Google's long-rumored foldable phone, the Google Pixel Fold, may not see the light of day after all, according to reports that Google has canceled the project.

The report comes from Display Supply Chain Consultants, which is usually a reliable source when it comes to phone display claims. According to the company, supply chain sources claim that Google has canceled plans for the Pixel Fold.

"Google has decided not to bring the Pixel Fold to market," wrote DSCC CEO Ross Young. 'It reportedly won't be in 2021, nor in the first half of 2022.'

Earlier reports on the Pixel Fold had suggested that Google was quite advanced on the foldable device - so much so that some Google watchers had expected the company to announce the Fold along with the Pixel 6 phone last month. That apparently did not materialize, so the schedule was pushed to early 2022 for the launch of a device that appeared ready to challenge the best foldable phones.

According to the DSCC report, that may be why Google was so cold about the Pixel Fold. After the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 launched this summer with better-than-expected sales, Google reportedly decided it had too much of an uphill battle. Foldable phones remain a niche product, and Google already faces the challenge of getting more conventional Pixel phones noticed in a smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung.

Not much is known about the Google Pixel Fold, and most rumors are based on a patent Google has obtained for a foldable device; like the Galaxy Z Fold 3, the Pixel Fold is expected to open to reveal a large, reportedly 7.6-inch internal The Pixel Fold's display is adaptive refresh rate, and Samsung was expected to supply rivals with a layer of ultra-thin glass needed to improve durability.

That all appears to be on hold now, which is unfortunate. As good as Samsung's recent foldable handsets have been, it would be nice to see more handset makers introduce their own foldable handsets to make this market segment more competitive. LG, which had many dual-screen devices and phones with rollable displays, exited the cell phone business earlier this year. Microsoft's dual-screen Surface Duo 2 device is certainly an improvement over its predecessor, but it falls short as a replacement for the foldable device.

The timing of this report is particularly odd given that it comes just a few weeks after Google announced Android 12L; this variant of Android 12 is aimed at large-screen devices, including foldable handsets, which are more likely than traditional smartphones to Android 12L is expected to be released early next year, but it does not appear to be coming to the Pixel Fold.

The DSCC report makes it sound like the Pixel Fold is gone for good, but it is possible that Google will revive the project later. We hope so, as we would love to see what a Google-made foldable phone running Android 12L could offer over other devices.