It's too late for a Google Pixel flip phone

Android Authority

5 days ago

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Just think about it: A Google Pixel Flip. Honestly, it sounds like my dream phone. It'd combine my favorite form factor with my favorite Android skin, and I'd never need to recommend anything else again. I'd have Google's top-notch image processing to balance out the often-limited flip phone cameras, years of updates to look forward to, and a cover screen experience that only needs a proper app drawer to leap ahead of Samsung's Flex Window.
And yet, I can't shake the feeling that Google has already missed its flip phone opportunity. It feels like it's given Motorola and Samsung too much of a head start, and I fear it means I won't see a Pixel Flip any time soon. Here's why.
Would you buy a Google Pixel Flip?
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Google? Nailing first-generation hardware?
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
We've reached a point where flip phones (and foldable phones in general) have attained a level of maturity. Motorola and Samsung are making gorgeous flagships (and now sub-flagships) that are hard to put down or look away from, and it's led me to keep a Razr Ultra in my pocket long after I finished my review. However, it wasn't always that way. I spent a few years complaining about Samsung's cover screen, and the less-than-flat hinge on the original Razr Plus was a huge issue. And now you want me to expect Google to come in and stick its first-generation landing?
I'm sorry. I know that was probably a little bit harsh to the Pixel's maker, but let's be honest — it's true. I've used enough first-generation Pixel products — the Pixel Watch, the original Pixel Fold, the Pixel 6a — to know that Google usually needs a year or two to let things finish baking. Sometimes, like the Pixel Watch, the issues come from diving into a brand-new form factor, while others, like the Pixel 6a, come from fitting a white-hot Tensor chip into a smaller, plastic body. Then, in the third case — the Pixel Fold — it's a case of a little of column A, a little of column B.
I love the Pixel lineup, but I've used enough first-generation Google products to know a Pixel Flip would take time.
In those cases, Google had the space to experiment and, at least, mostly keep up with its rivals. Its first Pixel Watch had to take on a Galaxy Watch 5 that felt a lot like the Galaxy Watch 4, and its Pixel Fold challenged a Galaxy Z Fold 5 that landed with a severe lack of innovation. Maybe the Pixel 6a faced the most formidable foe in a solid Galaxy A53 5G, but even that felt like little more than an annual update.
In 2025, though, Google wouldn't have such breathing room, especially in the flip phone market. If it launched a Pixel Flip tomorrow, it would take on a Galaxy Z Flip 7 with a newly refreshed cover screen and an upgraded Exynos 2500 chip. Sure, it would have the benefit of Samsung sitting on its hands and keeping a battery and charging setup similar to what it's had for years, but I don't know if Google's expectations should be to clear the lowest bar. Even if it does settle for the lowest bar, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE offers the same excellent build quality as the Galaxy Z Flip 6 with years of development behind it.
A year or two ago, I might have said that I thought Google could hop in and catch Motorola immediately. As much as I love the look and feel of the Razr, it spent a few years lagging behind Samsung's build quality, offering a better software experience but making me nervous about just how well the original flip phone would stand the test of time. Then, the Razr Ultra happened. It went unabashedly flagship with Gorilla Glass Ceramic, a brilliant AMOLED cover screen, and funky materials like wood and Alcantara, and captured a place in my heart.
When Google finally tries its hand at a Pixel Flip, at least it won't start from scratch. I hope it will simply port over the hinge from its Pixel 9 Pro Fold and shrink it, but I can't say. I'm unsure how the camera bar (or camera island, or camera square) would fit onto the cover of a flip phone, nor can I imagine whether or not the temperature sensor would make the cut. But, knowing how Google has struggled in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if there were a hiccup or two to scare Android fans away.
I'm just not sure I can trust a Tensor chip in a flip phone
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Honestly, I can usually look past some hardware hiccups. I kept using the Pixel Fold for a while after our review — thick bezels and all. I also wore that original Pixel Watch to a wedding or two, simply because it looked like a better casual pick than a Garmin on my wrist. I've even looked beyond a few creases on the displays of foldable phones in my day, mainly to keep my favorite form factor in my pocket.
However, if Google is determined to make a flip phone and pack it with a Tensor chip, then I have to say I'm nervous. Yes, the Tensor G4 has come a long way since Google first brought its chipmaking in-house — it runs more efficiently, stays cooler, and supports a full stock of new AI-powered features — but it still falls behind Qualcomm's best. It doesn't put up quite the same numbers, which is fine, but I worry that Google still hasn't worked out its last few thermal kinks.
And when I say that I worry it hasn't, I know it hasn't. I've used the Pixel 9 Pro nearly every day since its launch (it still controls bits of my apartment, what do you expect?), and I'm painfully aware of how warm the Tensor G4 can still get at times. When it does, the phone's battery drops like a rock, sending me scrambling for a charger when I'd like to play more of my chosen few games. If that's happening with a traditional form factor, I can only imagine what it would feel like in a compact, complicated flip phone.
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Who knows, though — maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps the same space-saving tricks that gave the Pixel 9a a bigger battery will work for the eventual Pixel Flip. Maybe Google will find a way to pack more cooling technology into a notoriously tricky footprint, or maybe its next few Tensor chips will fix the thermal issues that have troubled me since the days of the Pixel 6. But, if our leaks are anything to go on, then the Tensor G5 won't change too much, and that will leave me worried about the prospect of putting it in a flip phone.
Then again, Google has proven me wrong in the past. It's made massive hardware leaps from the Pixel 8 series to the Pixel 9 series, and the change from the original Pixel Fold to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold elevated the latter to sit among the best foldable phones that money can buy. I'm not holding my breath, and I still think that Google has missed its window, but I'd be happy to add this to the list of times I've underestimated the maker of Android.