Interestingly, Google plans to launch foldable devices as well, including a clamshell foldable and a side-by-side foldable, which will go directly against the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Z Fold series. It means that Samsung will not only have to compete with Google on the non-foldable smartphone front but also in the foldable smartphone realm in the coming years.

Google is planning to launch two smartphones in April/May 2023. One of them will be the Pixel 7A, which is codenamed ‘Lynx.’ This phone, as you might have guessed, will be a more affordable alternative to the Pixel 7. According to the report, the Pixel 7A will have the same price as the Pixel 6A: $449.

The second device will be the Pixel Fold, a side-by-side foldable smartphone similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. This device is codenamed ‘Felix,’ and according to the report, will be priced at $1,799, which will put it in direct competition with the Galaxy Z Fold lineup. Unfortunately, details about its specs are scarce at the moment.

Pixel 8 series is coming in H2 2023

Around the fall of 2023, Google plans to launch the Pixel 8 lineup. Similar to this year’s Pixels, the Pixel 8 will have two devices, the Pixel 8, which is codenamed ‘Shiba,’ and the Pixel 8 Pro, which is codenamed ‘Husky.’

While the Pixel 8 Pro will have a similar screen size and dimensions as the Pixel 7 Pro, Google will reportedly shrink the screen size and overall form factor of the Pixel 8, which means that it could go directly against the Galaxy S23. Both the Pixel 8 series phones are said to feature a chipset codenamed ‘Puma,’ and you can expect Google to market this SoC as Tensor G3.

Google may or may not launch Pixel 8A in H1 2024

In the first half of 2024, we could see the launch of Pixel 8A, which is codenamed ‘Akita.’ However, Google might launch this smartphone only if it sees good success with the Pixel 7A. Else, the company may scrap the plan to launch the device.

Seemingly, Google is also thinking of launching Pixel A-series smartphones once every two years rather than launching one every year. If the brand does launch the Pixel 8A, it will reportedly be priced at $499, which will be $50 costlier thane its predecessor.

Pixel 9 series could arrive in H2 2024 with three phones

The Pixel 9 series will reportedly arrive in the fall of 2024, and interestingly, it will have three phones, and this lineup would look like Apple’s iPhone series.

There will be the Pixel 9, which will be similar to the iPhone 14. Then there will be the Pixel 9 Pro—codenamed ‘Caiman’— like the iPhone 14 Pro. The third device—codenamed ‘Komodo’—will be in the league of the iPhone 14 Pro Max. All three phones would come with the ‘Redondo’ chipset, and Google will most likely call it the Tensor G4.

Along with it, Google could also launch a successor to the Pixel Fold. Reportedly, it would get specific about the second-gen foldable only after seeing consumer response for the ‘Felix.’

Galaxy Z Flip rival from Google could come in 2025

Google’s 2025 lineup of smartphones could heavily be influenced by the success or failure of its 2023 and 2024 devices. But what’s more important is that Google is planning to launch a clamshell foldable smartphone in 2025, which could go directly against the Galaxy Z Flip series.

Google’s flip-style phone will most likely launch alongside the Pixel 10 lineup, which will have three devices. The first one would be the Pixel 10, which will be the base variant in the lineup. There will be two Pixel 10 Pro models, one with a smaller screen size and the other with a larger screen size.

That being said, Google might also drop its plan to launch a clamshell Pixel phone, and in that case, the company could launch four non-foldable pixel phones, which would include the Pixel 10 in small and large sizes and the Pixel 10 Pro in small and large size. This strategy, once again, would be similar to Apple’s.

So, it looks like Google’s smartphones launching in 2023, 2024, and 2025 will be heavily influenced by Apple’s and Samsung’s current lineup of flagship devices. More importantly, Google is going to compete with Samsung on many fronts in the near future, and if Samsung wants to be ahead in the race, it definitely has to up its game.

These plans are reportedly set in motion for iPhones to be produced in 2023. More so, the recent report suggests that Apple will adjust its supply chain and drop YMTC in favor of Samsung, specifically for iPhone models destined for the Chinese market.

Is Apple ahead of the curve on US regulations?
Apple may have initially planned to buy 128-layer NAND chips for future iPhone models from YMTC. Even though these solutions are a couple of generations behind what Samsung offers, they’re also roughly 20% more affordable. However, Apple appears to be playing the game in tune with US regulations, which is why it may have decided to replace YMTC with Samsung.

YMTC is now on the USA’s Unverified List of suppliers for memory technologies, meaning there are some restrictions to how US-based companies can interact and collaborate with the supplier. Apple may want to avoid any complications and could have decided to go with Samsung’s NAND solutions to go around any possible restrictions it may face for future iPhone models.

It’s also possible that Apple will use NAND chips from Samsung for iPhone 14 models scheduled to enter production in 2023 and hit the shelves in China, not just the iPhone 15 series planned for release later in the year. Assuming the report is correct, this should spell good news for Samsung’s memory business.

Although Oppo entered the foldable phone market with the Find N last year, the company has never released a foldable flip phone to compete with the Galaxy Z Flip, Motorola Razr, and other such devices. However, according to a new leak, Oppo is working on its first foldable flip phone. And the only bits of information that have surfaced so far seemingly put a brighter spotlight on this mysterious device — at least when compared to the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Trying to compete with Samsung’s finest through sheer numbers

According to the recent leak, the Oppo flip phone features a 6.8-inch foldable OLED display with a resolution of 2520 x 1080 (presumably supplied by Samsung Display, if history is any indication), and a 3.26-inch OLED cover screen.

The phone should also sport a 50MP Sony IMX766 wide camera, a 32MP IMX709 ultra-wide sensor, and a third, 8MP IMX355 shooter. The foldable Oppo flip phone is said to carry a 4,300mAh battery, which is bigger than the Z Flip 4’s battery by ~600mAh.

These are all superior specs to the Galaxy Z Flip 4, at least in terms of numbers. However, there’s no information regarding the hinge design, the choice of materials, the IP rating (or lack thereof), pricing, or any software features that could maximize the flip phone’s potential. The only details that have leaked concern a few raw hardware specs, and we may never know if the information was hand-picked by Oppo itself. Either way, this mysterious device could remain exclusive to China and might not see a global release to compete with Samsung worldwide. Time will tell.