Google's First Foldable Phone Review | Tom's Guide
The Google Pixel Fold is Google’s first foldable phone but it really impresses with its wide front display, superior cameras and intuitive multitasking software. This is also the thinnest foldable yet when open and it sports a smooth and quiet hinge, and the tabletop and tent modes come in handy. The Pixel Fold isn’t as powerful as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 — and its bezels are a bit large — but overall this is the best foldable we’ve tested yet.
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00:00 It's about freaking time.
00:03 The Google Pixel Fold finally joins the foldable phone party that has been dominated heavily
00:07 by Samsung.
00:09 And this is not a "me too" device.
00:10 The Pixel Fold stands out with the wide front display that's easy to use, the thinnest design
00:14 on a foldable, and of course, pixel-grade cameras.
00:18 I have to say that this is the first foldable phone I can actually picture myself using
00:21 on a daily basis.
00:22 Google has done a remarkable job nailing the software.
00:25 The split-screen multitasking is intuitive, and there's plenty of apps optimized for the
00:29 bigger 7.6-inch display.
00:32 There's a few trade-offs, not to mention that high $1,800 price.
00:36 However, Google hasn't just joined the party, it has crashed it in spectacular fashion.
00:50 The Pixel Fold puts Samsung on notice when it comes to making a foldable phone, and it
00:54 all starts with a 5.8-inch front display that just feels natural compared to the cramped
00:59 and narrow cover panel on the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
01:02 The wider aspect ratio makes it easier to type and just use apps.
01:06 Another big plus for the Pixel Fold is that this is the thinnest foldable when open, measuring
01:11 0.2 inches thick compared to 0.25 inches for the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
01:16 Make no mistake, this is a chunky phone.
01:19 With the large 7.6-inch display unfolded, the device feels comfortable to hold.
01:24 However, at 10 ounces, this handset is fairly hefty versus the 9.28 ounces for the Z Fold
01:29 4.
01:30 The biggest eyesore on the Pixel Fold is the relatively thick bezels around the internal
01:34 display, making this otherwise futuristic handset feel like a throwback.
01:39 But once you're immersed in content, you don't notice them that much.
01:42 There is definitely a crease here, which you'll notice more in direct sunlight and feel when
01:46 you're dragging your finger across the display.
01:49 I give Google credit for the Pixel Fold's fluid friction hinge.
01:53 It's super smooth in operation, and I didn't hear any creaking.
01:56 There's also no gap when closed, which will stop debris from getting in.
02:00 Google claims this is the most durable hinge available on a foldable, though time will
02:04 tell.
02:05 Unfolded, the phone is flat, but I wouldn't say perfectly so.
02:09 I'm not sure why I care about that, but it is a little annoying.
02:12 With a water-resistance rating of IPX8, the Pixel Fold can withstand being submerged in
02:16 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes, but it's not waterproof or dustproof.
02:21 The Pixel Fold is available in two colors, porcelain and obsidian.
02:24 I prefer the porcelain model, as it pops more, but the black model has a sleek, executive
02:28 vibe going for it.
02:31 The Pixel Fold's dual OLED displays are both good, offering plenty of color and wide viewing
02:35 angles along with smooth 120Hz refresh rates.
02:39 I enjoyed watching the Ahsoka trailer as she wielded her dual lightsabers.
02:43 You can pinch to zoom for a full screen effect on YouTube and on Netflix, but this cuts off
02:48 part of the scene.
02:49 In our tests, the Pixel Fold's displays weren't as colorful as the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but the
02:54 colors were more accurate.
02:56 Overall, I preferred framing photos with the external display on the Pixel Fold when outdoors
03:01 because it's brighter than the main screen, but the inner display is better for reviewing
03:05 your photos and videos and watching content.
03:09 The Pixel Fold makes multitasking a breeze with how Google has designed its software.
03:13 There's a dock you pull up with a quick swipe, and you can easily run apps side by side.
03:18 You just drag an app to either side of the screen, and you'll be in split-screen mode.
03:21 From there, you can easily swap sides if you want with a double tap, or resize the windows
03:25 by dragging the middle bar.
03:27 And when you long swipe from the bottom of the screen, your app pairs will still be there.
03:31 You can also drag content from one side of the display to the other, such as dropping
03:35 photos into outgoing messages or emails.
03:38 Part of me likes how Samsung makes the dock always visible if you want it that way.
03:42 The Galaxy Fold also lets you run up to three apps at once, but overall, the Pixel Fold's
03:46 approach is clean and intuitive.
03:49 The Pixel Fold offers multiple usage modes that come in handy.
03:52 10 mode is great for watching videos hands-free while you're doing other stuff.
03:56 And Tabletop mode lets you position the phone like a laptop with some apps displaying your
03:59 content at the top and controls at the bottom.
04:03 Tabletop Camera mode is awesome, making it easy to capture photos and videos hands-free
04:07 without a tripod.
04:08 I did this while taking a time-lapse video and found it very useful.
04:12 Tabletop mode also comes in handy when you're on a video call.
04:14 I can chat with my colleague Kate on the top window while browsing through email and checking
04:18 Slack in the bottom window.
04:20 Now that's multitasking.
04:23 Google has also optimized a ton of its own apps for the Pixel Fold's big screen, and
04:27 there's some great third-party apps too.
04:29 Gmail is especially nice on this device, as I like being able to see my inbox on the left
04:33 and the content of my messages on the right.
04:36 I also appreciate that TikTok lets you see the videos and comments at once side-by-side.
04:41 Spotify has some nice dual-pane action too, but other apps just feel like stretched-out
04:45 phone apps, like Slack.
04:49 The Pixel Fold stays true to the Pixel brand by offering great photo quality, and it starts
04:53 with a trio of rear cameras consisting of a 48-megapixel main sensor, a 10.8-megapixel
04:58 ultra-wide shooter, and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom.
05:04 Up front there's a 9.5-megapixel camera, and the inside houses an 8-megapixel lens.
05:09 If you're looking to add an artistic blur to your shots, try the long exposure feature,
05:13 which adds a sense of movement to this small waterfall, adding a bit of drama.
05:18 Another neat feature, borrowed from the Galaxy Fold, is rear camera selfie mode, which enables
05:23 you to use the rear lenses and take super sharp pics.
05:26 And once you've activated the timer and settings, you can take selfies just by holding your
05:30 hand in front of the camera.
05:31 Overall, the Pixel Fold delivers excellent image quality and flexibility.
05:37 Side-by-side with some of the best camera phones, the Pixel Fold certainly holds its
05:41 own.
05:42 In this shot, I actually prefer the Pixel Fold to the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra.
05:47 The spouting water in the fountain looks sharpest through the iPhone, but I prefer the exposure
05:50 through the Pixel Fold as you can make out more detail in the shadows and in the fountain
05:54 itself.
05:56 In portrait mode, all three phones did a fine job with the bokeh effect, but I give the
05:59 non to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
06:01 It's bright, detailed, and offers more contrast than the Pixel Fold.
06:04 However, the S23 Ultra's background is too blurry.
06:07 The Pixel Fold's detail in my shirt and even the reflection in my glasses is really impressive.
06:12 The Pixel Fold doesn't have a dedicated macro mode like competing flagships, but you can
06:16 take stellar-looking close-ups if you use portrait mode.
06:20 With this tool-up, you can make out the veins in the pedals and the stigma in the center,
06:23 but the look isn't as mesmerizing as the 3D-like effect of Samsung's macro shot.
06:28 Feeling hungry?
06:29 The Pixel Fold can take delicious-looking food shots, though in this case I give the
06:32 edge to the S23 Ultra.
06:34 You get both more detail in the tart and in the fruit.
06:37 And I slightly prefer the iPhone shot too which has a warmer tone and better sharpness
06:41 front to back in the berries.
06:43 To test out the optical zoom, I shot the top of the Empire State Building at 5x zoom, and
06:47 the Pixel Fold did a very good job capturing the striations in the stone of the spire and
06:52 detail in the building.
06:54 The Pixel Fold is a champ in low light.
06:56 It delivers a brighter image of the colorful lantern, the pool in the background, and the
07:01 light reflecting off the concrete below.
07:03 I shot plenty of video with the Pixel Fold, and it can capture colorful 10-bit HDR footage
07:08 with a max of 4K at 60 frames per second.
07:11 You can make out individual bubbles as I pan around this shot of a fountain.
07:16 Zooming in is more jarring than I'd like, but the statue itself is super sharp, as are
07:20 the surrounding birds.
07:22 The Pixel Fold packs the same Tensor G2 chip as the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, and that's
07:27 mostly a good thing.
07:28 Just don't expect the Fold to outperform the Galaxy Z Fold 4 or upcoming Z Fold 5, and
07:33 definitely not the latest iPhones.
07:35 Let's start with the good news.
07:36 The Pixel Fold is generally responsive and snappy, whether I was surfing the web and
07:40 flipping between multiple open tabs or racing around an asphalt nine.
07:44 The Call of Duty mobile experience was fairly fluid as well.
07:47 Even with multiple enemies on screen trying to mow me down, the action didn't slow down.
07:52 On Geekbench 6, the Pixel Fold turned in a single-core score of 1390 and a multi-core
07:56 score of 3291.
07:58 That's not far behind the Z Fold 4, but that's running a year-old Snapdragon 8Gen1 chip.
08:03 The Pixel Fold also trails competing flagships in graphics performance, as you'll see in
08:07 our 3DMark test results.
08:09 And when it comes to transcoding video, the Pixel Fold is slower than the Galaxy Z Fold
08:13 4 by 15 seconds and the iPhone 14 Pro Max by 30 seconds.
08:17 In everyday use, the Pixel Fold is a solid performer, but it's definitely not the fastest
08:21 phone around.
08:23 The Pixel Fold packs a 4821 mAh battery, which should last you through most of the day.
08:28 Between 7am and 10pm one day while I was testing, I got the battery down to 28% after taking
08:33 photos, surfing the web, and playing games.
08:36 That's a little more than I was expecting.
08:38 On our battery test, the Pixel Fold lasted 10 hours and 21 minutes in 60Hz display mode
08:43 when surfing the web over 5G.
08:45 That's pretty good considering that the Galaxy Fold averaged 917 with the same display settings.
08:51 The devices on our best phone battery life list last over 11 hours, but this foldable
08:55 has a much bigger screen to power.
08:58 The Pixel Fold supports 30W wire charging as well as Qi wireless charging.
09:04 The Google Pixel Fold goes on sale through wireless carriers June 27th, and you can also
09:08 order through Google and various retailers.
09:11 The price starts at a steep $1799 for 256GB of storage and $1919 for 512.
09:17 I would definitely keep an eye out for steep discounts and big sales before investing so
09:21 you don't pay full price.
09:23 So, is it worth it?
09:25 Yes, the Pixel Fold is an exorbitantly expensive smartphone, but there's also a lot of versatility
09:31 here.
09:32 In fact, the more I use this mini tablet and phone in one, I feel like I'm cheating the
09:35 system with everything the Pixel Fold can do.
09:37 I really like how easy it is to run two apps side by side, the elegant dock, and the multiple
09:42 usage modes like tabletop and tent.
09:44 The overall design feels durable and polished, despite the large bezels on the inside.
09:49 And the camera system works well, giving you plenty of creative freedom because of this
09:53 foldable's sheer flexibility.
09:55 I also give Google kudos for working to optimize lots of apps for the huge 7.6-inch panel while
10:00 making the cover display wide enough to make it usable.
10:04 So what about the Galaxy Fold 5?
10:06 There's some good reasons to wait for Samsung's next foldable, as it promises faster performance,
10:10 a lighter design, and should once again support S Pen input, but the exterior display is still
10:15 tipped to be narrow.
10:17 With the Google Pixel Fold, the performance could be better, but overall, this is a stellar
10:21 foldable phone that should make Samsung very nervous.
10:24 For my full written review, head to tomsguide.com and check out our socials on Instagram, Facebook,
10:30 and TikTok @tomsguide.
10:32 I'm Mark Spoonhauer, and I'll see you in the next video.
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