The folding Pixel Notepad gets an aggressive, rumored price tag

It’s no secret that we’re pretty excited to see what Google has cooking in the foldable Pixel Notepad. Everything is rumor up to this point, so be sure you take that into consideration any time we make mention of this unreleased, unverified, and still unknown phone. But don’t let that take away a bit of the anticipation that is building as we edge closer and closer to Google finally making their first folding phone a reality.

What we think we know so far

As a quick recap, we know Google has sourced Samsung’s folding OLED displays and folding glass tech. We know that Android 12L is clearly aimed at folding phones (and Chromebooks, too) and that likely means the Pixel Notepad could launch in order to present the final build of 12L to the masses. We know that the Pixel Notepad once went by the ‘Passport’ code name and is now known as ‘Pitpit’. We know that the rumor is Pixel Notepad (not Pixel Fold) will be the actual name of this phone and that instead of a tall, skinny device when closed, the Pixel Notepad should be more standard in size like the Oppo Find N.

That’s a lot, sure, but there are still so many peices of this puzzle yet to be put into place. What size will it be? Does the new Notepad naming suggest pen support? Will this be the same Tensor SoC we have in the Pixel 6? What about storage and RAM? When will it actually arrive? What will the price be? While we can’t answer most of those questions, the pricing is coming into focus thanks to some inside sources at 9to5 Google.

A new, rumored low price

When we first read of the Pixel Notepad naming, there was also a tidbit about the price likely being lower than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. As it turns out, that seems to be the case and this latest rumor places the folding Pixel Notepad around $1400 – a whopping $400 less than Samsung’s latest, greatest phone/tablet hybrid. When we get into tech this specialized and sophisticated, the price tags go up. That’s just life. But, if Google can keep this sort of pricing upon the Notepad’s release, it’ll be a big splash in the foldable ecosystem for sure.

As I said in the open, please note that this is all technically rumor and not confirmed anywhere else at this point. 9to5 Google states that this info does come from two independent sources and their track record has been really solid, so I’m inclined to at least believe that both the Notepad name and this implied $1399 price are both the plan at this point in the timeline.

So, if we have basic size, material info, a name, and some pricing in place, it sure does feel like we might be getting closer to at least some sort of official announcement from Google. It’s been pretty impressive for Google to keep this one under wraps so long with their track record of early renders and leaks spilling out all over the place. The fact that it feels like we may be getting close to this phone’s arrival and we’ve yet to see a legit render is surprising to say the least.

Under other circumstances, it would be enough for me to doubt the phone’s existence at all, but with all that we feel we know about the Pixel Notepad at this point, that just doesn’t feel possible. I’m hopeful that when Android 12L is ready, we get a small announcement from Google that is centered just on this phone and used to highlight all the cool 12L stuff we’re waiting for. We’ve never really seen a Pixel announced outside the standard October window that wasn’t an A-series device, so there’s no telling what will happen. 12L is coming, though, so let’s hope the Pixel Notepad is ready for it.