Google’s Pixel Fold sold out, and the phone is not even out yet

Last updated: May 25th, 2023 at 15:05 UTC+02:00

Google announced its first foldable phone inspired by the Galaxy Z Fold series at I/O earlier this month. And while Pixel Fold pre-orders are still open ahead of the phone’s official June 27 release, Google’s online store in the USA already appears to be out of stock.

In theory, this means Pixel Fold customers in the USA have exceeded Google’s expectations. It could mean that phone users are warming up to the idea of foldable phones more than ever.

Then again, this is Google we’re talking about rather than Samsung. So it’s equally possible that Google didn’t have enough units prepared for the pre-order period, and the company might restock before June 27. But as of this writing, the “Add to cart” button on the company’s e-shop is grayed out.

Brings back old Nexus memories

It’s not the first time Google’s online store ran out of stock on Android devices. In the past, many Nexus phones went through a similar phase as the Pixel Fold, yet sales figures weren’t high enough to threaten smartphones from other Android OEMs, such as Galaxy devices from Samsung. Seeing a Nexus phone out of stock usually meant that Google didn’t manufacture that many phones to begin with.

But however many Pixel Folds Google had in stock when it announced the foldable phone at I/O, it appears that pre-orders exceeded the company’s expectations, which should be a positive sign for the foldable market at large.

Google’s foldable follows the same pricing strategy as the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Pixel Fold costs $1,799 for the 256GB variant and $1,919 for the 512GB model. However, for a limited time, Pixel Fold buyers also get a Pixel Watch on the house, which must’ve helped these early pre-order figures. When purchased separately, the Pixel Watch costs $349, so getting one for free certainly seems like a nice incentive.