The new report gives credibility to rumors about the launch of the Google Pixel pixel phone this year

With more and more Android smartphone sellers coming out with the concept of folding phone and Apple rumors about a possible future folding iPhone, Google seems ready to go into action as soon as this year with its first Pixel device folding.

Representation of the MacRumors concept

According to a new report from The Elec, Samsung is in the process of developing folding folding OLED panels to supply Oppo, Xiaomi and Google. The panels are said to be intended for use on devices that will be launched later in 2021, and Google reportedly asked Samsung Display to develop a 7.6-inch foldable OLED panel.

Documents leaked in August last year suggested that Google planned to launch a foldable pixel phone in the fourth quarter of 2021. Google confirmed in 2019 that it is developing technology that could be used on folding devices, although in the at which point the company downplayed the prospect of actually launching a folding, saying it didn’t see “a clear use case yet”.

That said, Google is developing software that should run on all Android folding devices, which would put it at a clear advantage when it comes to integrating software and folding hardware.

Today’s report adds additional support to the prospect of a Google fold, which will use the most preferred folding design now, recently demonstrated by the Xiaomi Mate X2, whose predecessor was the fold by comparison. According to Xiaomi, advances in hinge technology and materials used in the Mate X2 allow for seamless folding without spaces and eliminate the problem of screen folding.

Samsung was the first to launch a folding device for consumers, but the Galaxy Fold 2019 suffered major design issues, including screen creases and panel breaks along the hinge due to the entry of debris and others problems.

Thanks to the lessons learned from the Fold design, Samsung improved the design and finally returned the Fold to market. Since then, the company has launched folding folding phones, most recently the Galaxy Z Flip, screw-style.

Market research firm Omdia expects folding OLED sales to reach US $ 2.1 billion this year, 203% more than in 2020. Most sales are expected to go through folding panels manufactured by Samsung Display and , although Apple does not appear to have made a firm decision on whether to launch a foldable smartphone, previous rumors suggest that Apple has requested foldable screen samples from Samsung to test them in the future ‌iPhone‌.

Samsung has historically been a key supplier to Apple, providing OLED displays for iPhones. The company intends to dominate the folding screens market as a supplier and was thinking of a step to increase production to 10 million units per year depending on demand.

Apple is known to have been working on folding screen technology for a long time, filing multiple patents on the technology, and there are also rumors about the potential involvement of LG.

The repeated hint of Samsung’s involvement and the orders Apple made offers a more concrete suggestion that work on a foldable iPhone continues to pace, with some rumors suggesting a release as early as 2023.