scrapped – the last prototype with this concept was “PIPIT EVT 1.0 Stylus”, while the other versions of the device made it to the much later DVT phase – it’s still interesting to see that Google investigated something like this.

While the Pixel Fold that hit store shelves is an upgrade from “beeper,” it seems rather incremental, which begs the question: what went wrong? Why wasn’t “beeper” good enough?

Of course, this is purely speculation, but we can make an educated guess by looking at the broader context in which it would have been released. “Pipit” was reportedly announced at Google I/O 2022, along with the canceled Pixel Tablet with first-generation Tensor (codename “tangor”; the device that eventually shipped is “tangorpro”) and the Pixel 6a. This would also have made it one of the first devices to run Google’s large screen-optimized version of Android — 12L. It really couldn’t have been a better fit, so why didn’t it happen?

The Pixel 6 series launch was a mess. A big part of that was the buggy release of Android 12. While the release of Android 12L fixed a few things, it was far from stable. Not only that, but a lot of the features were delayed, making 12L less than what it should have been.

It’s likely that Google decided to release both the tablet and the foldable tablet a year ago to ensure the software was ready and to tweak the hardware as necessary. What finally shipped was still not perfect by any means, but it’s probably better than what we would have seen if Google had moved on from “pipit.”

Even canceled, “pipit” was something of a success: our sources tell us that many Googlers used prototype units as their everyday devices, and the first-generation Pixel Fold definitely built on the hardware and software created for the canceled prototype. Hopefully the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold will continue this generational improvement.