Rarely used placement for the selfie camera tipped for the Pixel Fold/Notepad

A few days ago we told you that tipster Digital Chat Station posted on Weibo some exciting information for Pixel fans. “Mr. Station” wrote that Contract manufacturer Foxconn was working on the Pixel Fold/Notepad and a new flagship model called the Pixel 7 Ultra that could sport a ceramic body. The post also mentioned some more interesting tidbits about the first Pixel foldable.

The first foldable Pixel may get a unique placement for the front-facing selfie/video chat camera.

The tipster says that the back of the Pixel Fold/Notepad resembles the Pixel 7 which means that it will have a camera bar on the back. Interestingly, he also found a resemblance between the front of the Pixel Fold/Notepad and the foldable Oppo Find N. The latest rumored size of the Pixel Fold’s internal screen is 7.6-inches, the same size expected for the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The foldable Pixel could feature a 5.85-inch internal screen.

The front-facing camera on the Pixel Fold could be embedded in the frame

Digital Chat Station noted that the foldable Pixel Fold/Notepad will open and close horizontally, like a book. An icon found inside the Google Camera 8.6 update appears to be a diagram showing how the device is closed. And the Weibo post goes on to state that the internal display has no punch-hole or notch making it a full-sized display. The selfie and video chat camera is located on the frame of the device which could lead to thicker bezels for the phone.

Placing the selfie camera in the frame isn’t new as we’ve seen such a setup on early versions of the Xiaomi Mi Mix where the front-facing camera was located under the display. The same placement was used with the MeeGo-powered Nokia N9 back in 2011.

The on-again-off-again-on-again Pixel Fold/Notepad will be powered by Google’s own Tensor chipset and is expected to have the same rear cameras as seen on the Pixel 5. That means that the foldable should sport a primary camera backed with a 12.2MP sensor, and an ultra-wide camera backed with a 16MP sensor.

Google had apparently put the kibosh on the project for the second time in May, saying that the Pixel Fold/Notepad wasn’t good enough to take on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. Since then, there have been some rumblings about a surprise Pixel model that will be introduced in October. Most had expected this to be the Pixel 7 Ultra. Since such a phone would probably start at four figures, perhaps it will sport a more expensive ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor instead of the optical biometric reader on the Pixel 6 line.

Will Google reward those who held on to their Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro units?

If Digital Chat Station is right, Pixel fans will be inundated with more options than ever. Last month, Google hiked the trade-in value of the Pixel 3a and 3a XL to $300 toward the purchase of the mid-range Pixel 6a cutting the price to $149 for the new phone with a “clean” trade. Google, if you’re reading this, you need to do something even more drastic for those trading in a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro for one of the newer models to be introduced in October.

Not that there are many issues left on the 2021 Pixel flagships once you install Android 13 beta 4.1. The beleaguered fingerprint scanner on this writer’s Pixel 6 Pro now works like a charm and the overall feel of the phone is smoother and faster. Still, many users have put up with the various bugs for many months and while many ended up returning their Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro and buying an iPhone 13 Pro Max or the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, those that remained true to their new Pixels should be rewarded.

Source: phonearena.com