Can the Pixel Fold take on the Galaxy Z Fold 4? What Google has to do in order to beat Samsung at its own game

Naturally, this begs the question - can Google beat Samsung at its own game? In the following paragraphs, I will put forward what I think the Pixel Fold needs to do in order to give Samsung’s foldables a run for their money.

For reference, this is only one man’s opinion and should be taken as such. Lastly, I would like to stipulate that regardless of whether the Pixel foldable reaps commercial success, the mere fact that it introduces greater competition in the Western part of the market is a good thing for foldables in general.

Addressing the major hardware flaws of foldable technology

One of the biggest things that the Pixel Fold needs to do in order to set itself apart from the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold is addressing a number of persistent hardware flaws that have consistently plagued both lineups from the very beginning.

Doing away with the crease

This might be an unpopular opinion, but, quite frankly, I am sick of the notorious crease on Samsung’s foldables. Admittedly, it has become somewhat less prominent as the generations have gone by, but it still tends to stick out as a sore thumb. To add insult to injury, many Chinese manufacturers have found ways to minimize the crease on their respective foldables.

After playing around with the Oppo Find N, I can confidently say that its crease is noticeably less visible than the one on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. Given Samsung’s commercial dominance over the foldable market, it simply makes no sense why it still does so little to address this eye-glaring shortcoming of its devices.

In my view, if Oppo and Huawei can find a way, so can Samsung. Furthermore, the main reason it has not is most likely the fact that most of the world’s population cannot get their hands on creaseless foldables. Luckily, Google can change this by giving Western consumers more options and in turn pushing Samsung to once again innovate. Speaking of which…

Making the smartphone fold flat

Another obvious flaw when it comes to the two mainstream foldable lineups from Samsung is the gap that forms when they are folded. Not only is it some sloppy design, but also a potential durability hazard.

After all, the foldable screen is made from plastic and even if the latter is more rigid, it would still be greatly damaged if, say, some grains of sand make their way into the gap. In a sense, it is more integral to address the gap than the crease, which looks like a minor inconvenience in comparison.

Once again, many Chinese manufacturers have already found ways to eliminate the gap. If Google does the same, its foldable will not only be more visually appealing, but also markedly less prone to accidental harm.

Ensuring the Pixel Fold does not feel like a rock in your pocket

Everybody knows that foldables struggle in the durability department. But they might be perhaps the only smartphones in 2022 that are fragile and bulky at the same time. Weight is a major concern, especially for notepad-style foldables (i.e. the ones with the Galaxy Fold’s form factor), and much less so than for clamshell-style ones (i.e. the ones with the Galaxy Flip’s design).

By the looks of it, the Pixel Fold will conform to the former design. Inherently, this means that it will be a chunky device. If it ends up being gapless, it will have a sleeker silhouette, but Google needs to make sure people will not feel like they are carrying a brick in their pockets.

Many Chinese manufacturers are working towards that goal. Reportedly, the Oppo Find N2 will weigh less than an iPhone 14 Pro Max. If Google could optimize the weight of the Pixel Fold, that will be another major selling point.

Making full use of the foldable form factor

Nevertheless, hardware is only one side of the equation. What will ultimately make or break the Pixel Fold is how well the device makes use of its foldable form factor. The latter will essentially come down to two main points - software optimization and aspect ratios.

Taking Android to the next level