With Samsung, Honor and Oppo having all played their foldable hand for 2025, it’s now Google’s turn. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold might not be a size zero like its rivals, but it is the first foldable phone to get Qi2 magnetic wireless charging – and also the first with an IP68 rating, which bodes well for its long-term lifespan.
The $1799/£1749/€1929 book-style flagship is landing in Moonstone and Jade colours, but not until October 9. That’s almost two months after the rest of the Pixel 10 series – and four since the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 set new standards for slimness.
It’s not all that different from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold design-wise, with the same distinctive offset camera bump and same aluminium frame. Except now it surrounds a larger 6.4in OLED outer screen, with an 8in flexible panel inside. Both can crank out 3000 nits peak brightness, which is a healthy boost over last year’s effort.
The slightly narrower handset is still a smidge over 10mm thick when folded (not counting the rear cameras), making it a chunkier prospect than the Galaxy and imminent Honor Magic V5. At 258g it’s a fair bit heavier, too. Google’s focus has seemingly been on durability, with that all-important IP68 rating meaning trips to the beach shouldn’t spell disaster. The hinge is also rated for 10+ years of folding, and the whole thing should better survive accidental drops than before.
A brace of magnets inside the casing will account for some of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s heft. It’s great to see Google finally bring Qi2 magnetic wireless charging to foldables – and to Android in general – with support for the firm’s Pixelsnap accessories and cases. You aren’t getting the faster 25W standard found on the Pixel 10 Pro XL, though, and USB-C top-ups also max out at a modest 30W. Google reckons the phone is good for over 30 hours of use, or enough to get you from breakfast to bedtime without needing to plug in.
Power comes from the same Tensor G5 chipset as the rest of the Pixel 10 range, paired with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Google has tapped up TSMC to produce its silicon this year, and the 3nm architecture should deliver better power efficiency as well as brawnier performance. We’re promised a 34% faster CPU and 60% quicker TPU for churning through AI-related tasks.
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold will land running Android 16, which includes the latest Material 3 Expressive design tweaks like wallpapers with live effects, and a Gemini Magic Cue that pops relevant information onscreen when replying to messages or emails, or when making phone calls.
There are also some Fold-exclusive extras. Instant View shows your recently taken photos next to the viewfinder in the camera app when using the inner display, and Split Screen expands multiple apps beyond the screen boundaries for easier multitasking, a la OnePlus’ Open Canvas. You can also drag and drop images or text between apps now, and Google has tapped up big name game devs to optimise titles like Asphalt Legends for the bigger screen.
It’ll also come with the new Pixel Camera Coach, which uses AI to suggest better shot composition and alternative shooting angles when using the triple rear camera setup. There’s a 48MP wide-angle, 10.5MP ultrawide with macro focus, and a 10.8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. Google reckons it can also deliver 10x optical quality, and up to 20x super res zoom. A pair of 10MP punch-hole cameras handle selfie and video calling duties.
How it competes with the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s 200MP main snapper or Honor’s higher pixel count rear trio remain to be seen. We’ll have to wait until the October 9 release date to find out.
