Google has been reportedly developing its first foldable pixel phone, which they codenamed “Passport” for the better part of this year. 9to5google now reports that the company might also be developing a second foldable phone which is codenamed “Jumbojack” based on the details they have received about the upcoming Android 12.1.
Foldable phones seem to be the future of premium phones, and with Samsung enjoying huge success, this has probably prompted Google to get in on the action.
Documents dated as early as 2020 give clues about an existing foldable device in the pipeline by Google, whose release date was supposed to be in Q4 2021. The rumours have only grown since with the “Passport” moniker also getting mentions in Android 12 beta builds.
9to5google sources claim that the upcoming mid-cycle release which they refer to as ‘Android 12.1’ contains details about a second foldable Pixel phone, “Jumbojack”. 9to5google go further to state that the leaked documents which they have give support to what their leakers revealed about the existence of this second foldable phone.
However, there are theories that the Jumbojack is just an in-house device that is not planned for release but will only be used as a tester device, as at the time of the leaks, it was the only foldable phone running Android 12.
Google reportedly used the Jumbojack to test the addition of “posture” to Android APIs, with posture being hinge positions like “opened”, “closed”, “half-opened” and “flipped”. The testing device suggestions look like a logical answer, but Google referred to the device as a “Pixel” which makes it more likely that the device will be released to the world.
Jumbojack will reportedly look similar to the Galaxy Fold, in that it will feature two displays and when the phone is folded the second display becomes unavailable. This makes it likely that it will have a larger inner display and a smaller outer one.
The internal specs of the Jumbojack or the sizes of the screen sizes have sadly not been mentioned, but they will probably be similar to what the Galaxy Fold 3 has to keep the prices as close as possible to Samsung’s lineup.
Speculation is rife with how Google landed on the codename “Jumbojack” with some claiming it could be a reference to Jack in the Box’s Jumbo Jack cheeseburger, an implication that the phone will fold more like the Galaxy Z Flip as opposed to the Galaxy Z Fold. However, this is all speculation.
Whether Google will release the foldable phones this year, or just the “Passport” with “Jumbojack” never seeing the light of day, will be interesting to see.
Google is a massive tech company, but relatively small when it comes to phone manufacturing, and these foldable phones will be a huge statement as they will be among the first entrants.
The tech giant still does not have a phone challenging Apple’s and Samsung flagship models, and even though the Google Pixel 6 is supposed to change that, being among the first companies dabbling in foldable phones will only add to their merit.
The Google Pixel 6 is rumoured to be released on October 27th, much later than what people expected. I am betting that Google will provide us on that date with a sneak peek into these devices if they really exist, and are planned to be released later this year.
Pictured: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3
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