CNBC is essentially confirming what we already knew back in mid-March — Google intends to unveil the Pixel Fold at this year’s Google I/O, then release it for sale in June.
While the timing may not be new, there’s a few other tidbits that are certainly worth noting. The big one is price. According to CNBC, who previewed Google’s internal documents concerning launch, the Pixel Fold will be priced at $1700. Previously, it was reported that the phone would cost 1,700€, but now with the US dollar figure seemingly confirmed, we can start preparing the bank accounts.
Google’s documentation also mentions the Pixel Fold featuring “the most durable hinge on a foldable,” which is quite the feat considering all of the testing and revisions we’ve seen to Samsung’s hinge found on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Does Google really think they’ve nailed the hinge on its first try? It’s quite the claim and we’ll be curious to see when YouTubers get their hands on this device for a bit of durability testing.
If you intend on purchasing the Pixel Fold, even at the $1700 price, you’ll be happy to learn that Google does intend to extend its trade-in program to this phone. That will help bring down the cost a bit. Sadly, Google’s trade-in program works on reimbursement and not instant trade-in credit, which is opposite to how Samsung’s program works. Samsung’s program is far better and doesn’t result in as many surprises as a reimbursement method can, but regardless, anyway to bring the price of this device down is a good thing.
We’ll keep you posted as more information is made public, but since we’re so close to launch, the only thing we’re missing is actual pictures of this thing. I’m sure that’s right around the corner.
// CNBC