In case you didn’t know, I like flip phones. I’ve been using the Motorola Razr Plus (2024) and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 since they came out, and I’ve already theorized about what a foldable iPhone would look like. Now it’s Google’s turn to give me an elevator pitch. I think it’s finally time for a Google Pixel Flip, but I think Google should probably wait until 2025 to launch it, and here’s why.

If you’ve ever used a flip phone, be it a Galaxy Z Flip 6, Razr, or even OPPO’s Find N3 Flip, you’ll know that the form factor has its limitations. You look for the perfect mix of battery capacity, capable chipset, and adequate cooling performance, and you find that you can only pick two of the three. Add one of Google’s toasty-toasty Tensor chips to that mix, and you have a recipe for a flip phone that’s dead by noon—at least for now. OK, I’m exaggerating, but only a little.

However, I think 2025 will be the perfect time to put the Tensor heat under pressure, as Google finally changes its process. After four generations of Samsung-made Tensor chips, all signs point to Google moving to TSMC for what would become known as the Tensor G5. And if you remember what happened when Qualcomm did the same thing when it switched from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (made by Samsung) to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (made by TSMC), you know that the process change should come with much better thermal performance.

Of course, this change may or may not come with a performance boost, but we know that’s not really Google’s priority. The current Tensor lineup is already behind Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in benchmarks, but we’re usually willing to give it at least a partial pass since it offers so many AI features. Would I like to see the Tensor G5 give the Pixel a little more power? Sure, but in the meantime, I’m happy to settle for better heat dissipation.

Once Google gets that heat under control, it’ll probably feel a little more comfortable tackling the other limitations of the flip form factor. Once it settles on a chipset that doesn’t put so much strain on the battery as if it were going out of style, it’ll be able to design a battery capacity and cooling system that fits into the pocket-friendly dimensions I’m looking forward to. And if Google is aiming for a flip phone as thin as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it could be a true engineering feat.

I’m also perfectly fine with Google waiting another year before releasing its first Pixel Flip, because that’s about when the best foldable phones really get going. It usually takes a try or two for the hinge to feel solid and the fold to shrink. Think about it – the OnePlus Open is OPPO’s Find N3, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is when Samsung finally started using sturdier materials, and we’re sort of on the third Motorola Razr redesign, as long as we don’t count the 2022 model that only came out in China.

So, 2025 will also see Google developing its third generation of foldable phones. By then, I think the company will have learned a thing or two (if it hasn’t already). We’ve already seen quite a design evolution from the first Pixel Fold to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and now Google just needs to find a way to slim it down. The redesigned hinge is a solid improvement over the original, opening easier and laying flatter after just a year of development. Google also replaced the sizable top and bottom bezels of the first Pixel Fold with thin bezels with a punch-hole selfie camera on the second, bringing it in line with most other book-style foldables.

I was also a little concerned about how Google would combine its signature camera bar with a compact flip form factor, but it seems to have managed that with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold too. The simple answer is that it’s not as tied to the camera bar as I initially expected – which is good news for a folding phone. Instead of stretching its sensors across the back, it’s cut the camera bar in half and stacked two sensors on top of each other. So if I had to guess, a Pixel Flip would then cut that modified camera bar in half again, giving us a two-camera setup similar to the one already present on the Pixel 9 – complete with the excellent image processing that we already know it’s capable of.

Perhaps the biggest mystery after that is what Google would do with its cover screen (other than calling it Pixel Window, of course). It could either copy Samsung with an oddly shaped panel, mimic Motorola with one that extends around the cameras (which I doubt), or follow OPPO with a narrower, phone-shaped display that sits next to the panels instead. I’m not sure what I’d want, but I know the revamped Pixel Weather widget would be a must, as would flexible app support—please don’t give me a Good Lock-like experience, Google.

Plus, flip phones (like blondes) are more fun. While foldable books tend to be labeled as super-expensive devices for power users, flip phones are usually more affordable and considered a fashion statement. I think Google’s clean, colorful take on Android falls more into the latter category than the former. Material You is packed with color customization options, and its large, relatively simple widgets seem to flow perfectly across a relatively compact cover screen. Oh, and Google’s straightforward Gmail, Google Photos, and Messages interfaces should easily shrink down to fit in your pocket, too.

The fact that flip phones tend to be cheaper should also help Google’s chances. Unless you’re absolutely committed to a foldable book, it’s probably impossible to imagine spending $1,800 on your next phone. Spending around $1,000, on the other hand, is somehow much more acceptable. Google has already raised the price of its Pixel 9 Pro (the smaller model) to $1,000, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 now costs even more at $1,100. So if Google can launch a Pixel Flip that undercuts Samsung, it could be onto something.

Even if Google launches a Pixel 10 Pro Flip (or a similarly complicated name) that rivals the Galaxy Z Flip 7 in terms of value for money, I think it’s on the right track. Right now, Samsung’s expensive flip phone really only has to compete with the Motorola Razr Plus (2024), which it largely beats by offering longer software support, more reliable cameras, and some Galaxy AI features ready before Moto AI even arrives. Google can easily come up with the appropriate seven years of updates, build in its Magic Editor and Add Me features, and integrate Gemini into every single Pixel UI element. Once that happens, Samsung will finally have someone not named Apple to worry about.

That’s my dream for 2025, of course. I feel like Google should be ready by then, and it all depends on the switch from Samsung to TSMC for the Tensor G5 chip. If that happens and it works out the way I think it will, I’ll have a Google-branded flip phone for a long time to come.