Not everyone may be on board with foldable phones, but there’s no denying that the form factor is here to stay. The foldable market has grown significantly over the years, with players emerging left and right and plenty of models to choose from. Google is already on its third foldable iteration with the rather impressive but iterative Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but it is still ignoring a rather important form factor: the flip phone.
Since using flip phones like the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip over the past few years, I’ve often said that Google needs to throw its own flip phone into the mix. Google apparently disagrees, and the company seems to have no interest in producing a flip phone, but I believe Pixel Flip could be a great complement to Google’s smartphone lineup and leverage the growing popularity of the Pixel family in a few ways that would secure its success.
More options for everyone
One of the main reasons I want a Pixel Flip is that, despite the growing foldable smartphone market, options for flip phones are pretty slim. In North America, Motorola and Samsung are the only options, while Chinese OEMs offer more models overseas but are still overshadowed by book-style foldables. For example, the OPPO Find N3 Flip from 2023 was an impressive flip phone, but the company hasn’t launched a follow-up since, even though it has produced two flagship book-style foldables in the past couple of years.
It’s becoming clear that companies are much more focused on larger book-style foldables, and it’s not hard to see why. Companies can make much more from these phones, due to their higher average selling price. This is likely why we see Google focusing on the larger form factor; it can get more money back from each unit sold.
Still, in North America, where there are only a few relevant names in the smartphone market, having more choice among the available players is a good thing. Not everyone is willing to spend $1,800 on a smartphone, and a Pixel Flip would allow Google to still sell a smartphone at a more accessible flagship price while providing a third major flip phone option from a popular brand, alongside the Razr and Galaxy Z Flip.
Google can leverage the growing popularity of the Razr and Pixel lineups
Quite a bit has changed in the few years since I last made the case for a Pixel Flip. Both Motorola and Google have become bigger players in the smartphone market, thanks to the Razr and Pixel.
According to Counterpoint Research, Motorola “emerged as one of the standout performers globally” in the foldable market during Q3 2025, after “expanding its foldable base through competitive pricing, strong channel partnerships and favorable product usability reviews.” The company has seen impressive growth thanks to its successful marketing of the Razr series, which offers a range of price points and attractive discounts.
IDC estimates that the foldable market will grow by nearly 30% in 2026, while non-foldables will actually see a decline. With the launch of the Motorola Razr Fold later this year, Motorola is poised to reap the benefits of this surge by offering two different foldable form factors, something Google can and should consider.
It also shows why Google (and consumers) shouldn’t sleep on flip phones. Since Q1 2024, Motorola has maintained double-digit market share in the U.S., remaining the third-largest smartphone brand by shipments, behind Apple and Samsung.
And while Motorola should be enough of a motivator, Google need only look at its own Pixel lineup to convince itself why a Pixel Flip could still work. These AI phones are becoming increasingly popular among consumers, with Pixel shipments breaking into the top five in Q2 2025, and the Pixel 10 launch resulting in a massive surge in sales.
It’s clear that the Pixel is a hit, and while Google currently offers four Pixel 10 models, a Pixel Flip could easily slot among its higher-end models. Assuming Google keeps its smartphone prices the same and prices a Pixel Flip similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, the lineup could look something like this:
- Google Pixel 11: $799
- Google Pixel 11 Pro: $999
- Google Pixel Flip: $1,099
- Google Pixel 11 Pro XL: $1,199
- Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold: $1,799
This would position the Pixel Flip as a premium offering, allowing Google to compete with other high-end flip phones while attracting more users who may want the novelty of a foldable phone without the higher price point of the 10 Pro Fold or its successor.
What I want to see in a Pixel Flip
If Google decided to give us a Pixel Flip, it wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine what this might be like. The design could resemble the current Pixel lineup with a mostly flat matte frame and glossy glass back, similar to the base Pixel 10, plus a wide range of color options. The cover screen would expand across the top panel, as on the Razr Ultra 2025 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, with cameras protruding from the bottom corner of the external screen.
The Pixel can take after the Razr to let users use nearly any app on the cover screen out of the box, something most flip phones still don’t allow. We’ve seen Google optimize the Android OS and apps for book-style foldables, and this could prompt Google to work with developers to better optimize apps for flip phone cover screens, such as continuity, resizing certain UI elements, dedicated widgets/panels, and more.
Of course, the Pixel Flip would leverage Google’s excellent software/AI and camera capabilities. Motorola has Look & Talk on the Razr, which lets you glance at the phone while folded in tent or stand mode to activate Moto AI. Google could use something similar with Gemini Live, leveraging what it’s learned from Raise to Talk with the Pixel Watch 4 to let users jump straight into a conversation with its AI chatbot.
Google would also make the strongest case for keeping a dual-camera setup on a flip phone. Pixel phones have proven to handle digital zooming better than most other phones, and while many would like to see telephoto lenses on flip phones, a Pixel Flip wouldn’t need it.
Basically, Google could offer the best of both worlds between the Motorola Razr and the Galaxy Z Flip, with a mature UI, strong software support, a functional cover-screen experience, versatile cameras, and more. Now that Google seems to have found its stride with the Fold series, it should shift some of that focus to creating the best flip phone it can.
