After years of rumors and leaks, Google is finally challenging Samsung for its foldable throne. ThePixel Fold is official, and while the price tag likely isn’t what anyone wanted, it does line up with the costs we’ve come to expect from the Galaxy Z Fold series. With about a month and a half until Google’s foldable starts arriving on people’s doorsteps, I managed to spend some time with the deviceafter the company’s I/O keynote. What I found was promising, but not without some potential pitfalls that buyers will want to be aware of before dropping a cool two grand on their new phone.
When I first picked up the Pixel Fold, I was shocked at how premium it felt for a Google device. With every passing generation, the company has upped its smartphone quality, but even last year’s flagship Pixel 7 Pro fails to compete with the fit and finish of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The Pixel Fold — at least when it’s closed — actually seems to pull some inspiration from Samsung’s phablet, with metallic rails on all sides of the phone paired with a matte glass back. I cannot tell you how excited I am to see this swap to a matte finish, and I’m begging Google to bring this change to the Pixel 8 series later this year.
It might be the sheer weight of the phone, but the Fold feels really solid in your hand. It also avoids feeling overly chunky, especially compared to theGalaxy Z Fold 4. At 12mm closed, the Pixel Fold is still relatively massive compared to any run-of-the-mill slab on the market today, but in comparison with Samsung’s hardware, it’s borderline svelte. I also like the camera bar’s transformation into a gigantic camera bump, although I can see this being a controversial decision among some fans.
Google has followed Oppo’s lead here, relying on a 5.8" 1080p outer display that sports an aspect ratio just shy of 2:1. It’s short, it’s fat, and frankly, it’s much more usable than anything we’ve seen on Samsung phones so far. If it wasn’t already obvious, this is the design all large foldables should follow, as it makes typing on the exterior screen so much more comfortable. Current rumors have theGalaxy Z Fold 5pegged to retain its candy bar shape, and while it’s certainly reached some level of icon status at this point, I can’t say I love using it.
So far, so good, right? From the outside alone, it seems like Google might actually eat Samsung’s lunch here, besting them with an improved design that, in my admittedly-limited hands-on time, I already prefer to what the Galaxy Z Fold offers. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can say the same once the Pixel Fold unfurls its expansive inner display.
Let me start on a couple of positive notes. I love how thin the Pixel Fold feels when open. Thanks to its 12mm profile, each side is only around 6mm total, and the rounded edges fit well into my palms. I also found the hinge to open and close smoothly and without much difficulty, though I have no idea how well it’ll hold up over years of use.
Unfortunately, it’s the inner display that might sink my interest in using the Pixel Fold as a daily driver. I’ve gone back and forth on the bezels since Google’s Star Wars-themed tease revealed its design for the first time, alternating between finding them chunky and dated and considering them potentially useful for holding the Fold comfortably in your hands. Now that I’ve actually seen the device in person, I think I’m ready to lock in my initial impressions as correct.
I think this phone looks pretty ugly unfolded, especially in person. The modern feel that the device provides when closed just fades away when you’re faced with the inner screen. Google gave the side bezels a slimmer profile than what you’ll find on the top and bottom of the screen, likelybecause of the front-facing camera.(update: AsMichael Fisher notes on Twitter, the larger top and bottom bezels are due to the hinge mechanism, according to an engineer.) The result is an unbalanced design that looks a little too wide and, even more importantly, it gives your fingers less room around the edges than if the entire panel had uniform borders.
But it doesn’t stop there. The bezel is ever-so-slightly raised, effectively recessing the display back into the chassis of the phone. You’ll never not notice it after your finger brushes along the edges; frankly, it feels unfinished.
The crease is another problem. In Google’s outdoor demo area, the Pixel Fold’s crease stood out like a sore thumb. It’s at least as noticeable as Samsung’s, if not moreso. While daylight conditions definitely didn’t help, I found it pretty distracting when trying to view content on the screen, even if Google’s decision to open to a landscape view helped minimize its effect on videos.
As I mentioned, I found the hinge smooth and reliable, but I’m a bit concerned how well it’ll hold up in daily use. It looks pretty easy for sand and dust to get into this mechanism, though with any luck, Google’s prepared for anything you could (reasonably) throw at the device. What’s more frustrating, though, is the Fold’s inability to actually open flat. Rather than opening up 180° to form a straight line, the two halves of the inner display seem to stop around 176° or so. It’s not super noticeable in your hand, but lay the device flat on a table and it’s immediately apparent.
Also, if it’s not obvious from the photos spread throughout this hands-on, the Pixel Fold’s inner display is incredibly reflective, somehow more so than standard glass. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is something early adopters get used to over time, but like the crease, it was pretty distracting when trying to capture photos.
It’s harder to get an impression on the Pixel Fold’s software in such a short amount of time, but so far, everything felt fast and fluid, without a hint of lag. I’ve had my ups and downs with Tensor G2 over the past seven months — go check out myPixel 7a reviewthat went live earlier today — but overall, it seems to be working fine here. I especially appreciate some of the smaller touches, including a live wallpaper that folds and unfolds as you close and open the screen.
Here’s a big ol' photo dump, as a reward for reading through to the (almost) end.
A few more miscellaneous thoughts:
The black model, featuring XDA’s very own Rich Woods.
I still have a million unanswered questions about the Pixel Fold, questions that’ll only be answered when I have the device for an extended period of time. With such a thin chassis, how will the battery hold up? Will Google’s missing software features like dual-screen translation impact the device at launch? Are the cameras up to snuff with what we typically expect from Pixels? You — and I — will have to wait a while longer to find out the answers to these questions, but for now, consider me cautiously excited to get my hands on one again next month. After all, I’m really hoping I eventually warm back up to the design. And hey, if you’re convinced, preorders are already open.
Google Pixel Fold
Google’s first foldable is finally here. With a completely different aspect ratio that what we’ve seen on Samsung’s phones, Google is challenging the reigning king of folding phones with a Tensor G2-powered ultra-powerful flagship, but whether it’ll be able to take the throne remains to be seen.
