Google Pixel Pro Fold Review: Not Compatible!

Summary

MKBHD reviews the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, a nearly $2,000 foldable phone that presents an interesting paradox: the Pixel philosophy (smart software, good value) and foldable phone philosophy (premium hardware, premium price) are fundamentally at odds. While the phone features significant improvements including a redesigned gearless hinge, better displays (6.4” cover, 8” inner at 3000 nits), PixelSnap MagSafe compatibility, improved battery life (5,015 mAh), and IP68 water resistance, it still lags behind competitors in hardware aspects like thickness, weight, and processor performance (Tensor G5 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite). The verdict: it’s a really good phone in a vacuum, but in the competitive $2,000 foldable market, buyers rightfully expect the absolute best hardware, which this phone doesn’t deliver.

Highlights

”Pixel and foldable are opposites”

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“I actually don’t think that the concept of a Pixel, and the concept of a folding phone are actually really compatible, and that’s okay.” — Marques Brownlee, 0:14

”Shout out to the hingeneers”

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“Shout out to the hinge engineers. The hingeneers I guess.” — Marques Brownlee, 2:10

”A really good phone in a vacuum”

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“This is a really good phone in a vacuum, but we’re not in a vacuum, so you have to consider the other options that are really exciting and really pushing the limits.” — Marques Brownlee, 7:42

”I get inspired to crush my to-do list”

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“Opening it up just like every other foldable, I get inspired to be way more productive. Like I start doing things I would never do normally on a phone, like organizing travel, and doing things side by side like email triage with schedule on the other half. Like I just get this itch to crush my to-do list.” — Marques Brownlee, 5:05

Key Points

• 0:14 - Core thesis: Pixel philosophy and foldable phone philosophy are opposites and not truly compatible
• 1:47 - The biggest change is the new gearless, smaller hinge with smooth motion and satisfying resistance
• 2:16 - New displays: 6.4” cover screen and 8” inner display, both reaching 3000 nits brightness
• 2:51 - PixelSnap adds magnets for Qi2 wireless charging and MagSafe accessory compatibility
• 3:32 - Tensor G5 chip is underpowered but paired with 16GB RAM for multitasking
• 3:50 - Battery life is surprisingly solid with 5,015 mAh battery
• 4:36 - First Pixel foldable to be fully IP68 water and dust resistant
• 4:48 - Android 16 features, Material 3 Expressive design, AI features like Call Screening and Now Playing
• 5:05 - Using unfolded screen inspires productivity with side-by-side apps and multitasking
• 5:40 - Still not a hardware leader - thicker and heavier than newer ultra-thin foldables
• 6:31 - Cameras are essentially the same as last year - almost flagship quality
• 6:56 - Tensor G5 doesn’t compare to Snapdragon 8 Elite performance
• 7:42 - Final verdict: good phone in a vacuum, but competition offers more exciting hardware

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Surprising Quotes

“I actually don’t think that the concept of a Pixel, and the concept of a folding phone are actually really compatible, and that’s okay.”

• 0:14

“Shout out to the hinge engineers. The hingeneers I guess.”

• 2:10

“This is a really good phone in a vacuum, but we’re not in a vacuum, so you have to consider the other options that are really exciting and really pushing the limits.”

• 7:42

“Pixel and folding phone are like opposites, they’re at odds with each other.”

• 1:23

Full Transcript

0:00 So, I’ve been thinking about this. There’s tons of folding phones out now, it’s been a category for a little while and we’re expecting a folding iPhone soon, it’ll probably reinvigorate the category. And I actually don’t think that the concept of a Pixel, and the concept of a folding phone are actually really compatible, and that’s okay.

0:41 So, hear me out, the idea of a Pixel is very specific, like we’ve seen it for years. It’s a super smart phone, like it’s never really been a super high-end piece of hardware, it’s never had the best screen, or the best chip, or the best battery, or the best cameras, but just a ton of great clever software that the everyday person can appreciate and more often lately than ever, also a pretty good deal.

1:05 But then the idea of a folding phone, well, this is inherently niche, like this is gonna be a premium priced, premium built piece of hardware for the people that want the absolute best. They use their phone so much they have two different screen sizes and it might cost $2,000 to get that. So, Pixel and folding phone are like opposites, they’re at odds with each other.

1:30 But that didn’t stop Google from making a nearly $2,000 folding phone. And so I’ve been using it and as someone who really likes Pixels and as someone who likes folding phones, I like it. But I do understand that it’s limited who I can recommend this to.

1:47 So, the biggest change versus the previous Pixel Fold, no joke, is the new hinge. It’s been re-engineered so there are both aesthetic and functional improvements. It’s now gearless, and it’s much smaller. So now the bezel to the left of the cover screen is thinner and it’s closer to even and it has this nice smooth motion, a satisfying kind of heavy resistance. It’s a nice hinge. Shout out to the hinge engineers. The hingeneers I guess.

2:13 So, this makes room for the next best thing about this phone, which is these new displays so you can maybe already tell this outside cover display is bigger now, it’s 6.4 inches, and it’s also a good amount brighter. One of my favorite trends in displays right now, so 3000 nits is the new max and it looks really good in sunlight. Then you open it up and the inside eight inch display is also improved.

2:36 Now, not much else is different. It still has a selfie camera on both screens. It still has that plastic protective layer all the way around, and it still has that very noticeable crease that you can easily feel with your finger, but you kind of learn to ignore it.

2:51 So, then the next best feature is probably PixelSnap. So, the magnets in the back that they’ve added to every Pixel to give them Qi2 wireless charging, but also have them snap to literally any MagSafe accessory, elite. It’s awesome. They made some of their own accessories but the fact that every new Pixel can snap to the MagSafe charger, or a dock, or anything you can buy right now or might already have is so dope.

3:17 And even though this folding phone is heavier than the average phone, it does still stay up in the car dash, no problem. That was one of my concerns coming in. There are also some other tiny changes like the sim card tray has moved up to the top of the phone. And you can also now go up to 1TB of storage.

3:32 Now, we already learned the Tensor G5 chip, which is new for this generation, was kind of a let down power-wise. Like it’s nowhere near the most powerful chips on the market. But they did pair it with 16 gigs of RAM because it’s a multitasking foldable so that makes sense.

3:50 So yeah, I was let down by the chip but I would say I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life and the efficiency because the battery life of this phone was actually really solid. Effectively, when you’re using it closed, it’s like a slightly thicker phone with a relatively small 6.4 inch display, and it’s a 5,015 mAh battery. So, using it like that, I was getting like six hours of screen on time no problem every single day.

4:16 Of course, mileage varies pretty directly with the amount of time you spend unfolded where it can chew through battery faster. But there is no question thanks to the thinner hinge that extra space was put pretty directly towards battery and it turns out to be a great trade-off. Worth it. Shout out again to the hingeneers.

4:36 Also, did I mention this is the first Pixel foldable to be fully IP68 water and dust resistant. You better believe that’s important.

4:44 So, using the Pixel 10 Pro Fold closed, it’s pretty good. Everything I liked about regular Pixels is here. It’s all the Android 16 features, the Material 3 Expressive design language and then all the AI features, Call Screening, Now Playing, all of that, super smart smartphone. Plus the new longer cover screen aspect ratio is great.

5:05 So, then opening it up just like every other foldable, I get inspired to be way more productive. Like I start doing things I would never do normally on a phone, like organizing travel, and doing things side by side like email triage with schedule on the other half. Like I just get this itch to crush my to-do list and be productive ‘cause I have all this real estate now.

5:25 There isn’t anything particularly new about Android on this folding screen. Of course there’s still side by side apps, and the task bar and floating windows, but after that, it feels like it’s really just up to app developers now.

5:39 But also surprise, this Pixel is clearly still not a hardware leader in any way. Like it’s still kind of thick and chunky, which is very noticeable when compared to a lot of these newer ultra thin folding phones. And it’s also noticeably heavier.

5:56 So, the slightly uncomfortable feeling that you get while using the phone closed, which let’s be real, is how you’re gonna be using it a lot, that’s important. And so you could argue that that is a sacrifice that’s necessary for such good battery life, but I just think the weight and thickness aren’t on top of the list for what people care about a foldable. And this isn’t like a gaming phone or anything that charges super fast.

6:19 And so the newer foldables from competitors feel better even when open too. The lighter weight makes a difference, the thinner bezels make a difference, the lesser creases on other foldables makes a difference too.

6:31 This is also essentially the exact same cameras as last year, which is to say almost flagship quality. Like it’s just a half step behind despite how big this camera plateau is. So, just have a little less dynamic range and a little less low light ability. And the 10 megapixel selfie cameras on the cover and inside screens are just not that great at all, unfortunately.

6:56 And then the Tensor G5 like I said, and using the phone has been smooth and I have no complaints but this doesn’t hold a candle to the Snapdragon 8 Elite in benchmarks. Or it’s about to get replaced by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. I don’t know why it’s called that, but still.

7:16 So, the point is, in the competitive $2,000 foldable market, like people rightfully come in demanding and expecting the absolute best, especially with the hardware. And this phone, while it is really nice to use, I enjoy it, and it gets a lot of things right, it’s pretty clearly not the best, especially with the hardware.

7:42 Here’s another way of looking at it, this is a really good phone in a vacuum, but we’re not in a vacuum, so you have to consider the other options that are really exciting and really pushing the limits and then you start to compare it and notice other things that are great about those other phones. I’ll keep using this one though. Thanks for watching. Catch you guys on the next one. Peace.