Technologies

Google’s Pixel Fold Can Make Foldable Phones Exciting Again

Commentary: Foldable phones are disappointing, but Google’s Pixel Fold could change that. Here’s how.

Back in 2021 I wrote that foldable phones were disappointing, providing little to no revolution in how we use our phones on a daily basis, beyond the novelty of a screen that bends. They’re perfectly fine. But once you get over the initial fun of the fold, they’re really just another Android phone. The problem is that with less common sizes and aspect ratios being used on today’s foldables, apps and games don’t natively run properly. The audience is small, and developers don’t have the motivation to put in the time, effort and cost to develop their apps for odd shapes and sizes.

But Google might change that soon enough, with a rumored foldable Pixel phone that could appear at Google I/O in May. The company is in a unique spot to address software concerns while creating compelling phone hardware that doesn’t break the bank.

To be clear, I do like foldable phones. I particularly like the larger «book fold» models like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Honor Magic Vs, which transform from a regular-sized phone into an almost tablet-sized device, providing more screen space for videos, games and documents. I remember when I got the first-generation Galaxy Fold and felt genuinely excited at seeing the screen bend in the middle. And I remember the various strangers who would stop and ask to see it when I used it in public — with one bartender so entranced with the demo I gave that he returned the favor with a free beer. Score.

But the software is still where folding phones lag behind. Android is designed primarily for regular candybar smartphones, which are commonly around 6 inches to 6.8 inches in size and have standard aspect ratios like 16:9. In other words, phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra or Pixel 7 Pro take full advantage of Android, and app developers design their apps for these same form factors. Why? Because they’re the most commonly used sizes, and therefore their apps will be optimized for the widest number of devices.

Android 12L and 13 address some of the sizing issues, but not all apps are optimized and either leave too much blank screen space or must stretch awkwardly to fit the screen. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, for example, has a tall and narrow 23.1:9 aspect ratio on the outside and a more square 21.6:18 aspect for the inner display — two nonstandard sizes that developers need to account for. And that’s just one device.

Huawei Mate X foldable phone — Huawei’s outward-folding Mate X was one of the earlier folding phones we saw.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

It’s the same Android fragmentation issue that has plagued the platform since the beginning: Too many different devices means it’s difficult for developers to create for. Apple’s strategy of having fewer display sizes and almost identical aspect ratios has meant it’s typically been the easier platform for developers to work on. But Google has worked hard over the years to make Android an easier field on which to play, and it could do the same for foldables.

So could a folding Pixel phone be just another device for developers to struggle with? Perhaps not. If Google is committed to folding screen technology in its product lineup, then it’s safe to assume that we will see some key updates in Android that are specifically tailored to folding phones and different form factors. I’d like to see software that does a better job of automatically resizing apps, dual-screening when using a large display like the Z Fold 4’s or building more tricks into default apps that take advantage of inner and outer displays.

yt-z-flip-3-review-1 — The tall and narrow dimensions of the Galaxy Z Flip present another dilemma for developers.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Moreover, Google will likely work more closely with its key developer partners like Samsung, helping them not only optimize their existing apps for folding devices, but also create entirely new ones that can only be done with phones of this type. These partnerships will be crucial to helping Google create a compelling first-generation foldable, especially since non-folding Pixel phones account for just over 2% of smartphone market share in the US, according to analytics firm StatCounter. By comparison, Samsung has almost 30% share in the US.

Pixel phones tend to offer an excellent Android experience packaged in good hardware that costs hundreds less than flagship iPhone or Galaxy S phones. Google partnerships will be key to getting a Pixel foldable off the ground at an affordable price. A cheaper price is essential to getting a larger audience that would incentivize developers to create more fold-centric apps.

There are a lot of «ifs» and «coulds,» and we don’t know for sure if Google will launch a foldable. We also don’t know whether Google has a strategy in place to encourage adoption by working with software developers. Google will also have to rely on more than just its recognizable name to catapult the category into the big leagues. Let’s not forget that Microsoft’s Surface Duo 2 isn’t exactly ubiquitous, and neither is Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold.

But I’m remaining hopeful, if only because I need to be. Standard smartphones have become increasingly dull and repetitive. For someone who writes about phones for a living, that’s a problem. Foldables present an opportunity to do things in a different and more exciting way, but it will be up to Google whether or not the category flourishes.

Technologies

Google races to put Gemini at the center of Android before Apple’s AI reboot

Google is using its latest Android rollout to position Gemini as the AI layer across phones, Chrome, laptops and cars.

Google is using its latest Android rollout to make Gemini less of a chatbot and more of an operating layer across the phone, browser, car and laptop, just weeks before Apple is expected to show its own Gemini-powered Apple Intelligence reboot at WWDC.
Ahead of its Google I/O developer conference next week, the company previewed a number of Android updates, including AI-powered app automation, a smarter version of Chrome on Android, new tools for creators, a redesigned Android Auto experience, and a sweeping set of new security features.
Alphabet is counting on Gemini to help Google compete directly with OpenAI and Anthropic in the market for artificial intelligence models and services, while also serving as the AI backbone across its expansive portfolio of products, including Android. Meanwhile, Gemini is powering part of Apple’s new AI strategy, giving Google a role in the iPhone maker’s reset even as it races to prove its own version of personal AI on the phone is further along.
Sameer Samat, who oversees Google’s Android ecosystem, told CNBC that Google is rebuilding parts of Android around Gemini Intelligence to help users complete everyday tasks more easily.
“We’re transitioning from an operating system to an intelligence system,” he said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcements. Google said Gemini Intelligence will be able to move across apps, understand what’s on the screen and complete tasks that would normally require a user to jump between multiple services. That means Android is moving beyond the traditional assistant model, where users ask a question and get an answer, and acting more like an agent.
For instance, Google says Gemini can pull relevant information from Gmail, build shopping carts and book reservations. Samat gave the example of asking Gemini to look at the guest list for a barbecue, build a menu, add ingredients to an Instacart list and return for approval before checkout.
A big concern surrounding agentic AI involves software taking action on a user’s behalf without permissions. Samat said Gemini will come back to the user before completing a transaction, adding, “the human is always in the loop.”
Four months after announcing its Gemini deal with Google, Apple is under pressure to show a more capable version of Apple Intelligence, which has been a relative laggard on the market. Apple has long framed privacy, hardware integration and control of the user experience as its advantages.
Google’s Android push is designed to show it can bring AI deeper into the device experience while still giving users control over what Gemini can see, where it can act and when it needs confirmation.
The app automation features will roll out in waves, starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer, before expanding across more Android devices, including watches, cars, glasses and laptops later this year.
The company is also redesigning Android Auto around Gemini, turning the car into another major surface for its assistant. Android Auto is in more than 250 million cars, and Google says the new release includes its biggest maps update in a decade and Gemini-powered help with tasks like ordering dinner while driving.
Alphabet’s AI strategy has been embraced by Wall Street, which has pushed the company’s stock price up more than 140% in the past year, compared to Apple’s roughly 40% gain. Investors now want to see how Gemini can become more central to the products people use every day.
WATCH: Alphabet briefly tops Nvidia after report of $200 billion Anthropic cloud deal

Technologies

Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis after glitch allowed some vehicles to ‘drive into standing water’

Waymo issued a voluntary recall of about 3,800 of its robotaxis to fix software issues that could allow them to drive into flooded roadways.

Waymo is recalling about 3,800 robotaxis in the U.S. to fix software issues that could allow them to “drive onto a flooded roadway,” according to a letter on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
The voluntary recall is for Waymo vehicles that use the company’s fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (or ADS), the U.S. auto safety regulator said in the letter posted Tuesday.
Waymo autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas, were seen on camera driving onto a flooded street and stalling, requiring other drivers to navigate around them. It’s the latest example of a safety-related issue for the Alphabet-owned AV unit that’s rapidly bolstering its fleet of vehicles and entering new U.S. markets.
Waymo has drawn criticism for its vehicles failing to yield to school buses in Austin, and for the performance of its vehicles during widespread power outages in San Francisco in December, when robotaxis halted in traffic, causing gridlock.
The company said in a statement on Tuesday that it’s “identified an area of improvement regarding untraversable flooded lanes specific to higher-speed roadways,” and opted to file a “voluntary software recall” with the NHTSA.
“Waymo provides over half a million trips every week in some of the most challenging driving environments across the U.S., and safety is our primary priority,” the company said.
Waymo added that it’s working on “additional software safeguards” and has put “mitigations” in place, limiting where its robotaxis operate during extreme weather, so that they avoid “areas where flash flooding might occur” in periods of intense rain.
WATCH: Waymo launches new autonomous system in Chinese-made vehicle

Technologies

Qualcomm tumbles 13% as semiconductor stocks retreat from historic AI-fueled surge

Semiconductor equities reversed sharply after a broad AI-driven advance, with Qualcomm suffering its worst day since 2020 amid inflation concerns and rising oil prices.

Semiconductor stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, reversing course after an extensive rally that had expanded the artificial intelligence investment theme well past Nvidia and driven the industry to unprecedented levels.

Qualcomm plunged 13% and was on track for its steepest single-day decline since 2020. Intel shed 8%, while On Semiconductor and Skyworks Solutions each lost more than 6%. The iShares Semiconductor ETF, which benchmarks the overall sector, fell 5%.

The sell-off came after a key gauge of consumer prices came in above forecasts, and as conflict in Iran pushed crude oil higher—prompting investors to shift away from riskier assets.

The preceding advance had widened the AI opportunity set beyond longtime industry leader Nvidia, which for much of the past several years had largely carried the market to new peaks on its own.

Explosive appetite for central processing units, along with the graphics processing units that power large language models, has sent chipmakers to all-time highs.

Market participants are wagering that the shift from AI model training to autonomous agents will lift demand for additional AI hardware. Among the beneficiaries are memory chip producers, which are raising prices as supply remains tight.

Micron Technology slid 6%, and Sandisk cratered 8%. Sandisk’s stock has surged more than six times over since January.