Google’s foldable line might be in for an awkward rebrand

Summary

• Leak suggests Google’s foldable flagship may be named “Pixel 9 Pro Fold,” fitting into the Pixel 9 series lineup.
• The alleged name change could indicate a fall release, aligning the foldable device with Google’s other Pixel smartphones.
• The move to integrate the foldable into the Pixel 9 series could help clarify its position in Google’s product portfolio.

Google’s upcoming foldable flagship might go by a more awkward name than we thought. Android Authority is reporting that the phone we’ve been calling the Pixel Fold 2 may actually be launching as the fourth member of the upcoming Pixel 9 series, giving the supposed Pixel 9 Pro XL some competition for worst-named device of the year.

According to information from frequent Google leaker Kamila Wojciechowska, Google’s next foldable may be marketed as the “Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.” If info we’ve seen about the family of phones so far bears out, that makes four devices total in the Pixel 9 series: the base Pixel 9, a smaller Pixel 9 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and now the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

The original Pixel Fold was announced at Google I/O in May 2023 and released a shortly thereafter, in June. While a second-gen reveal seemed plausible at this year’s I/O, if the new foldable is indeed meant to be part of the Pixel 9 series, we might not get an official unveil until this fall.

Why make it a Pixel 9?

It’s hard to argue that “Pixel 9 Pro Fold” is a good name on its face — it’s obviously a mouthful. But folding the Fold line into the same release cadence as Google’s traditional Pixel series might help clarify where the foldables sit in Google’s device hierarchy. If this leak is true, it likely means that the second-gen foldable Pixel will come later in the year than the original did. The Pixel Fold was released in June, but a summer release for a phone called the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, months ahead of any other device bearing the Pixel 9 name, would be baffling.

This supposed new name seems to hint that the 9 Pro Fold will be released in the fall, alongside the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. That would jibe with rumors that the new foldable is built around Google’s upcoming Tensor G4 chipset that’ll power the rest of the Pixel 9 series. In that sense, the name makes sense: if the second-gen Fold will have similar internals and camera performance as the Pixel 9 series, it’s logical to formally include it in the Pixel 9 hardware generation. Still, it doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.