Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
We’re seven to eight years into the foldable experiment now, and it’s pretty clear that the product category is here to stay. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 was one of the biggest success stories of 2025, and companies aren’t letting up with Samsung and HUAWEI already chasing down the tri-fold market. But it still feels like foldables are partly experimental, or at least a bit of a niche category. They’re very expensive, they’re still relatively fragile, and they’re not the most practical phone to use day-to-day.
If you’re curious about them but you’re not willing to commit, I stumbled on the best way for you to experiment with foldables without breaking the bank. How? A new Pixel Fold costs $560 now on Amazon, or $420 renewed, and it’s the best deal in mobile tech these days. I say this with certainty because I have one and I’ve been using it for a week to see how it holds up and how it compares to newer foldables.
Would you pay $560 for a new Pixel Fold? 15 votes Oh, I already have one. 7 % Yes, and I'd make it my daily phone! 33 % Yes, as a secondary phone / to test foldables. 20 % No, must be cheaper for me to experiment. 27 % No, I already have a better foldable. 7 % No, I'm not interested in foldables. 7 %
A fun foldable experiment with many perks
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
The original Pixel Fold is still a bit of a unicorn in the foldable market with its short and wide, passport-like dimensions. Holding it today, in 2026, it feels both nostalgic and avant-garde, especially considering rumors that Apple might be going for a similar short and wide design for its foldable later this year. To me, the Pixel Fold is still as fun and pocketable as the first time I held it. I really enjoyed the versatility of switching between the book mode, desktop mode, tent mode, and closed mode. You don’t really understand the usefuless of this shape-shifting form-factor until you actually get your hands on it.
It’s also experimental in a way that the newer and more serious Pixel 9 and 10 Pro Folds aren’t. I spent a whole weekend with it in my jeans’ front pocket and almost forgot I was carrying it, as opposed to the movement-impeding not-so-pocketable nature of taller foldables that always stick out of jeans and stab me when I bend or sit.
Given the wider display, single-handed use is tough with my hand and fingers; I have to balance the Fold a little dangerously to reach the top corners. But those with larger hands or taller fingers might be able to do it more easily. Typing, though, is as comfortable as it is on my larger Pixel 10 Pro XL, even if the keyboard hides more of the app beneath it on the Fold.
Google has been issuing frequent updates to this phone, which runs the same Android 16 QPR2 as my Pixel 10 Pro XL. With the fun and playful Material 3 Expressive, customizable Quick Settings, a brand new Settings page, and updated Google apps, the Pixel Fold feels like a brand new phone. It’s so different from when it first launched. There are now settings to force each app into the aspect ratio I prefer — from default to forcing them to go full-screen on the inner display — as well as app pairs to quickly launch two apps side by side for better productivity.
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