Samsung has made various hardware and software-related improvements with its foldable smartphones over the past couple of years. With the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the company introduced One UI 3.1.1, which brings multi-column UI to many stock apps and multitasking improvements. Now, it is being reported that Google could bring such improvements with the next version of Android.
According to a report from 9To5Google, Google is developing two Pixel foldable smartphones codenamed ‘Jumbojack’ and ‘Passport.’ Jumbojack appears to be running Android 12. The internet giant reportedly used the device to test various new Android APIs named ‘posture,’ ‘opened,’ ‘closed,’ ‘half-opened,’ and ‘flipped.’ All these APIs point towards a foldable smartphone’s states. The company could be adding UI improvements for such devices to take full advantage of larger displays.
The second foldable device from Google reportedly handles split-screen multitasking like the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, these new APIs won’t be available for non-Pixel foldable smartphones until Android 12.1. It is still unclear whether Jumbojack is a Flip 3-style clamshell device or a Z Fold 3-like bigger foldable.
It appears that Samsung is at least one step ahead of Google in terms of foldable smartphones. The company has already released three generations of Galaxy Z devices and has made various improvements on the software side. With Android 12-based One UI 4.0, the company could introduce more UI improvements to its Galaxy Z series foldable devices. The South Korean firm is rumored to be working on a Galaxy Z-series tablet with two hinges.
