2023-04-19 09:44:06 ET
Technology giant %Google () plans to launch its first %FoldableSmartphone this year with a price tag of about $1,700 U.S.
Google has said it hopes to make the foldable phone available to consumers by June and wants to challenge rival Samsung’s market-leading foldable phone.
Called the %PixelFold , the new Google phone will cost around $1,700 U.S., a similar price to Samsung’s $1,799 U.S. priced %GalaxyZFold 4 smartphone.
Google plans to market the Pixel Fold as water-resistant and pocket-sized, with an outside screen that measures 5.8 inches across when fully extended.
As with other foldable smartphones, the Pixel Fold will open like a book to reveal a small tablet-sized 7.6-inch-long screen.
Google has also revealed that its foldable phone will have a battery that can last for 24 hours, or up to 72 hours in low power mode.
The Pixel Fold is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chip, the same processor that launched in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones in 2022.
The Pixel Fold is expected to have many of the exclusive features found in other Google phones such as photo editing options powered by the Tensor processor.
The company is expected to offer incentives to get consumers to switch to the new Pixel Fold, including an option to trade in a current Pixel, iPhone, or an Android-powered phone for a discount on the new Pixel Fold.
More details are expected to be made public at Google’s annual developer conference scheduled to take place on May 10.
Google is owned by parent company Alphabet. The stock of Alphabet has fallen 20% in the past year to trade at $104.50 U.S. per share.