More than a full month after it was announced, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is finally here, and I have it in my hands. It’s still as elegant as when I first saw it, with its reduced front bezel and larger display, and more specifically with its eye-catching Jade color. I’ve always loved green, so seeing the color come to a premium phone, even under this pastel shade, is a bit of a dream come true.
At first glance, though, it’s tough to differentiate between this phone and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. With a similar design, size, and features, it’s as if the Pixel 10 Pro Fold doesn’t have a reason to exist other than for Google to claim it has a brand new foldable for 2025. What you can’t see are the two major upgrades under the surface, and in my opinion, even though they don’t justify upgrading from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to the 10 Pro Fold, they do mark a new era for foldable hardware.
Don’t want to miss the best from Android Authority? Set us as a favorite source in Google Discover to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more.
to never miss our latest exclusive reports, expert analysis, and much more. You can also set us as a preferred source in Google Search by clicking the button below.
High dust resistance with an IP68 rating
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Even though Google emphasized the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s new gearless hinge, I didn’t notice much difference when I first saw the phone. It’s only when I put it next to last year’s foldable that I saw a thinner and flatter protrusion. And when you open it up, you can clearly see that there’s no air gap between the hinge mechanism and the thin folding display on top. It’s all one piece.
It’s because of this change that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold can claim an IP68 dust and water resistance, similar to candybar Pixel phones that have significantly fewer moving parts. The most crucial aspect of that rating is the dust resistance at 6, the highest possible protection against solid particles. To achieve this rating, any phone has to be placed under negative pressure in a sealed dust chamber filled with fine particles (like talcum powder), for several hours (usually between two and eight), and it can only pass the test and get the IP6X rating if it demonstrates that it’s completely dust-tight. No dust has to be found inside the phone’s enclosure after all of this.
Open hinge on Pixel 9 Pro Fold Fully hermetic hinge on Pixel 10 Pro Fold
I didn’t think foldables could survive this test and reach this level of protection this soon. Every other model still has a gap somewhere. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with its open hinge, has no dust resistance whatsoever. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 only has an IP48 rating (lower dust ingress), which is only protected against particles larger than 1mm, like large ants — that’s what Wikipedia says. The closest any other foldable gets is IP58 (mostly dust protected, but some dust will enter the enclosure during the test) for the HONOR Magic V5 and vivo X Fold 5. No other foldable on the market has reached the IP6X dust ingress rating.
... continue reading