Patently Apple began reporting on a possible future foldable smartphone from Google back in April 2021. It began, of course, with a patent that we covered on a foldable. Of course patent figures aren't the final look of a device. For that you need a design patent. So like most companies, the look of the patent figures was off by a country mile. Yet what was important is that as a "Utility Patent" it was conveying the fact that Google's engineers were working on a foldable phone.

Then the rumor mill kicked in and the Jon Prosser Pixel Fold video came out five months ago. Google should have just introduced their foldable right then and there, because the Google I/O Keynote today was basically a yawner being that we knew almost everything we needed to know about the phone … five months ago.

(Click on the image below to Enlarge)

Officially, Rick Osterloh, SVP, Devices and Services released a press release on the "Pixel Fold" and new "Pixel Tablet" with videos of both presented below.

Is Apple working on a similar speaker/charging dock? More than likely, but it come free with an iPad like it is with Pixel Tablet. Apple will likely charge … $499 or more.

For Apple developers wanting to check out what the competition is up to could watch the full Google I/O keynote below. Other announcement press releases could be found here.

One day these foldable smartphones will be priced right for the masses. While it sells for US$1800, in other countries it's a lot more, like $2400 in Canada and $2600 in Australia. And of course, that's just the starting price. To soften the blow, Google is throwing in a free Google Watch and may offer smartphone trade-ins, if the rumors are right. With these extras, the value will be there for some.

An iPhone 14 Pro with 1TB is US$1600, so the pricing is starting to get closer to a premium iPhone. In about two years time, the prices will likely force Apple to enter this market. Well, we can only hope, that is. For some, waiting too long for what they really want can make them a switcher statistic.