The Google Pixel Fold could be the phone that makes foldables affordable

Google’s Pixel Fold is set to be priced competitively compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series, according to a new leak. This follows earlier rumors that claimed the Pixel Fold would be priced at around $1,700 when it’s announced in May at Google I/O 2023.

The same leaker also suggests that the Pixel 7a is likely to be the same price as the Pixel 6a (or a little higher.) 

The latest rumors come from Yogesh Brar, a notable tipster who’s proven fairly reliable over the years. Brar says the Pixel Fold will cost between $1,300 and $1,500 (so roughly £1,100 to £1,200 or AU$1,900 to AU$2,200), while the Pixel 7a will cost between $450 and $500 (that’s about £370 to £410 or AU$670 to AU$745).

The Pixel 6a launched at $450 / £399 / AU$749 (though you can find it for much cheaper now with some great deals), so the rumored price is in line with what we’d expect. That upper $500 limit would also make a bit of sense, as elsewhere we’ve heard that Google plans to improve the materials used in the phone, as well as upgrade the chip to the Tensor G2, and slotting in new camera sensors. 

The Pixel Fold price rumor is a lot more interesting. Though that price is certainly well north of a grand in both the US and UK, if we take this rumor at face value, it suggests the Fold’s price is being positioned to lower the prohibitive entry cost of foldables – in the US and Europe, at least, especially vertically-folding larger folding phones. 

 Lowering the barrier to entry 

While some clamshell foldables – think Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Oppo’s Flip N2 Flip – have cost around $1,000 / £800 or even less, Galaxy Fold-style foldables have been pitched closer to $2,000 / £1,700, although that price has been edging lower and lower as more companies enter the market.

The Honor Magic Vs costs $1,700, £1,400 / AU$2,500, according to quick Google conversions, while the Tecno Phantom V Fold will set you back around $1,100 / £900 / AU$1600. If Brar is on the mark, the Pixel Fold will fall somewhere in the middle of that range. 

Foldables as a category have been getting stronger year over year, with Google’s Android 12L and Android 13 improvements going a long way toward enhancing the foldable user experience. As Google prepares Android 14, to further improve on the OS’s foldable support, with tools for developers to build or improve existing apps to work better on foldables, the Pixel Fold will mark the company’s fully enthusiastic embrace of this form factor – and an accessible price point would be the icing on the cake.