Google’s mythical folding phone just got even more elusive. Reports are indicating that the release of Google’s foldable phone has been delayed again, this time to next spring.
Rumors about Google’s version of the Samsung Galaxy Z line have been popping up since early 2021, but The Elec reported yesterday that the tech giant is pulling the plug on its plans to unveil its foldable phone in Q4 of this year, opting for a release next spring. The Elec further wrote that Google postponed the release because the product isn’t complete. This would be in line with rumors from late last year claiming Google had previously scrapped what progress it had made on the project, instead taking it back to the drawing board. Supply chain insider Ross Young corroborated The Elec’s claims, tweeting: “Hearing from multiple sources in their supply chain that the Google foldable launch was delayed [until] next spring.”
This is not the first time this product has faced delay rumors, much to the dismay of eager Google fans who want to fold their phone in half like a piece of paper. Rumors about Google delaying the tech first hit in the fall of 2021, with Young stating that Google would not bring the phone to market until after Q2 2022 at the earliest. Well, here we are in Q2, but with no phone.
It doesn’t help that all we have to rely on is speculation and insider sources, since the product hasn’t been officially announced. The device is still a mystery in many ways, and was absent from Google I/O earlier this month. But The Elec says that the phone’s display would be from Samsung and feature a 7.57 inch main screen with a 5.78 inch secondary screen and an ultra-thin glass cover. South Korean hinge manufacturer Nexplus is also supposedly slotted to handle hinge hardware for the Google device. Previous leaks showed two codenamed versions of the phone: the “Jumbojack,” which folds horizontally, and the “Passport,” which folds vertically, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
At this point, the foldable Google phone is very much a case of “I’ll believe it when I see it,” which will hopefully be next spring. But Google is currently batting 0 for 2 on release dates.