With the Pixel Fold, as with its other smartphones, Google wants to demonstrate what is possible with an Android form factor, but at the same time it is also becoming a stronger competitor to the major device partners, above all Samsung. According to Google, the Pixel Fold should have the most robust hinge of all smartphones with a folding display that has been introduced to date and, on top of that, be waterproof according to IPX8.
Flexible: Google Pixel Fold is the first smartphone from the US company with a foldable display
Stainless steel hinge to ensure maximum stability
At first glance, Google’s first foldable smartphone appears to be of high quality, as it has an aluminum frame, a hinge made of polished stainless steel and covers made of the largely scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the outside of the housing and the outer display. Inside, an “Ultra Thin Glass” cover is used, while in addition, like Samsung’s foldables, a plastic film is also attached to the foldable main screen.
The foldable screen with its 7.6-inch diagonal has a 6:5 format and a pleasantly high resolution of 2208 x 1840 pixels. It’s an OLED panel that, surprisingly, also has always-on functionality and can reach a maximum refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz.
The Pixel Fold’s main display measures 7.6 inches
Outside with a wide second display
The maximum brightness of the inner screen is specified as 1000 candelas (HDR), while up to 1450 candelas can also be achieved in small areas for short periods and in particularly strong sunlight. The external display is an OLED panel with a 5.8-inch diagonal and a rather unusual aspect ratio of 17.4:9, which has a resolution of 2092 x 1080 pixels and is comparatively small and relatively wide.
A maximum refresh rate of up to 120 Hertz is also possible on the front. Google specifies the maximum brightness as 1200 candelas (HDR) and up to 1550 candelas “peak brightness”. HDR support is also offered here, so you can count on a very decent image quality. The two displays of the Pixel Fold do not seem to offer stylus support.
The opening angle of the folding screen can be freely selected
By the way, if you open the Pixel Fold, you should be able to choose any opening angle of the main screen thanks to the complex construction of the hinge. So the device doesn’t “snap” open, but can also be set up when it’s not fully open – and thus used almost like a kind of micro-laptop.
Google Pixel Fold: The opening angle of the folding display can be freely selected
Under the hood of Google’s Pixel Fold is the Tensor G2 octa-core SoC, which has been current since the Pixel 7. It is manufactured by Samsung and doesn’t quite reach the performance level of current top chips from Qualcomm. However, it should still offer more than enough performance for most tasks and enables fast access to the mobile Internet thanks to the integrated 5G modem.
The RAM in the Google Pixel Fold 5G is always 12 gigabytes and uses LPDDR5X modules. The internal flash memory varies depending on the model with 256 or 512 GB UFS 3.1 flash. As usual with Google, a memory expansion is simply not planned.
Three plus one camera outside, one in the rim
The camera equipment of the Google Pixel Fold is surprisingly extensive. The main camera uses a 48-megapixel sensor with a pixel edge length of just 0.8 micrometers, an f/1.7 aperture, phase-detection autofocus, closed-loop autofocus and optical hardware image stabilization. Google also integrates an ultra-wide-angle camera and a telephoto zoom camera, each of which uses a 10.8-megapixel sensor and is said to capture a lot of light thanks to a pixel edge length of 1.22 micrometers.
Pixel Fold: Google’s foldable smartphone has surprisingly good cameras
At least the telephoto zoom camera offers a dual-phase detection autofocus and a five-fold optical magnification, with the help of Google’s so-called Super Res Zoom being able to be enlarged up to 20-fold. The three cameras on the outside of the Pixel Fold can also use a laser-based autofocus system.
In addition to the three cameras on the “back”, the Pixel Fold also has a front camera that is located in the top center of the outer display. This uses a 9.5 megapixel sensor with 1.22 micrometer pixel edge length, f/2.2 aperture and fixed focus. It is mainly used for quick self-portraits. On the inside, in the area of the relatively wide edge around the main display, there is another camera for self-portraits or video calls. This has an 8-megapixel sensor and also does not have an autofocus.
Proud price of at least 1900 euros
According to the manufacturer’s data sheet, the Google Pixel Fold offers a two-part battery that offers a total capacity of 4821mAh and can be charged quickly with a maximum of 30 watts using fast charging. The fold can also be supplied with energy via wireless charging. Google always delivers the expensive foldable without an included power supply.
Google Pixel Fold – official teaser video
The display can be unlocked, among other things, via the optical fingerprint reader, which is located in the power button on the side of the case. The Pixel Fold has two stereo speakers, two NanoSIM card slots and eSIM support. Transmission is via 5G as well as WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC. There is also an UltraWideband chip on top of that.
The Google Pixel Fold will soon also be launched in Germany, although Google has so far given a starting price of a considerable 1899 euros for the version with 256 GB of internal memory in the colors “Obsidian” and “Porcelain”, but no availability date. Apparently it could be longer before the first folding smartphone from the US Internet company is actually available in this country. Earlier availability is expected in the US.
- Google presents the Pixel Fold as the first Pixel smartphone with a foldable display.
- It offers a 7.6-inch main display and a 5.8-inch outer display.
- The hinge is durable and the device is IPX8 waterproof.
- The SoC is the Tensor G2 octa-core manufactured by Samsung.
- Camera equipment: 3 cameras on the outside, 1 front camera in the outer display and 1 camera in the wide edge of the main display.
- The battery has a capacity of 4821mAh and can be quickly charged with 30 watts.
- Availability in Germany still unclear.
Other innovations at Google I/O 2023:
