Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold review: Brilliant Android meets a winded hardware stack

In another time, it would have been logical to note that generationally, Google has perhaps done well to retain familiarity and continuity underlining upgrades between two generations of its foldable phone. But these aren’t ordinary times, and with Samsung really resetting the benchmark a few months prior with the Galaxy Z Fold7, any potential buyer will compare everything to the minutest of detail. Rightly so too, because this is top money for a form factor that’s supposed to represent cutting edge tech in this era of smartphones. Samsung demands you part with ₹1,74,999 for the super sleek Galaxy Z Fold7, while Google will have you total up ₹1,72,999 and hand it over before you get your hands on the new Pixel 10 Pro Fold. At these prices, everything will compared with a magnifying glass by potential buyers. I would too, if either was within my budget, and I had any intention of buying a phone.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold nicely encapsulates Google’s understanding of Android’s evolution. (Official photo)

At first glance, you may find it a bit difficult to differentiate between a Pixel 10 Pro Fold and a Pixel 9 Pro Fold as someone holds it. Right down to the camera island design. That is, unless you’re well versed that the colour ways now are Moonstone and Jade, instead of Obsidian and Porcelain earlier. None of this is to say the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is falling behind, because all things considered, it isn’t. Still a very likeable design, and some fairly useful changes must be highlighted. The cover display, at 6.4-inches now compared with 6.3-inch in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, is wider in terms of the aspect ratio which makes it much, much more useful and usable. That’s a correction Samsung too had to make with this generation’s foldable. There’s the step up in water and dust resistance, with IP68 now instead of just IPX8 in the predecessor. These tweaks, these improvements, mean something.

But it is no slimmer, lighter or differently designed than before, which is more noticeable with foldable now (the Galaxy Z Fold7 at 4.2mm unfolded and 8.9mm folded thickness; compared with the latest Pixel foldable at 5.2mm and 10.8mm). Is this the continuity of what seems to be Google’s approach, balancing hardware and software, hoping the latter makes up for any of the former’s shortcomings? For this price, any and all shortcomings do get magnified. Mind you, there’s also the shadow of an impressive Vivo X Fold5 that’s looming large. Aside from an unexplained continuity with the silicon, Vivo has done an excellent job with the hinge, overall slimness, software and multitasking, as well as battery stamina (the 6000mAh battery is the largest capacity amongst this foldable troika).

But that’s where a sobering note figures. Beyond the excitement of a shiny new chip, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s Google Tensor G5 chip is just not as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite that Samsung has customised for itself. Or even Apple’s newest A19 and A19 Pro silicon — though the foldable angle doesn’t quite figure yet. But as far as the state of the mobile chip landscape goes, the Tensor is some way behind in. A quick run of the Geekbench 6 synthetic benchmark tells us the Pixel 10 Pro Fold scores 2176 in the single-core test and 6171 in the multi-core test. In comparison, the more restrained A19 Pro chip in the Apple iPhone Air (factor in slimness, thermal headroom and heat dissipation) delivers 3457 and 8612 scores. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, further optimised for Samsung’s latest foldable returns scores of 2454 and 8467 in the core tests respectively.

I’ll be the first to admit that synthetic benchmarks should be the last thing to define your choice, and that’s an opinion to stick with. But for an illustration of how the gap is right now, it’s imperative to note that Google’s lead with the software side of things, does make up the perceived hardware deficit quite a bit. I’ve already touched upon the more useful 6.4-inch cover display, which is an OLED, does 120Hz refresh rates and has the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 layer. The foldable screen retains the same 8-inch screen size as well as resolution specs and the OLED basis as before, but has a higher rated brightness (the outer one does too). If you notice the slightly slimmer bezels, good for you. Google shifting to gearless hinge mechanism means the unfold and fold actions are accompanied by a much more refined movement, whereas in the long term, the company claims this will last longer. “Can handle over 10 years of folding”, they say. Unlikely though you’ll be using the foldable as your daily driver at that point in time in the future.

What does help tremendously with experience is Android’s ever maturing approach with how the software and apps are able to make use of the large, foldable screen real estate. Split screen is a cinch to get used to, and works beautifully on the foldable screen as well as the cover screen. As too is drag and drop between apps, in terms of utility and relevance. But there’s a world of utility Google has developed, which goes much beyond the typical multitasking we are adept to, and expect from, with foldable phones as they evolve. There’s something called Instant View which allows for a scenario where you open the Camera app, unfold the foldable, select Instant View from the interface and take a photo whilst also seeing the results in parallel.

If you’ve ever tried to get the attention of a toddler or a youngster (Gen A, correct?), you’d know its almost as impossible as trying to get the Nifty to deliver any tangible returns these past 12 months. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold can use the cover screen to keep them regaled with an animation (there are six different ones to choose from; toddlers aren’t very picky) while you use the phone in the unfolded mode to photograph them.

And not stopping there, Google’s building towards long-term relevance with certain functionality that is intuitive and brings together different containers within your phone. Take for instance Magic Cue, which can be relevant if you need to pull information from an email or a message in some other app, while on a phone call for instance. Or when in a Messages conversation with a friend. A quicker answer to “where are we meeting for dinner” or “what time do you land in San Francisco”, rather than manually digging up those details. In my experience, this may be a bit of a hit and miss, till it learns more about you. Relevance will also spike tremendously when third-party messaging apps such as WhatsApp and also third party weather apps come fully aboard.

Two things to keep in mind here — in India, you’ll need to set the phone to English (India) to get Magic Cue to work. Secondly, while Google says give it at least 24 hours before Magic Cue is ready to invoke, I’d suggest giving it 2-3 days depending on how much data there is spread across apps such as Gmail or Messages.

Voice translate for calls is a very useful addition to have, particularly for the typical global citizens. As would be Writing Tools in Gboard, which could proofread a message or even change writing styles, as well as smart edits.

Google bundles one year of AI Pro with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which unlocks a lot within the Gemini suite of capabilities (and there’s a lot in there, mind you). Access to the Gemini 2.5 model, Deep Research and a 1 million token context window, as well as some access to the Veo 3 Fast video generation model (as almost a rule in life, I’m not a big fan of AI videos). I’ve found Gemini Live to be a certain hit with the kids, and camera as well as screen sharing adds another dimension to those conversations (they tend to be as long as the phone calls to friends in our younger days).

Google didn’t share any Pixelsnap accessories with our Pixel 10 Pro Fold review device, but the ecosystem play is quite interesting to witness, albeit from the outside for now. I’m most interested in the Pixelsnap Charger, the Pixelsnap Charger with Stand, and the Pixel Flex Dual Port 67W USB-C fast charger — because these have relevance on the bedside table, the office desk and while travelling.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a perfectly capable foldable that quite nicely encapsulates Google’s understanding of what they need to do with Android to give it a leg up on what the competition is doing to derive full value from a foldable real estate. That being said, Samsung’s leap forward magnifies the fact that this Google foldable generation effectively sidesteps any hardware arms race its rivals are currently engaged in. Utilitarian improvements everywhere, including a wider cover display, step up to IP68, and genuinely thoughtful additions such as Magic Cue and Instant View indicate Google’s thinking beyond an obvious synthetic benchmarks battle.

But at ₹1,72,999, there’s no escaping the reality that Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold7 has set a new goalpost for performance and a razor sharp design language, while Vivo’s X Fold5 still makes a compelling case with its battery stamina and overall execution. It’s a reasonable wager if you’re already within Google’s ecosystem and value the company’s approach to long-term software relevance, you’d give less weightage to how the Tensor G5 stacks in outright performance. But potential buyers at this price point would likely assess whether that software advantage justifies conceding ground on hardware refinement, and therefore longevity. As well as bragging rights, at the Friday night get-together.