Smartphone manufacturers love it when all their phones look similar enough to follow the same design pattern. Heck, a little bit of brand recognition never hurt anyone, right? Well, considering the camera array is one of the few things you can see on a phone from a distance, the long-bar camera array has become one of the easiest ways to spot any recent Pixel smartphone in the wild. That’s why it’s such a big deal that the Pixel Fold 2 leaks show that Google might be making a big change to its popular smartphone lineup.
That’s right, the Pixel Fold 2 leaks have shown a substantial departure from its current long-bar camera design, opting instead for a two-tier array that is aligned on one side. Not to be too dramatic, but what does it mean? Will future Pixel devices sport this more common camera array or is the Pixel Fold 2 just a one-off that is shackled by the technical limitations of a foldable smartphone? Well, there’s only one way to know for sure: more speculation.
Pixel 2 leaks show new camera array
The long bar is dead, long live the long bar
Last month, some pretty official-looking leaks of the Pixel Fold 2 were released online, showing off some of the foldable smartphone’s design choices. If the renders are to be believed, a lot has changed since the first iteration of the device, with an improved hinge, new aspect ratio, and a larger internal screen for an even better tablet-style experience (though a recent report from noted analyst Ross Young seems to contradict the renders).
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That wasn’t all, though. In addition to all these new hardware choices, the Pixel Fold 2 takes a massive step in a different direction with its camera design with a left-justified two-row array that looks more like it’s from an iPhone than a Pixel. This is a pretty significant change for a Pixel device, with its predecessors sporting the long bar across the entire device since the Pixel 6 in 2021.
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Is the Pixel Fold 2 simply bound by technical limitations?
Big changes like camera array designs are typically indicative of a bigger change from a brand. The Galaxy S21, for example, saw Samsung transition to its signature traffic lights array. The three cameras lined up in a row in the top left have since come to a lot of the company’s lower-end phones.
Subsequently, it’s not a huge leap to assume that this new camera array leak could mean that the Pixel lineup is going to go through a dramatic change over the next year. Sure, the Pixel 8a leaks don’t show any camera change, still sporting the long bar. But the a series has historically followed the design of its higher-end namesake, usually released half a year earlier, so that’s not a surprise.
If the Pixel 9 leaks we’ve seen so far are correct, Google really seems to use its foldable as a design trendsetter for future devices. After the first Pixel Fold introduced a camera bump that doesn’t smoothly curve around the edges but is more of a block on the back, the Pixel 9 looks set to follow a similar design. With this in mind, it’s certainly possible the Pixel 10 will then lean into the rumored Pixel Fold 2 design.
The original Pixel Fold foreshadows the Pixel 9’s look
We can’t forget about the foldable aspect of it all, though. Given that foldable smartphone technology is comparatively new, it still suffers some technical limitations that arise from the hinge mechanism and the desired thinness of the device. If you want good cameras on these phones, you need to make some tradeoffs. This could easily be the reasoning behind the unique camera array on the Pixel Fold 2, rather than an indication that the entire lineup is poised for a camera design shake-up.
Additionally, foldable smartphones often aren’t getting the same cameras when it comes to specs. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip have both featured cameras that aren’t as powerful as the flagship devices, which is either a cost-cutting measure for the extremely pricey devices or a technical necessity.
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All that to say, we can only speculate about the future of the Pixel lineup in regard to its camera array situation. For now, we’ll simply have to wonder whether or not the Pixel Fold 2 is the harbinger of change or just a one-time alteration for the sake of the technology.
