More durable than I expected

The Pixel Fold was Google’s first phone with a flexible display when it launched last year. And at its upcoming Made By Google event, we’re about to get a successor in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. So there’s no better time to check in on how Google’s original bendy handset has survived being my daily driver for an entire year.

The Pixel Fold doesn’t look like any other foldable on the market. It has a curvy polished aluminum frame with squatty dimensions that results in something shaped more like a passport than a traditional handset or Samsung’s long and skinny batons. When you open it up, you’ll find relatively chunky bezels and a big main display that sits in landscape orientation instead of portrait like practically all of its rivals. Around back, there’s an absolutely massive camera bar. But as I found out after talking to the phone’s designers, the opportunity to shape Google’s first foldable gave the team a blank slate to try new approaches. And I think the phone is much better off for it.

That’s because even though its widescreen setup sometimes causes issues with apps and websites that expect portrait mode, it made sitting down with a movie much faster and more enjoyable. Meanwhile, its thick frame left enough room for Google to build a selfie camera into the phone’s bezel rather than taking up room on its main display. And even though its rear camera module is definitely bulky, it allowed Google to equip the Fold with sensors that are basically as good as those on a standard flagship Pixel (including a 5x optical zoom). That’s something Samsung still hasn’t managed to do for the Z Fold line, which continues to take a backseat in photo quality compared to an equivalent Galaxy S Ultra.

Granted, Samsung’s version still boasts a few features the Pixel Fold doesn’t get such as native stylus support and Dex mode, which offers a superior layout for multitasking. Plus, thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips, it delivers slightly faster overall performance. However, I think Google largely makes up for that with better software including apps like the Pixel Recorder, Call Screener and Live Translate.

All in all, despite being Google’s first foray into the category, the Pixel Fold is a very compelling device with a unique design, class-leading cameras and great displays — that’s pretty much everything you want in a big fancy flexible phone. That said, one thing I couldn’t properly evaluate in my original review was the phone’s long-term durability. To close the loop, here’s how it’s faring one year later.

Before we get in too deep, I should note that I’m pretty tough on devices. The Pixel Fold I’ve been using has been naked since the day I got it, simply because I don’t like cases. After all, companies like Google spend millions coming up with exquisite designs, so it seems like a shame to throw a cheap smock over everything. I also live with a toddler who doesn’t care about nice things, so he doesn’t think twice about batting the phone around when it’s in his way. But even so, the Pixel Fold has held up surprisingly well.

On its frame, there are a ton of scuffs and scratches all over along with some dents from being dropped. There are also a few scapes on its matte Gorilla Glass Victus back, but all of this is purely cosmetic. If you’re the type of person who gets jazzed up about wear and patinas on vintage furniture, you might even say the Pixel Fold is aging rather gracefully considering how much abuse it’s absorbed. Most importantly though, none of this damage has impacted the phone’s functionality.

That said, there is a small crack in the phone’s exterior display. But I want to be clear, that one is 100 percent my fault. While trying to potty train my toddler, I would often sit on a low stool near him in a bathroom with hard tile flooring. And often, because of how I was seated, the phone would slip out of my pocket. This happened countless times and I should have simply put the phone on a nearby changing table. But I didn’t, and about a month ago, it fell and hit the corner of its display, causing a small cobweb of fractures. Still, even with that blemish, the screen’s functionality is unaffected.

Naturally, I tried to get the exterior display repaired. Unfortunately, a representative at my local uBreakiFix (which is a Google-authorized repair center) told me that they didn’t have the required parts or the proper jig for a panel replacement. I was then told to contact one of the company’s main locations in Kearny, NJ, which did have the necessary materials and gave me a rough estimate (over the phone) of about four hours and $220 for the repair. Then, just to be sure, I took the Pixel Fold into Google’s flagship retail store in NYC for a second opinion, which resulted in a slightly cheaper ballpark quote of $180. Both prices are in the same range as what it would cost to replace a display on a traditional candybar-style handset, which is nice considering the added complexity of the Pixel Fold’s design. As for its main display, probably due in large part to the fact that it’s protected by the rest of the phone when closed, it’s remained pristine.

I’ve also dropped this thing in the sand, which scared the crap out of me since its IPX8 rating technically only specifies its level of water resistance (up to 5 feet for 30 minutes). Things got even more concerning when I tried to open it and was greeted by the distinctive sound of particles grinding somewhere inside. But after wiping it off and blowing in the hinge like it was an old NES cartridge, everything went back to normal. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that even after a year, there’s not a single hint of bubbling from the Fold’s factory-installed screen protector, which is something I’ve experienced on every one of Samsung’s Z Fold phones I’ve owned. And based on the searches I’ve done online, aside from a small handful of odd cases, I haven’t seen many complaints from other Pixel Fold users either.

In a lot of ways, the Pixel Fold’s impressive durability is yet another sign that Google has been carefully watching the evolution of rivals like the Z Fold and studying it to see what aspects can be improved. Despite being the company’s first go at a phone with a flexible screen, the Pixel Fold definitely doesn’t suffer from a lot of the issues you typically get on first-gen devices. The one thing I might do differently in the future is to perhaps use a sleeve instead of a case to make the device a bit less slippery when it’s in my pocket.

My one gripe with the Pixel Fold’s design is that it never fully opens all the way. Granted, this is an incredibly minor complaint, but it looks awkward when the phone stops at 179 degrees, just short of being totally flat. During my initial review, I thought the phone’s hinge might relax over time, but it’s just as stiff as ever, which in all other situations is a good thing.

Regardless, for a type of device that many think needs to be treated with kid gloves, the Pixel Fold has proven that it’s a lot tougher than I thought. And while it seems Google has some significant design changes in store for the next model, I’m quite satisfied with what I’ve experienced thus far.