Excitement may be building for the Google Pixel 4a and Pixel 5, but a new patent application from Google indicates that the Pixel foldable phone could be the company's most intriguing new phone.

The patent application (discovered by Patently Apple) was filed with the U.S. Patent Office and details "electronic devices with flexible displays." From the attached images, the patent closely resembles the design of a foldable phone not too far from the Huawei Mate X.

The patent drawings show the device (which we will call the Pixel Fold for the time being) built around a hinge that can be opened from a "closed" position This is because the screen is built around a hinge that allows the device to open from a "closed" position. This is a change from the "open" position of the Mate X, where the screen wraps around the front and back of the device, revealing a large tablet-like display.

The patent notes that "the electronic device can be considered a smartphone and/or tablet device," meaning that Google could apply this design to a foldable phone.

Most intriguing is the small rectangular display that appears to fit into the body of a single display and can slide to expand the footprint of the open display position. From the drawing, this third small display appears to be used to cover any gaps in the screen that the hinge might cause.

Such a technique might be one way to avoid the fold in the middle of the foldable display that plagued the Galaxy Fold. And it could make foldable displays last longer and look more seamless when folded to full size.

Foldable phones have not yet taken the smartphone world by storm; the Galaxy Fold is far from perfect, and other foldable phones have been quite flawed and prohibitively expensive. However, Samsung's Galaxy Fold 2 appears to be an improvement over its successor, although it sticks to almost the same design as the original Galaxy Fold.

Thus, the Google Pixel Fold, with its interesting third-screen design, could bring the Galaxy Fold 2 to attention if Google really does act on its patents. Google has the software and engineering skills to potentially create a foldable phone that works well with Android and does not involve many compromises.

The Google Pixel Fold could become the standard folding phone device and give other devices a blueprint to follow. Unless Apple gets there first.