Think about it: 1st, the S Pen changes. Now, relocating the NFC module to the top of the phone. Pretty much any component that would clash with a strong magnet seems to be on the move

It feels like they’re preparing for a Qi2 wireless charging future. A lot of these changes seem designed to avoid interference with strong magnets that would need to be embedded in the back of the phone.
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Them joining that market just make sense. All of that effort lead to this:

Since Google joined and started to work with its OEM partners, the Android market settled on a longer book-style form factor versus the earlier form factor of the gen1 Pixel Fold, a midsize (7-8 in) screen app design layout and new multitasking and split-screen capabilities.
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Which is why during their events they often tout the Razr versus trying not to compete against it.

Book-style foldables, on the other hand, was a market Google had to enter because it was a new category of device which needed to be fleshed out and standardized.

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Therefore there is nothing to add to that category, and it should only make sense to enter that category if the slab market was on the decline, which it is not. Entering that category will only hurt its own partners like Moto who have seen a resurgence in that category.
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So Google making a flip-style Pixel phone doesn't help its Android OEM because the overall experience is still a slab screen folding in half, which has been perfected, with a screen on the back.

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