This is Google’s new foldable phone

(CNN) A few days before its product launch, Google has unveiled an early look at its first foldable smartphone.

in video Posted on Twitter and YouTube, the company teased a Pixel phone with a vertical hinge that can be opened to reveal a tablet-like display.

The company will host its annual developer conference at its Mountain View, California headquarters next week, where it is also rumored to introduce the Pixel 7a budget phone, the latest Android operating system and developments in its AI-powered Bard chatbot.

While the company hasn’t revealed Pixel Fold specifications, it’s becoming increasingly common for companies to show off products leading up to their own events in an effort to generate excitement and set expectations at a time when it’s hard to surprise viewers with something. unexpected.

Despite the great interest in foldable phones – and Reappearing in the 90’s foldable phones Among celebrities and TikTok influencers – the foldable market is relatively small; With Samsung dominating the category, it is followed by others like Motorola/Lenovo, Oppo, and Huawei. According to ABI Research, flexible and foldable displays accounted for about 0.7% of the smartphone market in 2021, and in 2022 it is expected to decline by only 2%.

Higher price points have limited consumer adoption, too. The Pixel Fold is rumored to start at $1,700.

It’s no surprise that Google is poking its toes into the world of foldables, but it’s possible that it will wait to release its own version until the technology is more advanced. Older versions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, for example, had screen problems and most of the apps weren’t well optimized for the design.

said Michael Inouye, a user analyst at ABI Research.