During the last 4 years, phone-makers like Samsung, Huawei and Oppo have tried to excellent making a pill that folds down right into a cellphone and suits in your pocket. Now, it is Google’s flip with the Pixel Fold, which begins at $1,799 (£1,749) and ships on June 27.
With its first foldable cellphone, Google manages to keep away from a number of the pitfalls we have seen in early fashions from different firms. It seems to be virtually like a daily cellphone when closed, making the Pixel Fold extra usable in “cellphone mode” than the taller and skinnier Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The cameras on the Pixel Fold are additionally top-notch, that means you do not have to sacrifice picture high quality to get a foldable display. That is one space the place Microsoft’s foldable cellphone, the Floor Duo, notably fell quick.
The Google Pixel Fold is the tech big’s first foldable cellphone.
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However after utilizing it for a couple of days, there’s one main downside Google hasn’t solved. It hasn’t answered the overarching query of why foldables ought to exist within the first place. Having an enormous display in your pocket could be helpful, however is it $1,799 helpful? That is greater than the typical month-to-month mortgage cost in, for instance, Ohio or Indiana, in accordance with a research from LendingTree.
Google is not alone; Samsung’s phone-tablet hybrid prices the identical. But it surely simply reiterates that foldable telephones just like the Pixel Fold nonetheless lack broad attraction. Till firms like Google and Samsung can get the worth down, tablet-size foldables are more likely to stay a distinct segment.
However that does not imply the Pixel Fold does not have promise.
It may well fold fully shut
The Pixel Fold has no hole close to the hinge.
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The Pixel Fold has a wider form than the Galaxy Z Fold 4, making it look extra like a passport or a Moleskine pocket book than Samsung’s cellphone. It is extra corresponding to the Oppo Discover N than Samsung’s foldable by way of its total look. It additionally resembles Microsoft’s Floor Duo, though that cellphone consists of two screens joined collectively relatively than one foldable show.
The Pixel Fold shuts fully and not using a hole, not like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which has an area close to its hinge. This offers the Pixel Fold a sleeker look when closed, though each the Z Fold 4 and Pixel Fold have the identical IPX8 sturdiness ranking. Meaning they need to have the ability to stand up to some immersion in water even when neither are thought-about mud proof or waterproof.
Watch this: Evaluation: The Google Pixel Fold Has Room to Enhance
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The digicam bar on the Pixel Fold does not protrude as prominently because the Galaxy Z Fold’s, which permits it to relaxation on tables and surfaces with out wobbling when closed.
However be warned; the Pixel Fold remains to be a cumbersome cellphone. The broad cowl display positively works within the Pixel Fold’s favor (extra on that beneath), but it surely additionally means it’s possible you’ll wrestle to make use of it with one hand.
Its big entrance display is a giant deal
The Pixel Fold’s entrance display makes it really feel extra helpful as a video participant and common cellphone.
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One of many largest drawbacks with foldable telephones is the training curve. Their thickness and strange form could make the swap from a normal cellphone to a foldable machine really feel jarring. Fortunately, the Pixel Fold’s broad cowl display makes the transition a bit simpler.
Do not get me unsuitable, there’s nonetheless so much to get used to. However having an exterior show that is comparable in form to the display on a daily, nonfoldable cellphone goes a great distance towards making apps and settings menus really feel extra pure. That is very true in relation to typing; utilizing the keyboard on the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s cowl display felt cramped by comparability.
The Pixel Fold’s 5.8-inch exterior display additionally makes it rather more helpful as a video participant. Regardless that it is technically smaller than the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s 6.2-inch cowl display, the Pixel Fold’s proportions really feel extra appropriate for video in comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s elongated show.
That goes for the inside show, too. The Pixel Fold has a characteristic known as Tabletop mode, which because the title implies adjusts the software program accordingly when opening the cellphone like a laptop computer. It is just like Samsung’s Flex mode, which shifts an app to the highest portion of the display when folded midway.
Many apps aren’t supported but, however fortunately some streaming companies like Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu work on this mode. Google Meet additionally works in Tabletop mode, so you may take video calls with out having to carry up your machine. This labored effortlessly: When calling a colleague over Google Meet, the app conformed to suit the show as quickly as I bent the cellphone midway. Nonetheless, the inner digicam’s location makes it tough to place the Pixel Fold at an angle that does not really feel awkward for video calls on this mode.
The Pixel Fold has a Tabletop mode.
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The draw back to Tabletop mode is that the Pixel Fold could be difficult to function on this place. I normally discover it simpler to select up the Pixel Fold and both shut it or open it absolutely to change apps or play one other video. This makes me recognize the touchpad mode Samsung added to its foldables final yr, which helps you to flip the underside portion of the display right into a trackpad with the intention to extra simply manipulate apps operating on the opposite half of the show.
Whereas I want the Pixel Fold’s form, Samsung’s cellphone has the higher hand in relation to the inside display in different methods. Colours are inclined to pop extra on the Galaxy Z Fold’s 7.6-inch AMOLED show, and the thinner bezel provides it a sleeker look total. The Pixel Fold does have a noticeable crease operating down the center of the display when opened. It is visually just like the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s, however feels a bit flatter to the contact in comparison with Samsung’s.
Its software program is all about multitasking
The Pixel Fold runs Android 13.
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Google is positioning the Pixel Fold as a multitasking machine, and it is easy to see why given its big inside show. You need to use apps in split-screen mode and drag and drop content material between apps. Google solely permits you to open two apps directly, when you can cowl the Z Fold 4’s inner show with as much as 4 apps.
Some would possibly discover that to be a disadvantage, however I personally do not open greater than two apps at a time in on a regular basis use. On a cellphone just like the Pixel Fold or Galaxy Z Fold 4, I want dedicating that total internal show to 1 app in order that I can get a extra immersive view.
There have been occasions when split-screen mode got here in helpful. I needed to reset a password to one in every of my app accounts, and I beloved having the ability to shortly pull up Gmail for my login code with out having to leap between apps. It is also good having the ability to control Slack whereas I am doing one thing else on my cellphone, like listening to Spotify, looking electronic mail or scrolling by social media.
However the Pixel Fold is lacking an vital characteristic that Samsung affords: the power to pin apps collectively with the intention to launch them in split-screen mode in a single faucet. The Pixel Fold will maintain apps paired whereas they’re open, however there is no option to maintain it that manner for future use.
As is the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, it’s also possible to drag and drop content material between apps on the Pixel Fold when utilizing split-screen mode. This labored properly once I moved an image from Google Photographs to a textual content message within the Messages app and an electronic mail in Gmail. However there have been occasions when it took a few tries to efficiently drag a YouTube clip to Messages. Provided that foldables have already got sufficient of a studying curve, I hope this will get sorted out shortly.
Even once they perform at their finest, I do not suppose split-screen apps are compelling sufficient to persuade somebody to purchase a foldable cellphone. I am so accustomed to switching between apps on the single-screen telephones that working a multi-app mode requires me to consider apps differently. Returning to the house display or app switcher to hop between apps feels instinctual at this level. It is laborious to interrupt a decade-plus lengthy behavior, as I think about it will likely be for others switching to their first foldable cellphone. That is not particular to the Pixel Fold, however maybe it is telling of why foldable telephones are taking so lengthy to realize widespread recognition.
It is also value noting that many apps look tiny on the Pixel Fold’s internal display. Whereas huge names like Netflix, TikTok, Calm, Slack, Discord, Outlook, WhatsApp, Roblox, Amazon and Sweet Crush Soda Saga replenish the Pixel Fold’s huge show, some equally fashionable apps like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Fb, Uber, Sweet Crush Saga and Seamless appear like floating home windows within the heart of the display. (These apps run in a full-screen view on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, by the best way.) For essentially the most half, apps transitioned between the entrance and internal display with out difficulty. There was one occasion when Discord did not conform when transferring between the tablet-size internal show and the quilt display, but it surely labored correctly the subsequent time I used the app.
What I am trying ahead to essentially the most, nonetheless, is seeing how the entrance and inside display work collectively sooner or later. When Google unveiled the Pixel Fold, it demonstrated a characteristic known as twin display interpreter mode, which permits the entrance and internal screens to work concurrently throughout language translation. The app would present translations on each side of the cellphone in order that the members may see one another’s phrases of their most popular language on display. Since this characteristic is coming in Android 14, I wasn’t in a position to strive it but.
It has nice cameras
The Pixel Fold’s digicam bar.
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The Pixel Fold has three cameras: one for normal, ultrawide and telephoto photographs. Whereas the Pixel 7 Professional has an analogous digicam setup, they are not the identical. The Fold’s telephoto digicam has a ten.8-megapixel sensor in comparison with the 48-megapixel one on the 7 Professional.
Total, I used to be actually impressed with the Pixel Fold’s digicam. Like different Pixel telephones, the Fold offers an ideal stability of shade that is pure however nonetheless daring whereas capturing loads of element. Photographs taken on the Pixel Fold’s foremost and ultrawide cameras additionally appeared colourful and crisp, whether or not I used to be taking pictures in daylight, at night time or indoors.
Pixel Fold, Pixel 7 Professional and Galaxy Z Fold 4 digicam specs
Google Pixel FoldGoogle Pixel 7 ProSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 Rear cameras 48MP foremost; 10.8MP ultrawide; 10.8MP telephoto50MP foremost; 12MP ultrawide; 48MP telephoto50MP foremost; 12MP ultrawide; 10MP telephotoFront digicam 9.5MP10.8MP10MPInner digicam 8MPN/A4MP
Regardless that the Pixel Fold has a decrease decision telephoto digicam, zoomed-in pictures appeared roughly the identical as these taken on the Pixel 7 Professional in my testing. Each telephones can zoom optically as much as 5x, which is barely nearer than the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s 3x optical zoom. However the Pixel 7 Professional can zoom digitally as much as 30x, whereas the Pixel Fold can solely attain a 20x digital zoom.
Pixel Fold
The Pixel Fold has a 5x optical zoom.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Pixel 7 Professional
A photograph of crops on a shelf taken at a 5x zoom on the Pixel 7 Professional.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
In comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, I assumed the Pixel Fold typically rendered pores and skin tones in a extra correct and flattering manner, as you may see within the picture beneath. Colours additionally appeared too blown out in pictures taken on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in comparison with the Pixel Fold in some eventualities.
Pixel Fold
A photograph of my husband, Dan, taken on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy Z Fold 4
A photograph of my husband in a restaurant taken on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
However in some circumstances, Samsung punched up the colour a bit extra, as proven within the photographs beneath.
Pixel Fold
A photograph of tacos taken on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy Z Fold 4
A photograph of tacos taken on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The Pixel Fold additionally fares properly in low gentle. All three telephones had been able to capturing a flattering picture of me outdoors of a restaurant at night time. Samsung’s picture is the brightest of the three, however I want Google’s pictures since each the Pixel 7 Professional and Pixel Fold made my face look a bit softer. That stated, in the event you’re fascinated about brightness alone, Samsung wins this spherical.
Pixel Fold
A photograph of me taken on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Pixel 7 Professional
A photograph of me taken outdoors a restaurant on the Pixel 7 Professional.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy Z Fold 4
A photograph of me taken on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Check out another pictures taken with the Pixel Fold beneath.
A photograph of flowers taken on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
A photograph of an outside restaurant taken on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
A photograph of a plant taken in a darkish room on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
A photograph of the surface of a bakery taken on the Pixel Fold.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
This picture was taken with the Pixel Fold’s ultrawide digicam.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
What units the Pixel Fold and different foldables prefer it aside from common telephones, nonetheless, is their potential to face on their very own when folded midway. The Pixel Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 4, Motorola Razr Plus and different foldables primarily have a built-in tripod, making it simpler to seize regular photographs or group selfies.
When utilizing the digicam app in Tabletop mode, the viewfinder shifts to the highest portion of the show when digicam controls are located on the underside. Samsung has been providing this characteristic for some time, so it is nothing new. The Z Fold 4 may even present pictures proper after they have been taken on the underside portion of the display alongside the digicam controls. That makes it simpler to see if the picture you simply captured is to your liking.
However the benefit that Google has when taking pictures comes all the way down to the scale and form of the Pixel Fold’s show. The folded portion of the display that serves because the digicam viewfinder is way taller on the Pixel Fold, giving you extra space to see what your shot would possibly appear like as you are setting it up.
If you happen to take quite a lot of selfies you may have loads of choices on the Pixel Fold. There is a 9.5-megapixel entrance digicam above the quilt display, and an 8-megapixel internal digicam while you open up the machine. That is double the decision of the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s 4-megapixel inside digicam, which is underneath the display. In comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the selfie taken on the Pixel Fold’s internal digicam seems to be extra pure and has a bit extra element. However Samsung dialed up the colour of my hair, which actually made for a extra flattering picture.
Pixel Fold
A selfie taken with the Pixel Fold’s inside digicam.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Galaxy Z Fold 4
A selfie taken on the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s inside digicam.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Given its foldable form, it’s also possible to use the Pixel Fold’s rear cameras to snap selfies, utilizing the quilt show as a viewfinder. You positively seize extra element in selfies by utilizing the Pixel Fold’s rear digicam, however doing so can really feel awkward. It requires two fingers, and feels virtually like taking a photograph with an iPad.
Entrance digicam
A selfie taken with the Pixel Fold’s entrance digicam.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
Rear digicam
A selfie taken with the Pixel Fold’s foremost rear digicam.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
It has strong efficiency and battery life
The Pixel Fold has Google’s Tensor G2 processor.
James Martin/CNET
The Pixel Fold runs on Google’s Tensor G2 processor, the identical chip that powers the Pixel 7 lineup. Efficiency is clean; the Pixel Fold launches apps shortly, runs video games like PUBG Cellular and Shadowgun: Legends with ease, and shifts between the entrance and inside shows virtually immediately. The again of the cellphone obtained a bit heat after gaming for about 10 minutes to the purpose the place it is noticeable however not uncomfortable.
The benchmarks exams that CNET normally runs to check basic computing and graphics efficiency weren’t obtainable on the time of writing. We’ll replace this overview with these outcomes at a later date.
However the Tensor G2 is about extra than simply efficiency and pace anyhow. Google’s customized chip permits it to convey particular options to its units, comparable to Photograph Unblur, which sharpens pictures which are blurry or fuzzy. That holds true for the Pixel Fold too, which has Photograph Unblur amongst different Tensor-powered options.
The Pixel Fold’s battery life might be sufficient to get you thru a full day, however you may wish to pack a charger when you have a very busy schedule.
After roughly six hours of use, the Pixel Fold’s battery dropped to 70%. Throughout that point, I had the always-on show and excessive refresh price settings turned on, and I turned off adaptive brightness. Whereas I left the brightness at 50% more often than not, I turned it as much as round 80% when outdoor to extra simply see the display. Throughout that half-day interval, I streamed Spotify for a few half hour, took a couple of pictures and a brief video, browsed social media, learn emails and despatched textual content messages.
The Pixel Fold helps 21-watt quick charging.
James Martin/CNET
Battery life will all the time fluctuate relying on how you utilize your machine, which is why I am being particular concerning the machine’s settings and the sorts of apps I have been operating. Whether or not you are utilizing the tablet-size inside display or the quilt display may even play a job.
We ran CNET’s battery take a look at, which includes streaming YouTube over the course of three hours and checking the battery proportion at every hour, on each the inside and exterior display. The Pixel Fold was all the way down to 83% after operating the three-hour take a look at on the entrance display, whereas it dipped all the way down to 69% on the within display.
The battery take a look at outcomes from the quilt display are on par with the Galaxy S23 collection and barely higher than the Pixel 7, whereas the within display’s outcomes are decrease than most telephones we have examined (apart from the Sony Xperia 1V, which has a 4K display). However that is to be anticipated for the reason that cowl display is smaller than the shows discovered on a lot of immediately’s telephones, whereas the inside display is extra corresponding to a pill than a cellphone.
Nonetheless, the Pixel Fold carried out properly throughout CNET’s battery endurance take a look at, throughout which I streamed video, browsed social media, took a brief video name and performed video games over the course of 45 minutes to see how a lot these duties would drain the battery. The Pixel Fold’s battery dropped from 100% to 95% throughout that point. In comparison with different telephones CNET has examined this yr, these outcomes are about the identical because the Galaxy S23 Plus’ and Lenovo ThinkPhone’s. For this take a look at, I used a mixture of the inside and exterior show relying on which display was best-suited for the duty at hand. For instance, I scrolled social media and performed Sweet Crush on the entrance display, whereas I used the internal display for taking part in PUBG Cellular, watching YouTube and making a video name in Tabletop mode.
The Pixel Fold helps 21-watt quick charging, though you may want a appropriate energy adapter to attain these speeds. Google recommends utilizing its 30-watt adapter, though you may should buy it individually. The Pixel Fold went from 0% to 41% in half-hour, which is commendable however not as spectacular as another nonfoldable telephones, such because the Lenovo ThinkPhone, which went from 0% to 92% in the identical time interval due to its 68-watt charging (and included charger within the field). There’s additionally 7.5-watt wi-fi charging on the Pixel Fold, which replenished the battery from 26% to 35% in half-hour.
Google Pixel Fold total ideas
Google’s Pixel Fold nonetheless seems like a first-generation product.
James Martin/CNET
Google will get so much proper with its first foldable cellphone. The broader cowl display makes it really feel immensely extra helpful for the duties it is best fitted to, like watching movies and taking pictures hands-free and not using a kickstand or tripod. The outside show additionally feels rather more pure when utilizing apps in comparison with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which is narrower than your common cellphone. Like its commonplace Pixel telephones, Google excelled with the Pixel Fold’s design, particularly in relation to the gapless hinge.
However the Pixel Fold nonetheless seems like a first-generation product. Some main apps, like Instagram and Uber, aren’t optimized to occupy the total display. Google’s drag and drop performance, which is for transferring content material between apps in split-screen mode, felt a bit hit-or-miss in my testing. And above all else, the Pixel Fold is an costly machine at an eye-watering $1,799, making it tough to suggest.
The Pixel Fold jogs my memory quite a lot of the Pixel Watch. It is a polished-looking execution of a product class that is existed for years, but it surely does not essentially push the trade ahead. At the very least not but. Google sometimes updates its Pixel merchandise with new options over time by software program updates, and I believe that would be the identical for the Pixel Fold. I feel the very best elements of the Pixel Fold are nonetheless to come back.
How we take a look at telephones
Each cellphone examined by CNET’s evaluations workforce was truly utilized in the actual world. We take a look at a cellphone’s options, play video games and take pictures. We look at the show to see if it is vivid, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing each standardized benchmark instruments like Geekbench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and taking part in graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.
All of the cameras are examined in quite a lot of circumstances from vivid daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like night time mode and portrait mode and evaluate our findings towards equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life by utilizing it every day in addition to operating a collection of battery drain exams.
We have in mind further options like assist for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus assist, quick charging speeds and foldable shows amongst others that may be helpful. And we stability all of this towards the worth to provide the verdict on whether or not that cellphone, no matter its worth is, truly represents good worth. Please word that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 was reviewed utilizing CNET’s previous scoring system, so its overview quantity rating is not instantly corresponding to the one the Pixel Fold has been given in 2023.
Pixel Fold Specs vs. Samsung and Honor
Google Pixel FoldSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 5GHonor Magic Vs Show dimension, tech, decision, refresh price, brightness Inner: 7.6-inch OLED, 2,208 x 1,840 pixels; exterior: 5.8-inch; 2,092 x 1,080 pixels, 60-120HzInternal: 7.6-inch AMOLED, 2,176 x 1,812 pixels; exterior: 6.2-inch, 2,316 x 904 pixelsInternal: 7.9-inch, 2,272 x 1,984 pixels, 90Hz; exterior: 6.45-inch, 2,560 x 1,080 pixels, 120HzPixel density Exterior: 408 ppi; inner: 380 ppiExternal: 402 ppi; inner: 374 ppiExternal: 431 ppi; inner: 381 ppiDimensions (inches) Closed: 5.5 x 3.1 x 0.5 in; open: 5.5 x 6.2 x 0.2 inClosed: 6.11 x 2.64 x 0.62 in; open: 6.11 x 5.12 x 0.25 inClosed: 6.31 x 2.86 x 0.51 in; open: 6.31 x 5.57 x 0.24 inDimensions (millimeters) Closed: 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm; open: 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8 mm Closed: 155.1 x 67.1 x 15.8 mm; open: 155.1 x 130.1 x 6.3 mmClosed: 160.3 x 72.6 x 12.9 mm; open: 160.3 x 141.5 x 6.1 mm Weight (grams, ounces) 283g, 9.98 oz263g, 9.27 oz261g, 9.21 oz (orange); 267g, 9.42 oz (black & cyan)Cellular software program Android 13Android 12LAndroid 13Camera 48-megapixel (foremost), 10.8-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (telephoto)50-megapixel (foremost), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto)54-megapixel (foremost), 50-megapixel (ultrawide), 8-megapixel (telephoto)Entrance-facing digicam 9.5-megapixel (cowl display), 8-megapixel (internal display)10-megapixel (cowl display); 4-megapixel (internal display, underneath show)16-megapixel (cowl display); 16-megapixel (internal display)Video seize 4K4K 4KProcessor Tensor G2Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1Snapdragon 8 Gen Plus 1RAM/storage 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB (US, UK, Germany)12GB + 256GB/512GB/1TB12GB + 512GBExpandable storage NoneNoneNoneBattery 4,821 mAh4,400 mAh 5,000 mAhFingerprint sensor SideSideSideConnector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneSpecial options 5G (mmw/Sub6), IPX8 ranking, 5x optical zoom, twin sim, estimated 24-33 hours battery life5G, 30x house zoom digicam, IPX8, 25-watt fast-charging (no in-box charger)3x optical zoom, 66-watt bundled fast-chargerUS worth off-contract $1,799$1,800Converts to $1,740