First Pixel Fold 2 leaks show a radical new design for Google’s foldable

Summary

• A potential Pixel Fold 2 leak suggests a radical new design language that looks completely different from its predecessor.
• The device appears to draw inspiration from the OnePlus Open, with a new front display shape, side bezel, and hinge.
• The camera bump on the back is a complete reinvention of Google’s design language, deviating from the unified style of previous Pixel phones.

When it comes to Pixel rumors, things tend to move fast. Just a few days ago, the Pixel Fold 2 — a potential successor to Google’s flawed first-gen foldable — largely existed in wishlist form, the dreams of reviewers and Android users everywhere without much pointing to what’s next for the form factor. Now, on top of a leak suggesting the Pixel Fold 2 will skip over Tensor G3 entirely, we’re looking at what could be the first image of this year’s foldable, and it looks completely different from what you might expect.

As always, it’s important to take any rumor — even Pixel rumors — with a grain of salt, and that goes double here. With just one image to work off of, especially with a radical new design language, anything’s possible. Best case scenario, we’re still months away from the arrival of a Pixel Fold successor, and if the rumored shift to Tensor G4 is correct, it’s even farther out than we might’ve expected. With this device yet to hit production beyond a few test models, anything could change between now and an eventual launch.

That said, let’s get into what this leak actually is. The folks over at Android Authority got access to a single shot of a purported Pixel Fold 2 unit, sourced from the same individual who shared details about its chipset yesterday. There’s no two ways about it: this is a model that doesn’t just not look like the original Pixel Fold, but specifically looks like a OnePlus Open clone. From the new front display shape to the side bezel, it seems like Google might be drawing some pretty big inspiration from the best foldable on the market right now.

Of course, that’s unlikely to be the change your eyes are drawn to first. That’d be the camera bump on the back, which looks like a complete reinvention of the design language that Google has stuck with every Pixel phone since 2021. If this is indeed what the Pixel Fold 2 will look like, it’s an absolutely bizarre decision. As we’ve seen with recent Pixel 9 leaks, Google’s next flagship phones seem due to adopt the “camera pill” that debuted on the original Pixel Fold. The decision to drop what would otherwise be a unified style is simultaneously nonsensical and completely expected.

The original Pixel Fold, compared with the OnePlus Open

Unfortunately, we’re only seeing the device from this side, but the OnePlus Open comparison is likely to contribute to a new square aspect ratio when unfolded. The Pixel Fold felt pretty wide compared to other foldables on the market, and this could help make its successor feel a little more comfortable. It’s also apparently using a display cutout for its inner camera, rather than utilizing taller top and bottom bezels to keep the screen cutout-free.

Likewise, the shortened size bezels look right out of the OnePlus playbook, right down to how it wraps around the screen. Speaking from experience, this change could be something of a mixed bag. While it’s undoubtedly more comfortable than the thick side bezel found on the original model, it also renders front case plates particularly flimsy. Not what you want to hear on such an expensive phone.

As this tipster shared, this device is currently in the Engineering Validation Test phase, meaning it’s far from a finished product. Hell, we haven’t even seen leaked CAD renders yet, something that usually arrives well before models you can physically hold in your hands. Still, if this leak shows anything — beyond the fact that a Pixel Fold 2 successor truly is in the works — it’s that some big design language changes could be coming to Google’s next-gen foldable.