The discovery of a new patent by 91Mobiles(opens in new tab), which reveals the proposed foldable will differ from Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 in one crucial manner, seems to bring the rumoured Google Pixel Fold one step closer to becoming a reality.
The Pixel Fold is expected to have a similar form factor to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 based on diagrams in the patent, which was submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) back in June 2021.
The photos depict a device with a similar hinge mechanism that unfolds like a book to reveal an inside tablet-style display.
The Pixel Fold will be different from Samsung's under-display design in that it will reportedly store its internal selfie camera within a thicker-than-normal bezel encircling the display. The patent illustrations are shown below.
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Google's envisioned foldable device appears to have a substantial bezel around the selfie camera. (Photo courtesy of 91Mobiles)
Why then is the bezel so thick?
While most people agree that Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold line nailed the "phone that unfolds into a tiny tablet" form factor, some users take issue with the device's cutting-edge under-display selfie camera.
The under-display camera, which was first used with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 last year, is unquestionably amazing from an aesthetics perspective. It allows users to view the device's big 7.6-inch screen without any obstructions.
Nevertheless, there is a cost associated with the quality of selfie images, leading to lower resolution images that necessitate extensive post-processing to achieve barely passable results. Additionally, this makes the device's internal camera unsuitable for video chat.
Given the stellar cameras on Google's phones, it's not surprising that the company would want to completely circumvent this problem by integrating a conventional selfie camera into the bezel of its own foldable tablet.
Although we anticipate Google's selfie capabilities to suffer less of a setback than Samsung's whenever the Pixel Fold does wind up getting launched, it is still unclear whether that aesthetic concession will be worthwhile. Of course, at this point, nothing is confirmed, so we'll just have to wait and see.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 may not be as troubled by the Google Pixel Fold after all.
