Rumoured Google Pixel foldable tipped to get four cameras, expected to launch in 2022

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Google's first foldable device is expected to arrive in 2022, but it might not get the camera setup you'd want. 9to5Google reported in a recent APK teardown that the rumoured device will most likely get four cameras. A 12.2-megapixel IMX363 primary lens, 12-megapixel IMX386 ultrawide camera, and two 8-megapixel IMX355 front-facing cameras. The identical sensors are said to be for the outer and inner display, probably to offer the same camera quality whether the phone is folded or not.

That primary sensor isn't what you see on the new Pixel 6 series. Instead, this foldable Pixel phone (codenamed "Pipit") will reportedly use the Pixel 5's camera. The existing Pixel flagships have a larger sensor, which led to that distinctive camera bar on the Pixel 6. But with foldables that are typically built to be slim, that extra millimetre for the camera bump might not be the best idea.

The site noted that the ultrawide sensor is tagged with the word "Folded," suggesting it's a camera you can use when the phone is folded shut. We don't know what that means yet, but we're probably going to hear more about that in the coming months.

A line of code in the Google Camera app hints at the potential release schedule for this rumoured device. It gets an "isPixel2022Foldable" designation, which the Google Camera app usually uses to refer to different generations of Pixel phones. (Like the Pixel 4 and 4XL were referred to as "isPixel2019.") So, we might see it in the coming year.