Google’s Pixel Fold One Year Later: I Can’t Wait for the Sequel

I wasn’t sold on the foldable smartphone era until I tried the Pixel Fold. For one thing, we have a pretty limited selection of foldable phones to choose from in the US compared to China. And the cramped, too-narrow external display of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series never worked for my large hands. So Google immediately piqued my interest when it unveiled a squat, passport-shaped foldable phone.

I’ve been using Pixels for years, so I’m well-versed in Google’s strengths and weaknesses. The software is clean, you get some really useful Pixel-only features (the Recorder app is a godsend in my line of work), and the camera performance is unbeatable, at least for photography. But on the downside, performance never quite matches Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips, the devices tend to run a bit warm, and there are occasionally weird hardware quirks. (Did you know that every Pixel 8 and 8 Pro has little bumps under the display that only become visible in the right light? Now you do.)

When I first started using the Pixel Fold, I knew there would be additional compromises. Foldable phones are heavy. Their cameras aren’t as good as the best traditional phones. And after several years in this form factor, they’re often still incredibly expensive. Samsung and Motorola offer flip versions at lower price points, but that’s not the case if you’re a Pixel fan.

However, it took barely a moment for the Pixel Fold to overcome those collective drawbacks. It’s far from a perfect gadget, but this is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. I’ve grown to really like the first-generation Pixel Fold, but there are also some nagging frustrations that I hope to see addressed in the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

The first thing I learned is that when you have a proper phone on the outside, you won’t be opening the internal display as often as you might expect, at least once the honeymoon phase is over. The Fold’s external display is perfectly usable for most things I do with a smartphone. I usually open it when I want to watch YouTube, Netflix, or check the news with The New York Times app. Sure, I’ve had a few times where I’ve had to multitask with two apps at once, and Google has streamlined the workflow with software updates, but that’s not a common scenario. I’m still mostly using the big canvas to focus on one thing at a time, albeit with much greater immersion.

Since day one, my main complaint with the Pixel Fold has been the display brightness, or lack thereof. Just a few months after its release last year, the $1,700 device has been overshadowed by the significantly more affordable Pixel 8 series and Google’s new Actua/Super Actua displays. They’re extremely bright and no problem to use outdoors. With the Fold, I consistently set the brightness slider above 80 percent, which doesn’t do battery life any favors. It can be difficult to see this phone when the sun is shining, and the highly reflective internal screen only makes matters worse.

If there’s one weakness I’m relatively confident Google will address second time around, it’s this lack of pop. All indications are that the company will bring its latest (and brightest) display tech to its second-generation foldable.

The other key improvement I’m hoping to see is a lighter build. The Pixel Fold is a really heavy phone—even for me, a 6’10” guy with big hands—and it can get tiring to hold over time.

I wasn’t expecting miracles from the Pixel Fold’s battery life. Should you expect that from any foldable? Plus, Google’s Tensor chips have never been known for their efficiency. But even in the days when the big display was barely used, the Fold… Well. It wasn’t always a given that there would be much charge left when I got home after a long day, but the phone mostly did. Like other Pixels, the Fold can sometimes charge at a snail’s pace when actively using it while plugged in. Overall, it’s beaten by the more conventional Pixel 8 Pro in terms of stamina, but that’s to be expected when you’re pitting two screens against one.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is rumored to be going in the direction of the OnePlus Open, with a taller design. Essentially, you’ll get a regular phone on the outside. That means the aspect ratio of the internal display will also change, which is a good thing since I found many apps had black bars on either side when I held the Fold open. This is Android, so you can’t really count on developers to quickly adopt a single device. Google eventually added an option to force apps to go full-screen in software, but the 9 Pro Fold’s new size should theoretically mean more apps will do so by default.

Lots of apps Do plays nicely with the Fold. Editing photos from my mirrorless camera in Adobe Lightroom has been a great experience right out of the box, although the device does get a little warm while I do it. If I’m not traveling with my iPad, this is the next best thing for doing some on-the-go editing.

I’ve used two Fold review units over the past year, and neither has broken or had catastrophic screen issues. But not everyone has been so lucky, and getting a foldable repaired or replaced under warranty can be an ordeal. The glossy camera bar inevitably shows wear and tear, and scratches on the soft interior display are inevitable. But they’re also easy to forget when the screen is on, as is the fold.

The speakers on this $1,700 phone are decidedly average. They’re blown away by Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra, and Google’s Pixel 8 Pro. Give me something with a little more oomph, Google. Please!

The Pixel Fold’s camera(s) do the job. They’re reliable, as Allison wrote in her review. But they’re also nothing special. Google’s computational photography wizardry can help improve your shots, but you’re dealing with a sensor that’s smaller than your average flagship phone, and the software can’t fully compensate for that.

Google is set to announce the Pixel 9 Pro Fold (and more) at its August 13 event. The first Pixel Fold did well enough to make me believe in foldables. Now the company just needs to prove it can take that potential and versatility to the next level—and hopefully screen brightness, too.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge