Product test
Google Pixel 9a: boringly good
by Michelle Brändle
Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold review: the most versatile member of the family
9-10-2025
Translation: Eva Francis
Google’s latest foldable looks just like its predecessor, but it comes with much-needed software upgrades. This new phone is great for gaming and features a new hinge that makes it dust proof.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s new jade colour, combined with its gold hinge and camera bump, make the device a real beauty. But as we all know, looks aren’t everything. Ultimately, I want it to serve me as a reliable e-reader, Gameboy and camera.
Elegant design and bright display
I borrowed the jade Pixel 10 Pro Fold from Google for testing purposes, and it’s incredibly beautiful. But the second available colour, moonstone, is also pretty. It’s a subtle and elegant blue-grey.
When opened, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold boasts an eight-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2,076 × 2,152 pixels (373 PPI) and a refresh rate of 1-120 hertz. This produces a sharp image, good contrast and deep blacks. The only new feature compared to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the peak brightness, which has been increased from 2,600 to 3,000.
When closed, the display is 0.1 inches larger than previously, thanks to the reduced distance to the hinge. It’s now 6.4 inches in size and has a resolution of 1,080 × 2,364 pixels (408 PPI). The peak brightness is also 3,000 nits. However, the refresh rate doesn’t reach 1 hertz like on the inside of the phone, but ranges between 60 and 120 hertz. Yet, that’s perfectly fine too.
Its big innovation is the hinge. The new hinge has allowed Google to get the phone IP68-certifiied, i.e. protected against water (1.5 metres deep in fresh water for 30 minutes) and dust. In fact, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first dust-resistant foldable. The new hinge is also easier to open while being stable at any angle. And it doesn’t wobble as much as the 9 Pro Fold did. Overall, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s display and hinge make it ideal for watching videos.
More powerful hardware and wireless charging with Qi2
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s equipped with 16 gigabytes of RAM. That’s quite a lot – and useful for all the AI functions. The foldable’s also available with at least 256 gigabytes and up to one terabyte of internal memory. On top of that, the device features 5G, Wi-Fi 7 and the new Bluetooth V6. I can also use two SIM cards at the same time – a Nano SIM and an eSIM.
Same cameras, better overview and functions
Google’s installed the same cameras in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold as in its predecessor. Its specs have always been not quite as good as in the regular Pixel 9 Pro. The new foldable does, however, offer some new software functions that also apply to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
- Wide angle: 48 MP, F/1.7, 1/2"
- Ultra wide angle: 10.5 MP, F/2.2, 1/3.4"
- Telephoto camera: 10.8 MP, F/3.1, 1/3.2", 5x optical zoom
- Front and inside camera: 10 MP, F/2.2
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s lenses produce beautiful images that aren’t overly sharpened or overly bright. I like that very much. The photos look just as good as if they’d been taken with the regular Pixel 10 Pro. Even the ultra-wide-angle camera, which has more megapixels (48) on the regular Pixel 10 Pro, is similarly good on both.
The large display gives me a good overview of the result. Google’s also improved the camera app. What’s new? I can take a photo with my phone open and see a preview of the result on the left. Google calls this feature Instant View. It allows me to compare photos I’ve taken while I continue taking more. Samsung’s foldables have been offering this for a while. It’s a handy feature for sure.
Google’s come up with an idea to help you get happy pictures of your kids. With the Made You Look feature, you can play a colourful animation on the front screen while you’ve got the photo app open. This is supposed to make kids smile for the camera. I find photos of my nieces pulling funny faces much more amusing, but if you’re struggling to get your kids to look into the camera, you might want to give this feature a go.
Handy software additions
Google’s equipped the Pixel 10 Pro Fold with Android 16 and its own user interface. I also get at least seven years of software and security updates. That’s good news. Together with Google’s claim that the new hinge will last up to ten years, this should make for a long-lasting companion.
In terms of hardware, I was already very happy with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. However, I did have some complaints about the software: many apps weren’t optimised for the large screen, resulting in black bars on the left and right. This reduced the usefulness of the form factor in everyday use. Google’s now improved many apps and added two great features. Again, all this is also available for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Thanks to the new split screen, multitasking has become more versatile. I can move the border between two apps back and forth as I wish. However, every app reloads when I do this.
My favourite feature is Drag & Drop. Moving an image or file from one app to another is a breeze. I simply drag the desired file from one app directly into the target app. This also means I can forward an image via WhatsApp or attach a file to an e-mail in no time.
Check out the two new features here:
Google has also improved the gaming experience. Previously, games weren’t optimised for the big screen, which was so much lost potential. Now, I can enjoy the amazing graphics of Genshin Impact across the entire 8-inch inner display. Asphalt also feels great to play and reminds me of the good old Nintendo DS days: the race at the top, the controls at the bottom and the race track as a map. The only thing missing is the directional pad.
In a nutshell
Improvements in the right places
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a successful upgrade. The new hinge means it’s dust poof and can be stood up without wobbling. Google’s also improved the hardware, but only slightly: a better chip, a brighter display and a more powerful battery. The new cable-free charging is also handy.
The cameras haven’t been improved, but they’ve always been very good. Google’s put a lot of effort into the software, giving us more benefits from the form factor. However, all of this is also available on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. If you already own the predecessor, upgrading for this reason alone makes little sense.
I find the Foldable more convenient to use than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. It also takes nicer photos. The Samsung model, however, is slightly lighter, more powerful and cheaper. The Honor Magic V5 is even slimmer and lighter. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold, on the other hand, feels quite heavy.
All foldables cost more than regular smartphones. The cheapest options are the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold and the Honor Magic V5 cost almost 300 francs or euros more.
Pro
- A mini tablet when unfolded
- Handy software functions for multitasking
- Waterproof and dustproof
- Wireless charging
Contra
- Expensive
- Heavy
Header image: Michelle Brändle
In my world, Super Mario chases Stormtroopers with a unicorn and Harley Quinn mixes cocktails for Eddie and Peter at the beach bar. Wherever I can live out my creativity, my fingers tingle. Or maybe it's because nothing flows through my veins but chocolate, glitter and coffee.
