An early version of the Pixel Fold 2 may have appeared in a blurry image showing various design changes to Google's first-generation Pixel Fold. While there's no word yet on whether the company will stick with the same design when it officially launches the new version, we do get a glimpse of how the Pixel Fold 2 will look compared to its predecessor.
Shortly after the Pixel Fold 2's hardware specs were reportedly upgraded, we saw an image purportedly of the upcoming phone, which was sent to Android Authority. Most of the detail in the image is missing, with several places heavily smeared, and while the exact dimensions haven't been shared, a side-by-side comparison shows that, assuming this design goes into mass production, the Pixel Fold 2 will feature a narrower cover display.
The rear camera array also adopts a different arrangement from Pixel Fold. The report speculates that the so-called Pixel Fold 2 shown in the latest pictures is not as wide as the previous generation because a large number of Android applications are not optimized for this form factor. Google has had to resort to various workarounds to get apps to work with the Pixel Fold, but not all apps work properly.
As a result, applications on Pixel Fold 2 can behave more naturally without the need for additional software adjustments, which will not only take up more time for Google developers, but also consume necessary resources to further improve the upcoming foldable flagship product. Fortunately, since the device is in the early stages of development or the beginning of the Engineering Validation Phase (EVT), the Pixel Fold 2 will likely incorporate a number of cosmetic changes that will make it look very different when it goes into mass production later this year.
We can also expect Google to improve the design to make it more futuristic, so that the Pixel Fold 2 will be a direct competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 from the looks of it.