Google Pixel Fold Review 2024: Fails To Live Up To Its Potential
Many regard 2024 as the year of foldable smartphones. We got the new Google Pixel Fold, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, and the OnePlus Open released months apart from each other. While the Fold 5 has cemented itself as the best performer and the OnePlus Open as the best budget foldable, where does that leave the Pixel Fold in the competition?
Read this Google Pixel Fold review till the end to find out!
Google Pixel Fold Specifications And Price
The primary Google Pixel Fold specs are:
| Operating System | Android 13 (Upgradable to Android 14) |
| Display | 7.6” Foldable OLED screen (1840 x 2208 pixels, 120 Hz) |
| Cover Display | 5.8” OLED screen (1080 x 2092 pixels, 120 Hz) |
| Processor | Google Tensor G2 Octa Core processor (2.85 GHz) |
| Graphics | Mali G710 MP7 |
| Memory | 12 GB RAM |
| Storage | 256 GB, 512 GB |
| Rear Camera | 48 MP (wide) + 10.8 MP (ultrawide) + 10.8 MP (telephoto) |
| Front Camera | 9.5 MP |
| Cover Camera | 8 MP |
| Battery | 4,821 mAh Li-Po |
| Charging | 30W |
| Ports | 1x USB Type C 3.2 |
| Folded Dimensions | 58.7mm x 139.7 mm x 5.8 mm (H x W x D) |
| Unfolded Dimensions | 39.7 mm x 79.5 mm x 12.1 mm (H x W x D) |
| Weight | 0.62 lbs (283 grams) |
| Colors | Porcelain, Obsidian |
The Google Pixel Fold price in 2024 is $1,799 for the base variant. It has 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage. Moreover, the other version with 512 GB internal storage costs $1,919. However, various discounts can bring the price of the base variant down to $1,449, especially from BestBuy!
You can buy Google Pixel Fold online from BestBuy, Amazon, and Walmart!
Google Pixel Fold Review: My Experience
After using the Google Pixel Fold for four days – I was somewhat impressed by its technical features. However, its mediocre performance compared to other foldable smartphones in its price range worries me the most.
Therefore, let’s find out whether the Google Pixel Fold matches the competition alongside the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the OnePlus Open.
Design: Heavy And Stout
The Google Pixel Fold design looks fantastic. It’s the thinnest foldable smartphone I’ve come across. It’s only 5.8 mm thick, while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is 6.1 mm thick. In addition, it has a mixture of plastic, glass, and aluminum, making it quite durable.
Moreover, it’s pretty comfortable to hold in one hand, be it whole folded or it’s open. However, I felt it to be a bit heavier if you compare it with its peers. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 weighs 253 grams, while the Pixel Fold weighs 283 grams.
In addition, the big 5.8” cover display is an amazing addition. The Moto Razr cover display pales in comparison, measuring only 1.5”. However, both the OnePlus Open and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 have bigger and better cover screens.
Apart from its weight, the bezels around the screen are thicker than what I prefer. It often feels like an eyesore, especially if you are using it folded or the cover screen.
Moreover, it’s great to see that the Pixel Fold has an IPX8 water and dust resistance. This is the same as the rating on the Fold 5 and the OnePlus Open.
However, I have heard various reports like this by Ars Technica stating that the inner screen has several durability issues. Moreover, many users complained that if anything gets stuck between the fold of the screen, it may damage the screen. Many reported cracked screens and pixelated lines across the middle.
Battery: King For A Day
The Google Pixel Fold battery will last for an entire day on full charge. Therefore, I could listen to Apple Music Classical, play games, and surf the web all day. By the end of the day, I still had 11% battery life remaining.
Overall, the battery life is good enough for a foldable smartphone, lasting longer than the Fold 5. However, the OnePlus One Battery is better here. Moreover, the 30W charging is painfully slow, taking an hour to charge it up fully.
Display: It Hates Sunlight
The Google Pixel Fold display is good enough for a foldable smartphone, being slightly better than the Fold 5. However, the OnePlus Open remains the king here, with a bigger and better display.
Both the Google Pixel Fold screens are good, having high resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Most of my viewing experience on its display was pretty good.
Therefore, you will enjoy watching movies and playing games here. Moreover, they are smooth and responsive, improving my overall experience.
However, I think this foldable is not bright enough, especially during the daytime. The screen was noticeably dark under the sunlight. Therefore, I reckon this screen needs more than 1,450 Nits to beat the sun. Even the iPhone 14 Pro Max is brighter here, and the OnePlus Open has 2,400 Nits!
Camera: Pixel-Perfect, As Always
Most people think that Google Pixel phones have great cameras. Fortunately, it’s true – Pixel phones have some of the best cameras in an Android smartphone. Therefore, the Google Pixel Fold camera is undoubtedly amazing as well.
On the back, you get a 48 MP primary camera with unique features like Dual-Pixel Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF). In addition, it also has Lazer Autofocus (AF) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) as well to enhance all your pictures. Moreover, you also get a 10.8 MP telephoto lens and a 10.8 MP ultrawide lens with a 120-degree Field of View (FOV).
Overall, the primary camera is terrific at capturing high-quality stills and videos. The colors are vivid and crisp, with fewer blurry pixels if you capture zoomed-in images. Moreover, recording 4k 60 fps videos feels amazing, as both the video and audio quality are sharp.
On the other hand, the selfie cameras are amazing as well. The Google Pixel Fold has two different selfie cameras. One of them is inside, while the other one is outside, above the cover display. They are similar to each other, being able to click some good selfies. However, the front-camera videos are nothing special.
Performance: Smooth Multitasking With Not-So-Smooth Apps
The Google Pixel Fold processor is the same Tensor G2 processor as the Google Pixel 7A and its subsequent models. Therefore, it provides great performance in both casual use, productive work, and gaming.
Moreover, I did find a focus on efficient multitasking here. Since you have a big, 7.6” foldable screen, you can easily open two different apps on both folds. This is the primary reason why I like foldable smartphones; they help me get more done at the same time.
However, not all apps translate to this effectively. Many apps have issues with adjusting themselves to the dual-app mode.
Here, they sometimes take up the entire screen or take a minuscule portion of it, edging towards unusability. The aspect ratios of the apps were all over the place, and I had to open and close the fold to get them right.
Gaming felt tight and crisp here since the bigger screen allows for better control layouts. I love playing Pokemon: Unite, Call of Duty: Mobile, and Diablo: Immortal – which all ran perfectly at 60+ fps.
However, performance-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and the OnePlus Open are better smartphones. Therefore, you can expect the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to take the difference a notch higher.
Google Pixel Fold For 2024: Deal Or No Deal?
The Google Pixel Fold is an excellent foldable smartphone but not the best one in the market. Therefore, buy the similarly priced Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 or the OnePlus Open on any deal – or you can afford them – instead.
Moreover, the OnePlus Open is a better foldable smartphone at a cheaper price! The Google Pixel Fols offers nothing exciting to make me recommend it when better alternatives are available.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Amazing camera • Multitasking is buttery smooth • Good battery life • Widest foldable display | • Expensive • Better alternatives • Apps are not optimized for multitasking while folded • The screen has durability issues, as reported by customers |
