Google’s Pixel Fold One Year Later: Can’t Wait for the Sequel

I wasn’t sold on the foldable smartphone era until I tried the Pixel Fold. For one thing, compared to China, the U.S. has a pretty limited selection of foldable phones. And the tight, overly narrow outer display of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series never quite fit my big hands. So Google immediately caught my eye when it launched a stubby, passport-shaped foldable phone.

I’ve been using Pixels for years, so I’m well-versed in Google’s strengths and weaknesses. The software is clean, you get some really useful Pixel-exclusive features (the Recorder app is a blessing in my line of work), and the camera performance is unmatched—at least for photography. But on the other hand, performance never quite matches Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips, the devices tend to run a little warm, and there are occasional hardware quirks. (Did you know that every Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have little bumps under the display that are only visible in the right lighting? Now you know.)

Going into the Pixel Fold, I knew there would be some additional compromises. Foldable phones are heavy. Their cameras aren’t as good as the best traditional phones. And after a few years in that form factor, they’re often crazy expensive. Samsung and Motorola offer cheaper clamshell versions, but you’re out of luck if you’re a Pixel fan.

However, it took the Pixel Fold almost no time at all to overcome these collective flaws. It’s far from a perfect gadget, but it’s a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I really started out liking the first-generation Pixel Fold, but there are some annoying frustrations that I hope will be fixed in the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

The first thing I learned was that when you have the right phone on the outside, you won’t be opening the internal display as often as you might expect — at least once the honeymoon phase wears off. The Fold’s external screen is fully usable for most of the things I do with my smartphone. I usually fold it out when I want to watch YouTube, Netflix, or check the news New York Times app. Sure, I sometimes found myself multitasking across two apps — and Google has made that workflow easier with software updates — but that’s not a common scenario. I still mostly use the large canvas to focus on one thing at a time, albeit with much greater immersion.

My main complaint with the Pixel Fold from day one has been its display brightness — or lack thereof. Just a few months after its launch last year, the $1,700 device was outshone by the much cheaper Pixel 8 series and Google’s new Actua/Super Actua displays. They’re incredibly bright and don’t cause any problems for outdoor use. I consistently find myself pushing the brightness slider past 80 percent on the Fold, which doesn’t help battery life. It’s hard to see this phone in direct sunlight, and the highly reflective internal screen only makes things worse.

If there’s one weakness I’m sure Google will fix the second time around, it’s that lack of pop. All signs point to the company bringing its latest (and brightest) display technology to its second-generation foldable device.

The other key improvement I’m hoping to see is a lighter frame. The Pixel Fold is a seriously heavy phone, even for me — a 6-foot-1-inch man with large hands — and it could become difficult to hold over time.

I wasn’t expecting miracles from the Pixel Fold’s battery life. Is it fair to expect that from every foldable device? Besides, Google’s Tensor chips have never been known for their efficiency. But even on days when the big display was barely used, the Fold… Thin. It wasn’t always a given that I’d have much juice left after a long day working from home, but the phone almost always did. Like other Pixels, the Fold sometimes charged at a snail’s pace when I was actively using it while plugged in. Overall, its endurance is crushed by the more conventional Pixel 8 Pro, but that’s to be expected when you’re pairing two screens with one.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is rumored to be taking a more open approach to the OnePlus Open, with a taller design. You’ll essentially get a regular phone on the outside. That means the aspect ratio of the internal display will also change, which is a good thing, since I noticed a lot of apps had black bars on either side when I held the Fold open. It’s Android, so you can’t really count on developers to quickly adopt a single-screen design. Google eventually added an option to force apps to go full-screen in software, but the 9 Pro Fold’s new dimensions should theoretically mean more apps will do so by default.

Lots of apps Down have fun with the Fold. Editing photos from my mirrorless camera in Adobe Lightroom has been a great experience from the get-go — even if the device sometimes gets a little warm while doing so. Unless I’m traveling with my iPad, it’s the best thing for making some changes on the go.

I’ve used two Folds for review over the past year, and neither has broken or had any catastrophic screen issues. But not everyone has been so lucky, and getting any foldable device repaired or replaced under warranty can be an ordeal. The glossy camera bar inevitably shows signs of wear, and scratches on the soft inner display are inevitable. But they’re easy to forget about when the screen is lit up — as is the fold.

The speakers on this $1,700 phone are decidedly average. They’re outshone by Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google’s Pixel 8 Pro. Give me something with a little more power, Google. Please!

The Pixel Fold’s camera(s) do their job. They’re reliable, as Allison wrote in her review. But they’re also nothing to write home about. Google’s computational photography magic can help enhance your photos, but you’re dealing with a smaller sensor than you’ll find in regular flagship phones, and the software can’t fully compensate.

Google is set to announce the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (and more) at its event on August 13. The first Pixel Fold was good enough to make me believe in foldable devices. Now the company just needs to prove it can take that potential and versatility to the next level — and hopefully, screen brightness, too.

Photos by Chris Welch / The Verge