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When I tested the Pixel 9 Pro Fold two years ago, I applauded Google for going back to the drawing board and building out a true successor to the flawed Pixel Fold. When I tested the Pixel 10 Pro Fold a year later, I wondered if the company was starting to settle, putting more effort into AI features than the actual design. After a week of testing the newest Pixel 11 Pro Fold, I'm ready to move on.
Also: Pixel 11 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: I'm a fan of both foldables, but this one wins
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold isn't a bad phone per se; it's arguably the safest foldable phone you can buy today, with an IP68-rated enclosure that shields the device from everyday splashes, dust intrusions, and debris. It also helps that the outer screen is made with a new glass-ceramic material that the company tells me is more than twice as scratch-resistant as its predecessors.
There are a few other upgrades under the hood, but considering Google has bumped up the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's price by $100, bringing the foldable to $1,899 for the 256GB configuration, you'll really have to love what else is new to justify spending that much money this time around. Here's the breakdown.
A very familiar design
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
If you showed the average consumer the last three generations of Pixel Pro Fold models, they would struggle to tell you exactly what has changed with the design. That's good news if you're a fan of Google's more traditional, rectangular form factor, with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio that makes wielding the handset feel like using a standard slab.
Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: The compact foldable I've wanted all along
Google has trimmed the bezels just enough this year to let the outer 6.5-inch display blend more seamlessly into the sides of the device, while also making material choices that ultimately bring the Pixel 11 Pro Fold down to 239 grams (versus 258 grams on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold). That doesn't put the Pixel in Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 territory (201 grams), but it's a good change regardless.
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