The Pixel 10 Pro Fold won’t look very different if you place it next to last year’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Besides Google’s AI chops, there is not much of an overhaul at first glance. However, this is the first foldable to receive an IP68 rating, and that counts for something.
Ever since companies started launching foldables, durability has been the prime concern for users. The longevity of hinges, protection of the inner screen, and resistance of these devices against liquid and sand are always big considerations when buying a foldable as compared to a slab phone.
Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the company’s attempt at alleviating those worries. The device closely resembles its predecessor, but there are a few key changes that make the phone sturdier.
First is a new gearless hinge, which adds a bit of resistance to folding and unfolding the phone. Because of the new hinge, there is very little gap when the phone is folded. This ensures that fewer dust particles and other debris can get inside and potentially damage the screen. While I didn’t get the phone in any sand, I kept it in my bag and my pocket multiple times to see if lint from either place had any effect. However, the phone continued functioning as usual.
I didn’t submerge the phone in water, either. Still, having IP68 protection means that the phone should withstand dust and water better than its predecessor.
Apart from the sturdiness upgrade, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold gained a new Tensor G5 processor. While it’s fine for most day-to-day tasks, as my experience suggests, there is some discussion about how it doesn’t perform as well as some other processors in benchmark tests.
Other hardware changes in the 10 Pro Fold involve a bigger battery than last year, which is a welcome change. Plus, the phone has a brighter screen, so it’s easier to use outside in the daylight. One notable thing about the display is that the bezel around the screen is much thicker than what I have seen on other recent phones, including both foldables and slab phones.
Since this is a Pixel phone, Google added a number of AI features to the software. These additions include Magic Cue, which surfaces snippets and suggestions based on screenshots and data from apps like Maps, Gmail, Messages, and Keep. You also get call translation, Gemini Live with video view, and a camera coach to guide you to take photos. (These features are already present on the Pixel 10 Pro, and you can read more about how they work here.)
Cameras
For Pixel phones, the camera has been a central story for years now. The Pixel 10 Fold Pro has camera specs similar to last year’s device. This means there is a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 10.8-megapixel telephoto sensor with 5x optical zoom, and a 10.5-megapixel ultrawide sensor. It also has a pair of 10-megapixel sensors as the selfie camera on both the cover display and the inside display.
This setup is not on par with the Pixel 10 Pro’s 50-megapixel main sensor and a pair of 48-megapixel sensors for ultrawide and telephoto. Meanwhile, the Pixel Pro 10 also has a 42-megapixel selfie camera.
The photos from the Fold’s main camera provide good details, but that is not the case with both the telephoto and ultrawide lenses. In low light, only the main camera holds some water, but the Pixel 10 Pro cameras outshine it.
One gripe I have with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold camera is that whenever I wanted to take a photo of a small object, like an AirPods case, the camera triggered macro mode, even when it was not super close to the object.
The jury is out on how much AI should be used in photos, but if you are a fan of the Pixel AI Zoom feature, which can let you use 100x zoom, you will be disappointed to know that the feature is missing on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
The confusing “Pro” moniker
It is hard to expect a phone not to have a name that is a mouthful in this era. However, Google’s inclusion of “Pro” in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a tad confusing. The company released the Pixel Fold in 2023, and then changed the naming scheme last year.
Usually, Pro is reserved for the top-tier phone of any lineup. Unless you count the display size and battery size — which result in the form factor — the foldable falls short in the camera, cooling, and charging departments.
The camera is a step down from the Pixel 10 Pro, as we described earlier. Plus, Google only included vapor chamber cooling for its Pro slab phones. And the 25W Qi2 charging is reserved for the Pixel 10 Pro XL. Some of this might be a limitation because of the foldable form. But then, why not drop the Pro name?
Google also needs to encourage developers to adopt third-party apps to fit the foldable experience, besides tweaking its own apps and making the overall multitasking performance less glitchy. It would be good to see Google implement something like Samsung’s multi-window feature on Pixel foldables.
Where does the Pixel foldable stand?
Amid manufacturers like Samsung, Oppo, and Honor racing to build thin foldable phones, Google has produced a proudly chunky and hefty foldable. The company has concentrated on making it more sturdy and long-lasting with the new hinge and the IP rating.
The phone’s camera bump is not as massive as some of the Chinese manufacturers have on their devices. That means it holds a bit better when you lay it down on a flat surface. The cameras don’t match up to the Pixel 10 Pro line, which is a bummer. But if you are not hung up on camera performance, Pixel Fold cameras are not a bad bet.
The Pixel 10 Pro sells at a listed price of $1,799 — $200 cheaper than Samsung’s ZFold 7 — but you can get discounts on various sites. If you want a fully-baked Google or Pixel experience in a foldable form factor, this device is for you.
