Google’s new Pixel Fold does double duty as a 5.8-inch smartphone that transforms into a small 7.6-inch tablet, made possible by the device’s foldable design. The debut of the $1,800 device sees Google challenging market leader Samsung and its Galaxy Z Fold4 in the foldable phone space. Preorders began this week for a June shipping date. Featuring two 120Hz refresh rate OLED panels — a 1080 x 2092 pixel display on the outside and a 2208 x 1840 pixel inner display — the unit is equally high-end on the inside, using the Tensor 2 processor that powers the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.

And now also the Pixel 7A and Pixel Tablet, which were also announced Wednesday at the Google I/O developers conference, streaming live from Mountain View, California where it took place in front of a “limited” IRL audience.

“There’s a certain wow factor that a folding tablet provides that just doesn’t happen with a rectangular slab phone,” The Verge writes, noting that the device is practical, too. “Being able to go from a phone that can be easily used in one hand to one that provides a giant screen for reading, using apps, or watching video is quite desirable, and once you’ve used a folding device of this nature, it’s easy to see that eventually, all phones will be like this.”

“When opened, the Pixel Fold has a big black border around the large interior screen,” the reviewer for The Wall Street Journal writes, noting that while some might find that disappointing, “I see it as a plus: The bigger bezel makes the phone easier to hold in tablet mode.”

The Pixel Fold has 12GB of RAM and the option of 256 or 512GB of storage (but no way to expand further after purchase). There are five cameras built in to the Pixel Fold: “two 8.3-megapixel cameras — one on the outside for selfies and another above the inner display for video calls — and then three cameras around back: a 48-megapixel optically-stabilized main camera, a 10.8-megapixel ultrawide, and a 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto,” as itemized by The Verge.

The features and performance are similar to the cameras on the Pixel 7 Pro, but the sensors are different.

Another nifty feature is the Pixel Fold’s hinge, which can fold completely flat with no gap between screens in the closed position, as with other folding phones. “There is a visible crease when the Pixel Fold is opened, but it’s not something that’s likely to impede usability,” says The Verge reviewer.

The Pixel Fold is extremely thin, with each side roughly two-thirds as thick as a Pixel 7 Pro, Google says. When closed, it is roughly 12mm, which is thicker than most phones, but small enough to slide comfortably into a pocket.

Related:
Google Pixel Fold Hands-On: Finally, a Real Rival for Samsung’s Foldables, Engadget, 5/10/23
Here’s How the New Google Pixel Fold Stacks Up to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold4, The Verge, 5/10/23
Google Pixel Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: Battle of the Foldables, Engadget, 5/10/23
Google Pixel Fold Hands-On: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Android Police, 5/10/23
Google Doesn’t Need You to Buy Its Folding Phone, Wired, 5/11/23
Pixel Fold First Look: Google’s $1,799 Foldable Takes on Samsung, CNET, 5//10/23
Hands On: Google’s $1,799 Pixel Fold Is Finally Here to Take on Samsung, PCMag, 5/10/23