Google Pixel Fold: release date, price, features, and news
Want to learn more about the Google Pixel Fold? You're in the right place!
Google has officially unveiled its first folding phone on May 10th at the Google I/O conference, and in this article, we go over all the Pixel Fold highlights.
The Pixel Fold opens like a book, so it follows the style of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4, but while the Galaxy is a taller and narrower device, the Google foldable is wider and less tall. The Pixel Fold also closes tight, with no gap between the two halves and it is noticeably thinner than its Samsung rival. You also get a larger battery and the first 5X zoom periscope camera on a foldable.
And just in case you are wondering, Google so far has no plans for a clamshell "Flip"-style foldable.
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Google Pixel Fold release date
The Pixel Fold was officially announced at the Google I/O developer conference on May 10th and it will go on sale in late June.
There is quite the gap between the announcement and the actual launch, with the launch expected to happen roughly a month and a half after the unveiling.
The Pixel Fold is available in two colors - Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (white).
Google Pixel Fold prices
It costs a pretty penny
Here are the exact Pixel Fold prices:
- 12/256GB — $1,799
- 12/512GB — $1,919
These are the prices in the United States, and you might notice that the Pixel Fold has the same starting price as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Samsung phone, however, is currently offered at steep discounts, so it's a better value.
The Pixel Fold is also available in the UK at a starting price of £1,749, and in Europe it sells for €1,899. These are as high as phone prices go these days, so those who were hoping for Google to release a cheaper phone than Samsung are in for a disappointment.
Good news is that Google is throwing in a free Pixel Watch with a purchase of the Pixel Fold, so at least that's something.
Google foldable phone name
Before the official launch, names like "Google Passport", "Google Logbook" and "Pixel Notepad" were suggested for the first Google foldable, but we are glad that the company settled on the plain and simple "Google Pixel Fold".
If you are curious about the history of leaks, it was November 2022 when tipster Jon Prosser said that the name of this phone will be "Google Pixel Fold," and "Project Passport" was merely an internal codename at Google.
Google Pixel Fold design and display
"Really f*king heavy"
The Pixel Fold design is all about having a wider outer screen and overall different aspect ratio than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The Google foldable is also impressively thin and closes tightly together with no gap between the two halves, another improvement from the Galaxy. However, the phone also weighs a whopping 10 ounces, more than the already quite bulky Galaxy.
One improvement Google is proud of is a new and super durable hinge, which is great to see, and we also have IPX8 water protection rating.
The design overall follows the "Pixel look" with that signature camera visor on the back.
The Pixel Fold uses a side-mounted fingerprint sensor embedded in the power key, which is now quite large to accommodate for that sensor. Most foldable phones use a similar fingerprint scanner, in fact, only the recent Vivo X Fold 2 features an in-screen fingerprint scanner on a foldable phone, so no surprise here.
Pixel Fold Screens
The Google Pixel Fold features a 7.6-inch main display, so it's a quite big foldable phone, but what stands out is the wider aspect ratio compared to the Galaxy Fold 4 which is taller rather than wider. This actually makes a lot more sense to us and allows for more room for split-screen apps. In terms of form factor, the Pixel Fold actually reminds us more of the Microsoft Surface Duo rather than the Galaxy.
The outer screen on the Pixel Fold measures 5.8 inches and it's also wider, which makes typing and overall use much easier than on the Samsung foldable.
This improvement in form factor is not to be underestimated: we don't think we have arrived at the perfect foldable phone form factor yet, but the Pixel Fold definitely feels like a step in the right direction.
On the list of cons, we have to mention the big bezel all around the main screen looks a bit strange. It seems that Google has moved some of the hinge components around the phone which is how it ultimately ended with having this larger bezel, but quite honestly you would probably stop noticing it after a short while anyway, so we don't think it's the end of the world.
Google Pixel Fold Cameras
Triple rear camera with a powerful 5X zoom periscope lens
The Pixel Fold features that stand-out visor camera design that makes Pixel phones easily recognizable in a crowd. However, this time, it's not a whole metal strip that stretches across the whole back, but rather a camera island.
You've got the main, the ultra-wide and for the first time on a foldable, a 5X periscope style zoom lens. Quite the impressive camera specs! There are also two front-facing cameras, one on the outside screen and another one on the main display, but Google recommends you use the rear cameras for higher quality selfies.
The company is well known for its excellent camera processing and we have that stellar Pixel look photo and video quality here.
Here are the detailed camera specs:
- 48MP main camera, 24mm f/1.7
- 10.8MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2
- 10.8MP 5X zoom telephoto, f/3.05
- 9.5MP front camera (outer screen), f/2.2
- 8MP front camera (main screen), f/2.0
Note that this is similar to the Pixel 7 Pro, but not exactly the same.
Google Pixel Fold Features and Software
The Pixel Fold runs on Android 13.
It supports split screen multitasking and you can resize the apps easily, and it all seems to be working quite smoothly, so no complaints on that front.
The company promises its standard three years of major OS updates and five years of security updates for the Pixel Fold.
Google Pixel Fold Battery and Charging
The Pixel Fold arrives with a massive 4,821mAh battery, which is a size nearly 10% larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. That's great news!
Google battery life estimates say the phone will 24 hours on average, and that extends to 72 hours on a single charge when you use the power saver mode.
However, one area where the Pixel Fold fails to stir excitement is the charging.
The Pixel Fold only supports 21W wired charging, which is just not very fast at all.
You also have wireless charging on board at speeds of 7.5W, again very, very slow.
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