Google may release a flexible smartphone in 2023
Information about Google’s plans for the release of Pixel smartphones for the next few years has appeared on the Internet, which was shared with Android Authority by a “credible” anonymous source. The resource noted that the roadmap is “not set in stone” and the company’s future plans may change depending on circumstances and the market situation.
According to the source, next year Google will release two smartphones in the spring – Pixel 7a (codename – lynx) and folding Pixel Fold (felix), which may also be called Pixel Notepad. New products will be presented at the Google I/O event in April or May. According to previous sources, the Pixel 7a will get support for wireless charging and a 90Hz screen refresh rate. The price of the smartphone will be $449. And the folding smartphone will be sold at a price of $1,799, which will make it a direct competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold.
The company plans to release the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones in the fall of 2023. The source claims that these models will not have many significant changes compared to the Pixel 7 series, although the Pixel 8 smartphone (codenamed shiba) will have a smaller size and a correspondingly smaller display. In turn, the Pixel 8 Pro (husky) model will have the same dimensions and display as the Pixel 7 Pro.
In 2024, the company intends to launch the Pixel 8a smartphone (codenamed Akita). That will depend on how successful the Pixel 7a is. In the event of weak sales of the Pixel 7a, the company will switch to releasing Pixel A series models every two years, similar to Apple’s iPhone SE series smartphones. The price of the Pixel 8a (if released) will increase to $499.
In the fall of 2024, a series of Google Pixel 9 devices will be released, which includes three smartphones: the basic Pixel 9 model with the same dimensions as the Pixel 8, the Pixel 9 Pro model (codenamed Komodo) with a screen diagonal of 6.7 inches and a model with the code name caiman and a screen diagonal of 6.3 inches. The source said that Google wants to follow Apple’s successful smartphone size strategy, so there will be a third Pro-level smartphone in the series, but not as big as the Pixel 7 Pro. All three models of the new series will use the Tensor G4 chip (codename redondo). The next version of the foldable smartphone may also be released in 2024.
Google’s plans for 2025 will depend on how successful sales of Google Pixel devices are in 2023 and 2024. Google is considering a clamshell phone to compete with the Galaxy Z Flip series. If this plan is implemented, the Pixel 10 series will be released in the fall, which will include the basic Pixel 10 model, the clamshell Pixel 10 Flip and two Pixel 10 Pro models with different screen sizes.
There is also a variant without the release of a clamshell phone, which includes four models – two basic models with different screen sizes and two Pro levels, also with different screen sizes.
