GoKawiilJoe Maring / Android Authority
I distinctly remember being ecstatic when the original Pixel Fold launched. After years of living with a category dominated by Samsung, a company whose products I don’t particularly enjoy, it felt like Google was finally taking the foldable category seriously. As a tech enthusiast, I speak for all of us when I say we hoped Google’s clean software vision and great camera processing would bring fresh life to a market dominated by Samsung.
Fast forward to today, and the entire landscape has completely changed. Foldables are no longer a rare luxury or a tech experiment; they are a mature, highly competitive product segment where everyone is fighting for dominance, and there’s no shortage of options. Even more if you’re not in North America.
The problem is that while everyone else is running full steam ahead, not only to perfect the form factor but also to improve it, Google seems content to just exist and has barely moved beyond its initial vision. In 2026, a clean Pixel interface on a folding screen is no longer a selling point; it’s table stakes, and hardware does matter.
With the latest leaks about the upcoming Pixel 11 Pro Fold making it abundantly clear that what’s coming is just more of the same, it really bears asking: What is the actual point of a foldable Pixel phone anymore, and why should we even care?
Are Google's foldables still competitive? 170 votes Yes, software still wins 14 % No, the hardware doesn't keep up 53 % I'll wait for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to decide 25 % I'm waiting for Apple's foldable 8 %
The competition is moving too fast
Joe Maring / Android Authority Laptop mode
The Pixel Fold would be average at best if the market were sitting still, but unfortunately for Google, it isn’t. Look at what Motorola has done with the recent Razr lineup. If a brand that was struggling to make a mark just a few years ago can clean up its game and launch a phone like the Razr Fold, you’ve got to seriously think if Google is even trying to compete.
The Razr Fold not only looks great but also packs excellent displays, two days of battery life, which is something that Pixel phones can only dream of, very good cameras, and seven years of Android updates. It is everything I expect from a Pixel phone, except not by Pixel.
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