Do not try this at home: Durability test completely obliterates Google's Pixel Fold (video)
Seeing as how Google arrived several years late to the foldable party, it was certainly bold of the search giant to attach a "most durable hinge" claim to the first-gen Pixel Fold. It was also fairly easy to predict that Zack Nelson of "JerryRigEverything" YouTube fame would take issue with that bombastic marketing label and try his best to disprove it in a grueling new video.
Surprisingly, it definitely looks like Big G's rookie Galaxy Z Fold-rivaling effort has a strong enough hinge to survive the day-to-day pressures of "normal" use... and then some, but unfortunately, the rest of the phone is an entirely different story.
Long story short, the Pixel Fold is unnervingly easy to bend... and absolutely destroy, which may not come as a shock after early reports of damage from both reviewers and regular owners. Before you even think it, no, this is not normal behavior by foldable standards, as proven by every single such device ever released by Samsung.
Yes, even the OG Galaxy Fold managed to escape the JerryRigEverything bend test largely unscathed once its manufacturers fixed the initial screen issues, which is unlikely to be the case with the Pixel Fold.
That's because this is not technically an experimental product released at the forefront of a groundbreaking new technology and also because there seem to be far too many structural problems for Google to take care of in a short amount of time.
That's not to say the Pixel Fold is completely doomed or compromised right off the bat, especially if you understand its vulnerabilities very well and treat it accordingly. The phone is impressively immune to dust (even if Google is not advertising that in any way), and its side-mounted fingerprint scanner cannot be broken by scratches... no matter how hard you might try.
The cover screen and rear panel also handle scratches very gracefully thanks to their impenetrable Gorilla Glass Victus armor, but alas, the primary foldable display comes with a cheap plastic surface that can be easily damaged by keys, coins, and fingernails.
Weirdly enough, said main screen doesn't interact well with fire either, which may not sound like an issue... until your Pixel Fold randomly turns off due to extreme summer heat. That could definitely happen, mind you, but more worryingly, the product can bend and stop working altogether pretty easily if you're not incredibly careful how you use it. And that, ladies and gents, sounds like a big problem for an $1,800 smartphone.
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