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Google usually announces new Pixel products throughout the year, but 2023 could end up being a particularly important moment for the company’s device line. Google is rumored to be releasing its first foldable phone, which would directly compete with Samsung’s proven line of Galaxy Z Fold devices.
Google also introduced its own ChatGPT rival, Bard, which it opened up to the public in March. It wouldn’t be surprising to see new developments to Bard and hear about Google’s other AI ambitions during its I/O conference in May.
Both potential announcements would further signal that tech giants are thinking about what’s next for the smartphone and the apps that run on these devices in 2023. Samsung and Motorola, for example, both introduced new concept devices earlier this year with slidable and rollable screens, which could one day succeed today’s foldables. And Microsoft has its own revamped version of Bing that uses AI to provide more direct and conversational answers, giving Google stronger competition in the search arena it’s dominated for years.
Here’s a look at what we’re expecting from Google this year, based on rumors, reports and the company’s typical product launch schedule. We’ll be updating this story regularly as more leaks and reports surface. Pixel 7A
If history repeats itself, Google will release a cheaper version of the Pixel 7 known as the Pixel 7A in the spring or summer. Google introduced the Pixel 6A at Google I/O last year before putting it on sale in July. That means we might be just weeks away from learning about the Pixel 7A, if Google does decide to announce it at its annual developer conference again this year.
We won’t know anything for certain until Google debuts the Pixel 7A, but some leaks and reports have provided clues about what it might include. Developer Kuba Wojciechowski, who claims to have found details possibly referring to the Pixel 7A in the Android codebase, suggests the Pixel 7A could have a screen with a higher 90Hz refresh rate and wireless charging.
That might not sound too exciting, but it’s notable because these two features are absent from the 6A. By bringing them to the Pixel 7A, Google would further close the gap between its premium and budget-friendly phones.
Another purported leak from Vietnamese website Zing News suggests the Pixel 7A will have a 6.1-inch screen just like the 6A and a design that resembles the Pixel 7.
If the Pixel 7A follows in the Pixel 6A’s footsteps, we can expect it to have the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7, but a camera that’s a step down. Pixel Fold
Aside from Apple, Google is one of the only major phone-makers that hasn’t released a foldable phone or discussed plans to do so. But that could change in the near future. Reports from 9to5Google and WinFuture suggest Google’s first foldable Pixel device could arrive as soon as June.
The phone could avoid the Samsung Z Fold series‘ tall, thin design in favor of a shorter, wider format with a look that’s similar to the Oppo Find N or Microsoft Surface Duo, according to reports and leaks from 9to5Google and YouTube personality Dave2D.
