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Google today released the Android 13 QPR1 Beta 1 update for Pixel phones. It revealed a lot about what’s coming to the Pixel lineup. From the Pixel Tablet to face unlocking and a bunch of new features, the new software build contained references to plenty of developments that are going on behind the scenes. Developer Kuba Wojciechowski has now found references to something more, including the Pixel Fold foldable phone.
According to Kuba, Android 13 QPR1 Beta 1 code contains strings that mention the codename “Felix”. We have heard about this codename in the past too. Previous reports associated it with the Pixel 7a, which should come next year. However, the latest finding says something else. It could be the foldable Pixel phone that Google is long rumored to be working on.
The code strings have multiple references to folded and unfolded states for Felix. The camera hardware abstraction layer (HAL) for this device also mentions outer and inner cameras. The inner selfie camera is the Sony IMX355 sensor found on the Pixel 6, while Google is using Samsung’s S5K3J1 sensor on the outside. The device also boasts three cameras at the back, consisting of the Sony IMX787 primary shooter, Sony IMX386 ultrawide lens, and Samsung S5K3J1 telephoto camera.
All this is enough evidence that Felix is a foldable smartphone. Google is rumored to launch the device in 2023, either calling it the Pixel Fold or the Pixel Notepad.
A new Pixel 7 model is also in the works too
Android 13 QPR1 Beta 1 code contains even more information. Kuba found another codename “Lynx” and it makes things interesting. This was the codename previously associated with the foldable Pixel. But it turns out we are looking at a new Pixel 7 model here. And no, it’s not a codename mixup. Lynx is not the Pixel 7a. Instead, it is the Pixel 7 Ultra, a device that sits above the Pixel 7 Pro. Details about it are scarce but the newly-released beta software reveals the device will feature two Sony IMX712 camera sensors, with one serving as an ultrawide lens.
Last but not least, Kuba discovered references to a tablet identified as “T6Pro” or “Tangorpro”. It appears to be a high-end Pro version of the Pixel tablet that Google showed off during the I/O 2022 conference in May. The latter bears the codename “T6” or “Tangor” and appeared in animations within Android 13 QPR1 Beta 1 code. It is a barebones in-house tablet that Google plans to offer as a detachable screen for its next Nest Hub model. Maybe the Pixel Tablet Pro will be a full-fledged flagship Android tablet, we will have to wait and see. What’s clear is that a lot is coming out through Google’s doors over the next few months.