Google Pixel Fold: Price, specs, features, availability, all you need to know

The Pixel Fold is Google’s first and only folding handset on the market right now. We’ve been hearing rumors and seeing leaks about the Pixel Fold 2, but it’s unclear when Google plans to launch the new device.

Meanwhile, the Pixel Fold competes for your attention in a very crowded foldable phone market, of which Samsung is currently king. Is it worth your attention and money? Here’s everything you need to know about the Google Pixel Fold

Google Pixel Fold: Release date, price, and availability

• Pixel Fold (256GB storage): $1,799/£1,749/€1,899
• Pixel Fold (512GB storage): $1,919

Google officially unveiled the Pixel Fold at Google I/O on March 10, 2023. It comes in two colors — Obsidian and Porcelain. You can also choose between three official Pixel Fold cases in Hazel, Porcelain, and Bay colors (pictured above).

Google is charging a similar price to rival the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The 256GB variant of the Pixel Fold will cost you a whopping $1,799. The 512GB version is even more expensive at $1,919, which rightly seems costly for Google’s first attempt at a foldable phone.

Google hopes you buy the foldable Pixel for its thin form factor, true pocket size, loaded camera features, all-day battery, multi-tasking skills, and long-lasting software support. However, you can decide if that price is justified after reading our review of the Pixel Fold.

As for availability, Google did not cast a very wide net for the Pixel Fold. The handset is only available in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan.

There’s also a trade-in program for those who want to switch their current handset for the foldable. Google accepts products from Apple, LG, Motorola, OnePlus, and Samsung, and the trade-in’s value differs between the various models. Notably, you can also trade in Google Pixels. Visit Google’s trade-in portal for the full list of products and offers.

Google Pixel Fold features

As Google’s first foldable, the Pixel Fold aims to provide a different experience compared to the numbered Pixel flagships like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 series. For starters, the company has optimized over 50 Google apps for the larger screen. Some of these apps will be Pixel-first and won’t be available on foldables from other brands.

Google has also worked with some major apps like Spotify, Disney Plus, TikTok, eBay, Canva, and more to optimize them for the inner folding display. Streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, and even Peloton support the Pixel Fold’s Tabletop mode (pictured above) for hands-free viewing.

Besides app optimizations, which Google says is a continuous effort, the Pixel Fold also has some cool multitasking tricks up its sleeve. You can drag and drop images, videos, links, and more between apps on the two sides of the display. A split screen view also lets you open two apps side-by-side.

Perhaps one of the most interesting features of the Pixel Fold is the Live Translate Interpreter Mode. It allows users to simultaneously utilize the inner and outer screens for easier face-to-face conversations in different languages. This feature might not be available at launch, though. Google says support will roll out in the fall. Also, it won’t be available in all languages and countries.

As for software updates, Google promises its standard three years of Android updates and five years of security patches for the phone. It’s still not as good as the seven-year update guarantee Google offers for its other phones, but it’s still one of the best update pledges in the industry.

Displays and design

Unlike some tall foldable designs currently on the market, Google wanted the Pixel Fold will easily fit into your hands. The company chose a wider outer display that measures 5.8 inches and comes clad in Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for protection. When folded, the phone has a 3.1-inch width. Add on an official case, and it becomes 3.2 inches. In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s outer screen is 2.64 inches wide, so you’re getting wider real estate on the Pixel Fold on the outside. According to Google, existing foldable phones in the market don’t have a very usable front display. Hence, it went with a wider screen. Based on our experience, this was a good decision by Google. The Pixel Fold is far more accommodating to use folded than the Galaxy Z Fold, thanks to this wider display.

In terms of thickness, the Pixel Fold measures just over 12mm deep without the camera bump when folded compared to the 14.2mm measurement of the Galaxy Z Fold 4.

The inner display of the Pixel Fold measures 7.6 inches and is protected by ultra-thin glass (UTG), just like the Galaxy foldables. You get a 120Hz refresh rate both inside and outside.

The 180-degree Fluid Friction hinge that takes the phone from its folded to unfolded state and opens at any angle is made of stainless steel. Google calls it the “most durable hinge of any foldable phone.” This claim is based on the company’s own durability testing, which included 200,000 folds and tumble drop tests of one meter. Despite the testing, Google clarified that the Pixel Fold is not drop-proof.

Like the current crop of foldables, the Pixel Fold is not exempt from the display crease curse. During our time with the phone, we did note a noticeable crease down the middle of the main display. It’s actually more pronounced than its competition from Samsung and especially OPPO. Granted, there are bound to be a few Google Pixel Fold issues as this is the company’s first foray into the folding space.

The good news is that the Pixel Fold is one of the few foldable phones on the market with an official IP rating. It’s IPX8 rated just like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which means it can be submerged in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. The back of the phone is also covered in Gorilla Glass Victus, and the frame of the phone is made of aluminum.

Camera

The Pixel Fold has five cameras in total. Three are on the rear, one on the outer display, and one on the inner folding screen. The main camera array leads with a 48MP wide shooter. That means you can expect pixel-binned shots of 12MP from it. Then comes a 10.8MP ultrawide lens with a 121-degree field of view. Another 10.8MP telephoto camera completes the primary setup. It can take 5x optically zoomed shots and also supports Google’s 20x Super Res Zoom.

Up front, you get a 9.5MP wide-angle lens, and the folding screen features an 8MP shooter for when you want your video calls on the big screen.

The photography story of the Pixel Fold doesn’t end here. Almost every Pixel camera feature you’ve heard of is present on the foldable handset and then some. Here’s a full list:

Performance

Google has stuck to the tried-and-tested Tensor G2 chip for the Pixel Fold and is the muscle behind the aforementioned camera system. That means you can expect the same impressive AI-backed processing that you saw on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. The Pixel Fold also receives 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM alongside options for 256GB and 512GB internal storage.

In our review of the phone, we noted that the Pixel Fold performs much like a Pixel 7 Pro with a bit of extra real estate to throw around. It results in almost identical benchmarking performance. The Pixel Fold matches its 7 Pro almost down to the digit in Geekbench 6, PC Mark’s Work 3.0, and a single run of 3DMark’s Wild Life test but sits well behind its Qualcomm-powered competition found on phones like the GAlaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Fold 5.

Battery and charging

The entire package is powered by a 4,821mAh battery, which Google claims will easily last you over 24 hours. The company has opted for a dual battery architecture inside the Pixel Fold. However, the Tensor G2 tends to run hot, which has a bad effect on the battery life. Over a full day, you’ll probably find yourself dipping into the Battery Saver option often. When the battery goes down to empty, the phone takes about 90 minutes to get back up to speed.

Google claims you can stretch the battery life to 72 hours, provided you use your Pixel Fold in the Extreme Battery Saver mode. But that’s not been our experience with the phone, and we doubt many folks would like to do that since the mode turns off many features, pauses most apps, and slows down processing for even more time between charges.

For charging, the Pixel Fold supports 21W wired speeds. However, you’ll have to purchase Google’s 30W power adapter ($25 at Google Store) separately. The phone also supports wireless charging at up to 7.5W and will work with any Qi wireless charger.

Google Pixel Fold specs

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