Compared to other foldables on the market, Google's original Pixel Fold wasn't exactly a shining star. It wasn't a bad foldable, but when the Pixel 8 series launched a few months later with exceptional specs for less money, the Pixel Fold didn't seem nearly as desirable.
This specs-for-the-price debacle might change with Google's next-gen foldable, which might be called — drumroll, please — the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (via Android Authority). If this upcoming foldable actually drops the 'Pixel Fold 2' name and adopts 'Pixel 9 Pro Fold' instead, this could mean it's part of Google's flagship line, specs and all.
Google's first Pixel 9 Pro foldable
It's entirely possible that this name change could be a simple rebrand for Google's foldable line, but it seems more likely that the rumored name change signifies an alignment in specs with the rest of Google's Pixel 9 series.
If Google's next-gen foldable indeed becomes part of the Pixel 9 series, it'll be the fourth to join, right after the rumored Pixel 9 Pro XL. This would make the Pixel 9 series the first to deviate from Google's tradition of launching with only two phones in the flagship lineup.
According to Android Authority's source, there are new codenames for these four Pixel devices that have been confirmed by "some of the software built for Google's 2024 devices." The Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold are codenamed 'tokay,' 'caiman,' 'komodo,' and 'comet,' respectively.
As always, it's possible that Google could swap up the name for its next-gen foldable again prior to launch, but right now, this seems to be the name the company's going with. And there are other signs that Google plans to integrate its next foldable with the Pixel 9 lineup in more than just name.
Google's next foldable is rumored to feature a next-gen Tensor G4 SoC, skipping over the Tensor G3 chip to match the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, and it looks pretty similar to the Pixel 9 series in recent renders. And according to Android Authority (via TechRadar), there's a new Samsung Modem 5400 with support for satellite connectivity coming to the Pixel 9 lineup and the next-gen foldable.
Basically, all the recent rumors collectively point to a next-gen foldable from Google that will likely share top-tier specs with its flagship Pixel 9 series. There seem to be more similarities than differences between the 'Pixel 9 Pro Fold' and the rest of the lineup, but we'll have to wait until Google reveals the phones (which could be at its fall event) to see whether it's officially a Pixel 9 series phone.
