At this point, it's pretty clear that Google plans on releasing its first folding phone in 2023, and now that new device is starting to come into focus. A plastic mockup of the rumored "Pixel Notepad" just leaked on YouTube, and everything lines up with previous reports.
Last month some official-looking renders of Google's folding smartphone arrived, and now the popular YouTuber Dave2D has a dummy unit. And while this is only a plastic dummy version of the phone, it's reportedly "dimensionally accurate" and matches the overall look, style, shape, and design.
This leak further corroborates earlier reports of the Fold's dimensions. Some of those include an outer screen that's 5.79 inches, which is shorter and wider than the Galaxy Z Fold lineup. This seems like a more usable shape, and it's quite similar to the original Surface Neo.
On the inside, we're looking at a 7.68-inch foldable display with prominent bezels, which could help Google avoid spending extra on a cutout in the screen for a front-facing camera. According to several leaks, including Dave2D, the Google Pixel Fold should have a more gentle crease in the screen, which is good news.
Additionally, the plastic prototype reveals a very sleek and slender phone, aside from the big camera hump, not to mention speaker grills at the top and bottom.
While we're not necessarily learning anything new from the dummy model shown in the video, the fact that he has a dummy model is important. That's because these types of dummy units are typically sent to case manufacturing ahead of a release date, suggesting Google's all-new folding Pixel could be here relatively soon.
We expect an official unveiling at Google I/O in May, with a release date sometime in July or August.
via The Verge