// 9TO5GOOGLE — MOBILE & WEB
I really want to love the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, but it’s not off to the best start
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is debuting into an increasingly tough market because, really, everything is good now. My first week with Google’s latest foldable has been one that started off hopeful, but is slowly turning a bit sour.
As mentioned in another piece, I feel that the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is the fourth-best foldable you can buy today, with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and the Motorola Razr Fold taking the upper three spots, at least in a conversation mainly about the US market. Google was always going to face an uphill battle here, but a week of use has not improved its position.
So far, I just feel that the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is a couple of generations behind the competition, and lacking any clear standout wins compared to the devices mentioned above.
But there are a couple of factors really holding me back here.
First, there’s the hardware itself. Google is objectively two years behind the competition in regards to overall fit and finish. While I’m perfectly fine with the thickness of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, it’s hard to ignore how much better Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series phones feel in your hand. Even the wider Fold 8 at 9.7mm – less than .5mm thinner than the Pixel – just feels much better in the hand. Google’s slightly blocky design isn’t just doing it any favors. The Motorola Razr Fold also feels better despite being the same 10.1mm thickness.
The differing thicknesses of the two halves is also just a little weird. I’m not too perturbed by the little ridge you get as a result, but this is just so unusual in the foldable world, at least to this degree.
I could also throw in moderate complaints around the cameras and the display crease, but neither of those really bother me personally.
The biggest complaint so far has been battery life, and it might be a serious problem.
Pixel 11 Pro Fold battery life thus far has been, in a word, bad. The 4,700~ mAh battery just doesn’t hold a candle to any other modern foldable. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 isn’t too far ahead, but the efficiency of its Snapdragon chip combined with the smaller displays goes a long way in making that phone actually last a day, whereas Google’s device does not. And that’s not an exaggeration. Without getting into the weeds of screen-on time – this is not a review – I’ve had multiple days where I’ve had to plug this phone in at 7pm because it was running into battery saver mode. I’m hoping that this improves as the phone learns my usage habits, but it is not off to a good start. On the bright side, “Extreme Charging Mode” lives up to its name, and does provide some speedy charging compared to past generations, but it certainly doesn’t make up the difference that a good battery would bring.
The only good news? The battery life seems to be getting better by the day.