Even with AI, Google’s third-gen foldable can’t clear the Z Fold 7 bar.
In a world before Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Google’s new $1,800 Pixel 10 Pro Fold might have stood a chance. But after falling head over heels for Samsung’s $2,000 foldable, Google’s third-gen foldable just doesn’t cut it—even with Gemini.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is not a bad foldable. It’s a more polished device compared to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with improvements in all the areas you’d expect year over year, like faster performance, longer battery life, and increased durability. It just doesn’t excite when you hold its bulky frame that looks nearly identical to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold next to the thin and light Z Fold 7. Samsung’s book-style foldable looks and feels like it’s from the future; the Pixel 10 Pro Fold feels like Google is too fixated on AI and neglecting why people buy new phones—for the hardware.
That’s the nature of consumer electronics. It’s cutthroat when the competition brings it, and boy, did Samsung turn things up with the Z Fold 7.A design that’s gonna age like milk
Unlike the Cosmic Orange iPhone 17 Pro, which drew the stares of what felt like every plugged-in New York University student returning back to school near the Gizmodo office, I had no fear of using the Pixel 10 Pro Fold out in public in advance of its release. Nobody noticed the unreleased phone because it looks almost exactly like the previous model, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Okay, the cover screen is a larger 6.4 inches versus the previous 6.3 inches, but I couldn’t feel any difference.
There’s nothing wrong with an evolutionary design. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold feels refined for the premium foldable it is. The aluminum is high quality, with an external screen that’s flush to the metal frame. The buttons are all nice and clicky to the press. The “Moonstone” colorway—a gray with hints of purple—looks attractive; I don’t share the same love for the “Jade” yellow, which looks like lemonade to me. In my hand, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold feels sturdy—heavy (258g versus the Z Fold 7’s 215g), but substantial. Even without a case for added grip, I never felt it’d slip out of my hand.
New stuff that you won’t see off the bat is better durability in a number of places, and the Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging/accessory support. Google says it redesigned the hinge to be gearless, which in turn allows the Pixel 10 Pro Fold to fold for up to 10 years’ worth of folds. I can’t confirm that claim, but I guess that’s something worth touting. The foldable also has an IP68 rating, which finally makes it not only resistant to water but also fully dust-resistant. This increased durability puts the Pixel 10 Pro Fold on par with pretty much every non-folding phone. The IP68 rating is one upside the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has compared to the Z Fold 7, which only has an IP48 rating, meaning it’s only shielded against particles larger than 1mm. How much does this matter in daily use? I’ve had no dust issues with the Z Fold 7 yet, but if you work in dusty environments like construction sites, you may appreciate the higher IP rating on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The 8-inch “Super Actua Flex Display” is also tougher. According to Google, the ultra-thin glass has “two layers of anti-impact film” that should better protect it from drops. Again, I can’t test these claims with my loaner unit (I’m sure Zack Nelson aka JerryRigEverything will put it through his standard durability tests), but it’s good to see the extra protection.
Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging and accessory support is also low-key awesome. As I said in my Pixel 10 and 10 Pro reviews, it’s just Google’s version of Apple’s MagSafe, which is to say it’s a more secure way for wireless charging than a Qi2 charging pad or stand. On Google’s official Pixelsnap Charging Stand, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold can be used unfolded on a table or nightstand. I hate to admit that I am that guy, but I was that guy watching Netflix and YouTube on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold while lying on my side in bed. Judge all you want, but it beats holding the foldable up or using it in its mini laptop-like mode, where video only fills up half of the foldable display. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold also charges faster (up to 50% in 30 minutes) with a wired cable, but you will need a fast charging brick.
Taken together, these upgrades may feel like substantial improvements over the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. But every time I pick up the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, I can’t help but compare it to the Z Fold 7. Samsung’s foldable is thinner, lighter, and feels better in the hand and my pants pockets. And even though the triple-lens camera bump makes it wobble like crazy on a surface, the crease on the Z Fold 7’s foldable screen is also less visible almost three months later. Meanwhile, the crease on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is more pronounced, warping content in an unignorable way whenever I load up a lengthy article or video.Are Pixel cameras getting worse?
Pixel phones are known for having some of the best cameras. On paper, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold reads like it has a good bag of cameras. There’s a 48-megapixel main camera, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide, and 10.8-megapixel telephoto with 5x optical zoom. A 10-megapixel camera is embedded in both the cover screen and inside the foldable display.
On a $1,800 phone, the cameras should not have any compromise.
