(Credit: Eric Zeman)
NEW YORK—At today’s Made by Google event, the tech giant unveiled a slate of new devices, including the Pixel Earbuds 2a, the Pixel Watch 4, and the latest Pixel 10 smartphones—headlined by the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Unlike last year’s major redesign of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google has taken a more iterative approach this time. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold may look almost identical to its predecessor, but it brings a series of meaningful upgrades: a larger battery, a faster Tensor G5 chip, enhanced camera sensors, refined displays, and, notably, deeper integration with Google’s powerful Gemini AI tools.
I had a chance to get my hands on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold ahead of the event. Here’s everything you need to know, including my first impressions of Google’s newest flagship foldable.
Design: Mostly the Same
I have to admit, after spending time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, one of the thinnest and lightest book-style folding phones yet, playing with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold was a bit of a letdown at first.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The 10 Pro Fold is a sizable chunk of hardware with an "aerospace-grade, high-strength aluminum" frame and a new multi-alloy, gearless steel hinge covered by the same aluminum alloy. The outer display and rear panel are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is one of the toughest available. Google says the phone is more resistant to scratches and breaking than last year's model.
Perhaps the biggest design upgrade is the IP rating, which jumps from IPX8 to IP68. Google says the 10 Pro Fold is one of the first folding phones to reach IP68, which means it resists most dust and can handle a 30-minute dunk in up to about five feet of water. The Z Fold 7 is IP48, which leaves it exposed to dust particles smaller than 1mm.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)When folded, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold measures 6.1 by 3.0 by 0.4 inches (HWD), and when opened, it measures 6.1 by 5.9 by 0.2 inches. The phone weighs 9.1 ounces, which is heavier than most modern flagships, including the Z Fold 7, which weighs 7.6 ounces. That 1.5-ounce difference can really add up when a device spends hours in your pocket during the day.
Google has tweaked both displays a little bit. Slimmer bezels around the outer screen allow it to grow from 6.3 inches to 6.4 inches with a 20:9 aspect ratio. It has 2,364 by 1,080 pixels for a density of 408 pixels per inch and a variable refresh rate from 60Hz to 120Hz. It supports HDR content and has 24-bit color for up to 16 million hues. HDR content shines with up to 2,000 nits, and Google raised the peak brightness by 11% to 3,000 nits. The inner Super Actua display stays the same size as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold at 8 inches and has the same resolution of 2,152 by 2,076 pixels at a density of 373ppi. It has a variable refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz and is slightly brighter with HDR brightness of 1,800 nits and peak brightness of 3,000 nits. Google says new dual layers of anti-impact films protect it better from scratches.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Beyond these minor upgrades, the rest of the design is basically identical to the 9 Fold Pro. The phone has a power button on the right edge that doubles as a fingerprint reader. The volume toggle is below it. I would prefer these buttons to be reversed, but they perform well. The bottom edge holds a couple of microphones, the USB-C port, and the speaker grille. Google moved the SIM tray from the bottom edge to the top edge, where there is another microphone and another speaker grille. The phone also supports eSIM, but there's no memory card slot or 3.5mm headphone jack.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Last year's colors were Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (white); this year's colors are Moonstone (gray) and Jade (light green).
Although the lack of major changes to the design may be somewhat disappointing, there's no denying that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a well-made device. The new hinge feels great, the metal and glass parts are top quality, and the refreshed screens are definitely bright.
Under the Hood: A New Tensor and Pixelsnap
We expect spec bumps each year, and we sure get them in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The device ships with the Google-designed, TSMC-made Tensor G5, which relies on the latter's 3nm process. The Tensor G4 was a variant of a Samsung-made Exynos processor.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The G5 has a new architecture, including revised CPU cores and an all-new ISP and DSP. Google claims the chip is 34% faster and more efficient than the G4 and can perform far more AI calculations on-device thanks to the revised TPU. Google specifically mentioned that the chip's GPU should be much better than older Tensors, which fall well short of competing chips at pushing polygons.
The chip supports the latest LPDDR5x RAM memory and UFS 4.0 storage modules. All versions of the phone will have 16GB of RAM, the same as the 9 Pro Fold, and will be available with 256GB ($1,799), 512GB, or 1TB of storage. Google hasn't disclosed pricing for the 512GB and 1TB models yet. The 1TB option is new for this year.
Perhaps the most interesting spec bump is the battery. Though Google didn't go into detail explaining how, the company found more room inside the chassis for a larger 5,015mAh battery (up from 4,650mAh). Moreover, it charges faster. It supports up to 30W wired charging with a compatible charging brick and 15W Qi2 wireless charging.
And then there's Pixelsnap. Like the rest of the Pixel 10 lineup, the 10 Pro Fold supports Google's new Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging tech (think MagSafe, but for Android). Further, it rolled out a host of Pixelsnap accessories, including magnetic cases, charging pucks, and charging stands. The 10 Pro Fold is compatible with all of them and can now power up much faster: plugging in for 30 minutes nets a 50% charge. Google says battery life should be improved from 24 hours to 30 hours.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Last, but not least, the radios. The 10 Pro Fold supports sub-6GHz, C-band, and mmWave 5G, which means it supports the fastest networks available from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. It packs Wi-Fi 7, the latest Bluetooth 6 spec, dual-band GPS, NFC, and Ultra-Wideband. In the US, Pixel 10 Fold owners will be able to access the new generation of satellite-based emergency SOS services.
Cameras: Generation AI
A trio of cameras live in the raised sensor module on the phone's rear panel. The main camera has a 48MP sensor with quad pixel binning, an aperture of f/1.7, and an 82-degree field of view (FoV). The ultra-wide camera has a 10.5MP camera at f/2.2, and a 127-degree FoV. The telephoto camera has a 10.8MP sensor at f/3.1 and a 23-degree FoV. The latter has 5x optical zoom and 20x Super Res Zoom. All the cameras have multi-zone LDAF, and the main and telephoto cameras pack optical and electronic image stabilization. The selfie cameras appear to be carried over from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Both have 10MP sensors at f/2.2 with an 87-degree FoV.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)The Pixel 10 Pro Fold includes all the fun and useful AI-based camera features we've seen on Pixels past. That includes Add Me, Face Unblur, Top Shot, Auto Best Take, and Night Sight. Thanks to the phone's folding form factor, you also get tabletop mode for hands-free shots, a new Dual Screen Preview that shows you the shot you just took on the screen while you're still framing the next shot, and hands-free astrophotography.
The biggest addition is Camera Coach. This new tool quite literally walks you through the steps of framing and taking a photo. You start by taking a basic photo of something. It then analyzes the photo, creates a step-by-step guide on how to take a better version of that photo, and then assists you as you reframe the shot. The demo I saw was pretty compelling, and the feature may actually help teach a few folks how to take better photos.
The Super Zoom tool is worth a quick discussion. Google is using lots of AI calculations to improve your 20x zoomed shots. It showed us an example of a close-up it took of the Empire State Building from 2.8 miles away from the One World Trade Center building. You could see the observation platform, including people, as well as the upper tower and antenna. It was all quite sharp. Google says it will automatically label photos that use AI calculations to generate the final result.
When it comes to editing your photos, you have Pixel Studio, Auto Frame (centers your shots), Resize and Move, and, of course, Magic Eraser. One of the newer tools, Edit with Ask Photos, does things with voice prompts. For example, you can ask the phone to highlight and erase annoying objects in the background of your photos.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)As for video, the phone can capture footage in 1080p or 4K resolution at 24, 30, or 60 frames per second. The front cameras drop 24fps capture, but otherwise support the same recording specs.
The biggest quality upgrade year over year is support for automatic, always-on 10-bit HDR video capture. This means that unless you turn this feature off, your videos will have deeper, richer color with more contrast (though the file sizes will be bigger). Video Boost is available, as well as Audio Magic Eraser (which lets you erase unwanted background noise), Macro Focus, Cinematic Pan, Slow-Motion (up to 240fps), Night Sight, and lots of stabilization modes.
Software: Android 16 and Gemini
As expected, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is among the first wave of phones to ship with Android 16 installed out of the box. More importantly, the Pixel 10 series will be the first to include the latest version of Google's Material Design, which we haven't seen outside of beta form yet. The phone will get seven years of OS and security updates.
In terms of new AI features, Magic Cue is one of the more interesting. Magic Cue seems to be a more fully baked mash-up of Google's business-calling service and the old Google Now. Let's say you have a flight scheduled with United. If you call United, Magic Cue will surface a card with all your flight details, pulled from your email and calendar. This way, you can see the details without having to switch apps, change screens, or write them down in a separate note. Magic Cue doesn't stop there. If your friend texts you and asks what the address is of the restaurant where you have dinner reservations, Magic Cue will find the address in your conversation or calendar and surface it so you can see it without asking.
(Credit: Eric. Zeman)The other is a new live, in-call language translation tool that takes things to the next level. Only a handful of languages are supported at first, and you have to choose the language before you make the call, but once you do, you can hold a full conversation with someone in another language. There's a delay, of course, as the app translates (and transcribes on screen) the conversation, but it still works relatively quickly. What's more, when the phone speaks the other language, it mimics your voice in a way that's eerily impressive.
Of course, the Fold's large inner screen supports running multiple apps side by side, with up to three at a time. Google says it worked to improve the experience of dragging and dropping images, links, text, and videos from one app to another.
Outlook: Hoping a Little Goes a Long Way
The design may look mostly unchanged, but there's plenty new inside the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Is it enough to stand out from the Galaxy Z Fold 7? The Pixel doesn't go on sale until early October, so there is a good bit of time before I can officially test it and find out. I hope to get my hands on it again as soon as possible, so make sure to check back for a full review.