Foldables are getting extremely sophisticated and the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold – the upcoming novel flagship by Google – will be no exception.The
Pixel 10 Pro Fold will be the third foldable from the search engine giant and will be officially presented on August 20, Wednesday. There are
rumors that market availability will be postponed until early October, but until Google says so, we should take this with a grain of salt.Delayed or not, the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold (successor to the original
Pixel Fold from 2023 and the
Pixel 9 Pro Fold from 2024), is drawing lots of attention. That's only natural, given what Google has prepared for us:
- Tensor G5 chipset
- 8-inch Super Actua Flex inner display;
- 6.4-inch Actua outer screen;
- 16 GB RAM, up to 1 TB storage;
- 24+ hour battery life possibly with a ~5,000 mAh;
- Advanced triple rear camera (from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold) with 20x zoom capabilities.
Everybody is wondering what the Tensor G5 might be like in terms of performance and efficiency, but I want to guide your eyeballs to three distinct features of the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
A design that you know and trust
I don't see too many
Pixel 9 Pro Fold users upgrading to the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but if there is such a group of Google foldable aficionados, I have good news for them.
Next to its predecessor, the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold is something between carbon copy and a clone: yes, the new phone looks extremely similar to the last one.While that could turn off those who crave bold and loud designs, the decision to make the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold similar to its predecessor is actually positive news, if you've grown accustomed to the
Pixel 9 Pro Fold ergonomics and the way it sits in your palm(s).What's more, the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold is stylish and I personally find the Camera Bar on its back to be really cool – much more suited for the foldable form factor, compared to the regular slab phone shape.
Battery over 5,000 mAh
The
Pixel 10 Pro Fold will be no joke with its reported 5,015 mAh battery cell, up from the
Pixel 9 Pro Fold's 4,650 mAh, potentially extending its already solid battery life.The previous model lasted over 16 hours in web browsing tests and more than 9 hours in gaming, so the new version could reach 24+ hours of use. Charging speeds may still lag behind rivals at 23W wired and 15W wireless, but I'd take a larger and slower battery over a faster-charging one that's tiny.What is tiny, exactly? Personally, I'm not thrilled to use
Android phones with anything under 5,000 mAh. That's why my biggest complaint about the (otherwise really cool)
Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the fact that it packs a ~4,300 mAh battery.That's where the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold should excel: once we conduct our in-house tests, we'll publish our findings and we'll keep you posted.
A physical SIM tray
Recently, we
got to know that US units of the
Pixel 10,
Pixel 10 Pro and
Pixel 10 Pro XL might ditch the physical SIM tray. Per the latest rumor, it's only the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold that is expected to retain the physical SIM slot.The future has been here for a long time and eSIM cards are not some out of space mystery, but having a physical SIM tray just gives you an extra level of security.A physical SIM tray gives you the flexibility to quickly swap SIM cards without relying on carrier approval or internet access, which is so useful when traveling internationally. It allows you to use local SIMs for cheaper data and calls abroad (eSIM plans are not necessarily the cheapest option, as my own experience confirms), or to switch between work and personal numbers with ease.
Is the Pixel 10 Pro Fold the one for you?
If you have any of the following in excess:
- Money to spend
- Love, or at least curiosity, for foldables
- Affection for Google products
…well, the
Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the one for you. If you're after a solid foldable experience, I advise you to take a look at the
Galaxy Z Fold 7 (despite its smaller battery) and the Oppo Find N5 (a.k.a. "the king of foldables"). Choose wisely, but don't overthink it – these days, foldables are mighty cool.
