Pixel 10 Pro Fold: Foldable is as waterproof and dustproof as a smartphone

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The Pixel 10 Pro Fold complements Google's new Pixel 10 series, which the manufacturer presented at the Google event on Wednesday evening. Visually, the new foldable model differs little from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – It is more evolution.

Much is familiar

From the outside, the new foldable model looks almost exactly the same as its predecessor: Google has transferred both the rear camera element and the rest of the shape of the model launched in 2024 to the new generation. In contrast to the Pro 9 Fold, which has a 6.3-inch external display, Google has enlarged it to 6.4 inches on the new model without noticeably changing the dimensions. The inner display still has a diagonal of eight inches.

Otherwise, the displays differ only minimally from their predecessor: the outdoor and indoor screens are slightly brighter than their predecessors with a peak of 3000 cd/m² and 2000 cd/m² (outdoor) and 1800 peak brightness (indoor) (HDR). The differences should hardly be noticeable.

The refresh rates are identical: The LTPO indoor display supports dynamic adjustment from 1 to 120 Hertz, while the outdoor display can vary between 60 and 120 Hz.

Apparently with cameras from the predecessor

The square camera element on the back of the 10 Pro Fold houses a wide-angle camera with a 48 MP sensor –, apparently the same one that was installed in the first Pixel Fold. Google also relies on an ultra wide-angle and a telephoto zoom with 10.6 and 10.8 MP respectively. According to Google, the telephoto camera supports a five-fold optical zoom like its predecessor, while digital magnification is possible up to 20x. The Fold also supports macro focus. This makes the Pro Foldable's camera sound more like that of the Pixel 10 than a Pro model.

There is also a selfie camera with 10.5 MP under each of the screens. Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro models have 42 MP selfie cameras. There may not be enough space in the foldable for larger sensors.

What's new? Qi2 and IP68

Even if some of the features sound familiar, Google has improved its new Foldable in many areas: it is one of the first foldable smartphones that is protected against dust and water to IP68 like a classic smartphone. Only Oppo's Find N5 can surpass this with IP68/69 protection. Other models, such as Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 with IP48 protection, have a high level of protection against the ingress of water, but not against dust. Google seems to have made its 10 Pro Fold more waterproof than its competitors' models.

Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which is installed on the front and back, is also intended to improve durability. The inner display is also said to be designed for folding operations for more than 10 years. However, it remains unclear whether it is as robust or more robust in everyday use than the foldable screens of competitors.

Google has also increased the battery of its new foldable: Instead of the 4650 mAh of its predecessor, the battery of the 10 Pro Fold is now 5015 mAh. The manufacturer claims a battery life of over 24 hours with normal use. The device can be charged wired with 30 W and wirelessly with 15 watts. Like the other new Pixel models, the foldable supports the Qi2 standard and the new "Pixelsnap" accessory so that it can be magnetically attached in the car or at home for charging.

Google is also relying on the new Tensor G5 chip produced by TCMS as the processor for the 10 Pro Fold, which is manufactured using the 3 nm process. The manufacturer reveals little about the Tensor G5, stating only that the TPU for AI tasks is 60 percent more powerful than its predecessor. The chip is supported by 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB and up to 1 TB of zoned UFS memory.

Google is not taking part in the competition for the thinnest foldable with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold: while Samsung's and Honor's models are only 4.2 mm thick when unfolded, Google's model measures 5.2 mm. Specifically, it measures 155.2 × 76.3 × 10.8 mm when folded and 155.2 × 150.4 × 5.2 mm when unfolded, with a weight of 258 g. The manufacturer does not reveal how thick the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is at the point of the "camera bump". It is also lighter than Samsung's model, which only weighs 215 g. Google's foldable could be a little lighter.

Android 16 and long updates

On the software side, the Foldable is based on Android 16, which is equipped with the AI chatbot Gemini as standard. As with the previous models, Google guarantees seven years of updates, security patches and feature drops, meaning that the Foldable will receive software support until 2032.

According to the manufacturer, the Foldable also comes with one year of "Google One AI Premium". This offer includes Gemini Advanced, Gemini in Gmail and Docs as well as 2 TByte of cloud storage. Thereafter, the subscription costs 22 euros per month.

Delivery from October

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold will be available in the colors "Moonstone" (light grey) and "Jade" (light green with gold accents). The 256 GB model will cost 1,899 euros. Google charges 2,029 euros for the 512 GByte version and 2,289 euros for the version with one TByte.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is now available for pre-order, but will not be delivered until October 9. Rumors to this effect were already circulating in advance. The delayed availability also applies to the Pixel Watch 4 and the Pixel Buds 2a.

(afl)