Eric Zeman / Android Authority
TL; DR
- The upcoming Android 12.1 update supposedly contains hints of a second foldable pixel.
- The so-called jumbojack device could be a foldable phone, similar to Samsung’s foldable devices.
- It’s unclear whether this device will hit the market alongside Google’s foldable Passport.
Android 12 is believed to be followed by Android 12.1. This is the first time Google has offered a point release since Android 8.1 from 2017. But it looks like this upcoming minor Android update also has some hints of a second foldable Google Pixel.
9to5Google reports that the Android update contains references to a second foldable pixel code called Jumbojack, citing a source familiar with Android development. The point of sale advises that this foldable device is being used as a test device and may be for internal use only. However, they also claim that Google explicitly refers to it as a Pixel device, suggesting that it is indeed a commercial product.
Google is believed to be using the Jumbojack device to test “posture” functions related to hinge positions such as open, closed, “half-open” and more. As for the actual form factor, 9to5Google believes that this new foldable pixel contains two displays. This suggests a retractable design with an internal flip-up screen and a smaller external display, rather than a fold-out Huawei Mate XS-style form factor.
What about Google’s first foldable?
The news of a second foldable pixel comes more than a year after we first heard about the first foldable pixel, codenamed Passport. It is believed that this first foldable device could hit the market in the fourth quarter of 2021, although it is unclear whether the Jumbojack device would be added.
Serial sneaker Evan Blass also has confirmed the existence of the Passport device today, citing the Passport code name and a release before the end of 2021. Blass added that Google had been working on the device for more than two years.
Earlier reports from South Korea suggest that a future foldable Pixel – likely the Passport – will feature a 7.6-inch foldable display, as well as ultra-thin glass. If there is indeed a 7.6-inch display in the works for the Passport device, then it stands to reason that the foldable Jumbojack could be a smaller, foldable, folding model like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. After all, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 also has a 7.6-inch foldable screen.
Either way, we’ll have to wait for more leaks and an official reveal to see what Google has to offer. But the company faces a challenge in hoping to make a dent in a foldable segment cornered by Samsung.
