The Google Pixel Fold is not just a concept, but a reality, and could even appear this year.

This at least confirms a story earlier this week that Google has asked Samsung to develop a 7.6-inch OLED panel for use in the foldable device, according to prominent leaker John Prosser.

Prosser's tweet was not exactly full of details, but he did assert that the Google Pixel Fold was a reality. And in a reply to a follower's question, he gave its launch date as either the end of this year or early 2022.

There is no doubt that Google is working on a foldable phone, as rumors date back to the middle of last year. Ross Young, an expert on smartphone displays, appeared in a reply to Prosser's first tweet, noting that in December he himself had predicted that one folding phone would appear from Google at the end of this year.

Not many details about the Pixel Fold's specs are known. The only thing we do know, thanks to Korean news, is that the phone may feature a 7.6-inch flexible display.

Whether Google launches the Pixel Fold this fall/winter or next spring, its main competitor will probably be Samsung. Currently, that is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Of course, by the time the Pixel Fold arrives, it will be facing off against the soon-to-be-available Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3.

The rest of the current foldable phone market is not quite up to Samsung's standards. There is also Motorola's Razr, but while the 5G version seems to be an improvement, the hardware has been disappointing. The Huawei Mate X2, announced earlier this week, has impressive specs. However, because it is made by Huawei, it is not available in the U.S. and does not offer the Google apps that Android users rely on.

This means that as 2021 turns into 2022, the likely top performer in the foldable device category will still be a Samsung product. New competitors, such as the rumored Pixel Fold and iPhone Flip, which are technically and software-agnostic, will be exactly the kind of competition needed to break Samsung's dominance by default.

Google's software skills may mean that the Pixel Fold will be one of the best folding phones when it finally emerges. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 5a are on the horizon, and both are likely to be among the best Android phones today.