Summary
- Google’s foldable prototype “Jumbojack” has appeared for sale online, showcasing the company’s early efforts in foldable technology.
- The prototype features hardware from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and runs on Android 12L, Google’s software for foldables.
- This is not the first time a prototype has surfaced for sale online, as it has happened with other devices like the Google Pixel 7 and prototypes from Essential.
When it comes to new technological philosophies, such as foldable smartphones, it’s integral to create a proof of concept device to not only pin down easy-to-spot bugs and fixes, but to show to potential partners in the industry. After all, there’s no sense in manufacturing millions of units before creating one — or multiple — prototypes. Once said devices are ready for sale, though, prototypes become nothing more than an expensive piece of history to show the path taken towards the end result. Sometimes, those prototypes end up in the wrong (or, depending on your perspective, the right) person’s hands and end up for sale online. That’s exactly what just happened with “Jumbojack,” the prototype that Google created to test its foldable technology.
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Android Police senior contributor Mishaal Rahman shared pictures on X from an online listing of what is allegedly the Jumbojack prototype. The pictures show big bezels with an odd-looking selfie camera cutout, but both appear to be simulated. Interestingly, the phone in the listing runs on Android 12L, Google’s half-step release for foldables and large-screen devices, and it’s sporting the exact same hardware as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. Given that it’s a prototype, it’s not like it was meant to end up in the online commerce world.
Back in 2021, we reported on leaks that Jumbojack was the working name for Google’s experimental foldable device. Even then, rumors had it pegged that it was a Galaxy Z Fold device that Google might be using to test software. Previously, there was another foldable device named “Passport” in internal documents, but that never saw the light of day.
Obviously, Google’s first foldable phone, the Google Pixel Fold, came out in 2023, two years after the Jumbojack information was leaked. Although it was impressive, it reeked of a first-generation product. We’re already through the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s release and bracing for its sixth generation, and the rumor mill for a potential Pixel Fold 2 has started to heat up of late.
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Prototypes appear for sale online surprisingly often, and it happens at seemingly random times. Months before the Google Pixel 7 was released in 2022, someone listed a prototype version of it on eBay. It eventually was taken down. One of the coolest prototype devices that made its way online was one of the first-ever Android-based phones to be internally produced, codenamed “Sooner.” It was never officially released, but we got our hands on one and explored a world unknown by modern life. Don’t even get us started with the multiple prototypes that shored up online from Essential, a company formed by Android co-founder Andy Rubin that abruptly shut down in 2020. There was a smart speaker, and there was also a phone dock. Jumbojack is not the first and certainly won’t be the last prototype to make its way online.
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