During last week’s star-studded Made by Google event, we saw our first glimpse of its latest Pixel phones in all their AI-laden glory, but my eyes were affixed firmly on the latest foldable from the tech giant; the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
From its well-integrated AI features to the glossy, well-polished user interface (UI), Pixel phones offer a lot of what I like about Apple‘s iPhones, and with the latest wave of updates and upgrades, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the closest thing we’ll see to a foldable iPhone from Apple until Cupertino’s crew actually go ahead and release one.
We discussed the latest Pixel phones in the most recent TechRadar podcast, featuring our very own foldable fanatic Hamish Hector as well as Jacob Krol, Axel Metz and friend of the show, Richard Priday, deputy phones editor on Tom’s Guide. Check out the full episode for all of our first impressions and hands-on testing.
While the Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn’t quite a fully-fledged competitor to Samsung’s latest foldable, the ultra-thin, ultra-grade Galaxy Z Fold 7, a lot of that comes down to performance and hardware specs.
Personally, I’m mostly interested in a phone’s user experience and software features, and that’s where Google’s phones tend to shine. Plus, some of the quality-of-life additions made to the latest Pixel series, especially PixelSnap, really show Google’s focus on parity with the biggest and best phones in the market.
However, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about design at all; one particular gripe I have is with that cover screen.
The payoff of the curved corners is wonderful when the phone is unfolded, yes, and I absolutely prefer a softer edge to the boxy, rectangular look some of Samsung‘s alternatives offer. Still, there’s just something particularly grating to me about the squared bed beneath the curved cover screen.
I get it; it’s difficult to create a consistent design language, especially one that involves curves. When you’re dealing with a burgeoning form factor, I’m sure that’s doubly true. Still, why could they not think of a better way to handle the rectangular bed required for the unfolded screen?
It’s a small gripe, but when you’re talking about phones with price tags in the thousands, it’s these niggling issues that might put off a consumer. If Google is aiming to position itself as the Apple of Android, attention to detail has to extend beyond UI; certainly, that’s the case if you want me to jump ship.