Execs
- Slimmer bezels on cowl display screen
- Extra performance on inner show
- IP68 score
- Longer battery life
- No worth hike
- Largely sensible AI options
Cons
- Related design to the Pixel 9 Professional Fold
- Cameras are a step down from the opposite Pixel 10 Professional telephones
- Multitasking nonetheless restricted to 2 apps
As extra telephones get slimmer and sleeker, Google’s Pixel 10 Professional Fold takes a special method.
Sure, this 12 months’s book-style foldable shares a hanging resemblance to its not-so-thin predecessor, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold. However this newest iteration emphasizes sturdiness and battery life, with out climbing the already-high $1,799 worth. And whereas cellular AI options can nonetheless come off as gimmicky, many of the ones you will discover on the ten Professional Fold are useful, particularly in relation to leveling up the digital camera.
Watch this: Pixel 10 Professional Fold Assessment: Google Picks Sturdiness and Battery Over Sleekness
I’ve largely loved utilizing the Pixel 10 Professional Fold over the previous week, although the foldable cellphone finds itself in an fascinating place. It has “Professional” within the title with out the identical top-level digital camera specs you will discover on the opposite Pixel 10 Professional telephones. And with out the eye-catching slim design of its opponents just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Honor Magic V5, it may be simple to miss. However as soon as I peered past the refined jade floor, I discovered the Pixel 10 Professional Fold has some key options that assist it stand out.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold hits retailer cabinets on Oct. 9, properly over a month after the remainder of the Pixel 10 lineup grew to become obtainable. You possibly can try our critiques of the baseline Pixel 10 and the Pixel 10 Professional and Professional XL.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold is 5.2mm thick when open and 10.8mm thick when closed.
Sturdiness takes heart stage
I am going to admit that when I’ve the Pixel 10 Professional Fold and 9 Professional Fold sitting subsequent to one another, it takes a second to determine which is which. The ten Professional Fold borrows closely from final 12 months’s design, all the way down to the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cowl and matte again glass. However whereas the 9 Professional Fold is available in plain previous black-and-white hues (or obsidian and porcelain, if you wish to be technical), the Pixel 10 Professional Fold arrives in a soothing jade shade that balances subtlety with slightly extra character. There’s additionally a silver-grey moonstone choice if you would like one thing extra conventional.
Google hasn’t slimmed down the Fold; the truth is, this 12 months’s mannequin is barely thicker, going from 5.1mm when open to five.2mm, not that you’re going to discover such a minimal distinction. The ten Professional Fold can also be 1 gram heavier, clocking in at 258 grams. However even after utilizing thinner foldables just like the Oppo Discover N5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Pixel 10 Professional Fold would not really feel obtrusively cumbersome. Sure, it is clearly heftier than its slimmer opponents, however its thickness and weight nonetheless really feel comparatively proportional to its dimension.
One of many Pixel 10 Professional Fold’s standout options is its IP68 score for mud and water resistance. Which means the cellphone is totally protected in opposition to mud and could be submerged in as much as 1.5 meters of water for half-hour. (The 9 Professional Fold wasn’t even rated for defense in opposition to granular solids.) It is best to subsequently be capable of take the Pixel 10 Professional Fold to the seashore and never fear about sand getting inside and ruining your expensive new machine. And whereas an IP68 score is normal for many premium telephones, it is a rarity on the planet of foldables. Hopefully, different cellphone makers (ahem, Samsung) will take be aware.
A brand new gearless hinge can also be designed to be extra sturdy, Google says. The cellphone opens and closes easily, with out catching at any level. When the Fold is shut, the outward aspect of the hinge would not protrude as a lot because it does on the Pixel 9 Professional Fold, giving the cellphone a extra refined total look.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold has an 8-inch inner show, identical to the 9 Professional Fold.
Twin show upgrades
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold has a 6.4-inch cowl display screen, in comparison with the 6.3-inch display screen on the 9 Professional Fold, because of slimmer bezels. When closed, it appears like holding an ordinary cellphone (aside from the thickness), so I discover myself utilizing the duvet display screen fairly repeatedly for texting, jotting down notes and scrolling by social media.
The interior show is 8 inches, and I are likely to go for that after I’m watching movies or multitasking. I am going to have YouTube open on one aspect of the show whereas I scroll by images or ship an e-mail on the opposite. An replace to Cut up Display screen offers you extra vary when adjusting how a lot area an app takes on the display screen, so you can also make one app tiny on the aspect and have one other dominate the display screen. However in contrast to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, you possibly can solely have two apps open concurrently, as a substitute of three. That is disappointing.
A characteristic referred to as Drag & Drop makes it simpler to share images and information throughout apps. In Cut up Display screen mode, I can maintain down on a picture in Images and drag it over to Messages or Gmail to rapidly connect and ship it. It is a good instance of Google benefiting from the Fold’s distinctive design, and it feels extra like a mini pc — extra of that, please!
Each the duvet and inside screens have as much as a 120Hz refresh fee with a 3,000-nit peak brightness, which is very useful when such a big show open air. The crease on the internal display screen is certainly seen however, like different foldables, it is not noticeable when you’re watching one thing or scrolling.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold has a 48-megapixel wide-angle, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide and 10.8-megapixel telephoto digital camera.
Cameras get an AI help
On paper, the Pixel 10 Professional Fold’s digital camera specs are an identical to these on the 9 Professional Fold. There is a 48-megapixel wide-angle, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide and 10.8-megapixel telephoto digital camera, together with 10-megapixel selfie cameras on the internal and canopy screens.
There are some software program and AI enhancements that assist to degree up images, from Tremendous Res Zoom for sharpening punched-in photos to Digital camera Coach, which guides you to taking a greater shot. However first, let me present you a few of my favourite images I took on the Pixel 10 Professional Fold.
The perfect picture is a portrait mode picture, for those who ask me. I just like the readability of the crystal glass and deep pink of the roses, although there is a slight lack of sharpness within the petals.
Dainty particulars are captured properly within the delicate overtone of this picture.
The colours of Religion’s prime and the luxurious environment actually pop on this portrait picture.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold properly dealt with this darkish room with multicolored lighting. This is among the sharpest photos I took.
Night time Sight helps colours pop a bit extra and sharpens the topic in low-light settings.
There is a 10-megapixel selfie digital camera on each the duvet and internal show. I snapped this picture utilizing the duvet display screen digital camera, and it offers a flattering smoothing impact.
One of many extra spectacular options is Tremendous Res Zoom, which helps you to punch in digitally as much as 20x after which makes use of AI to sharpen the ultimate picture. It does a formidable job serving up pictures that do not look muddled, and makes me rather less averse to utilizing digital zoom — although the standard isn’t any match for optical zoom. Tremendous Res Zoom additionally pales compared to the 100x Professional Res Zoom you will get on the non-folding Pixel 10 Professional telephones, which appears like a missed alternative, contemplating the Pixel 10 Professional Fold additionally has “Professional” within the title. As a substitute, you get a characteristic that is additionally obtainable on the baseline Pixel 10.
This picture was taken at 20x digital zoom and was refined with Tremendous Res Zoom.
Digital camera Coach makes use of Gemini to indicate you learn how to make your picture pop, from supplying you with recommendations on framing to suggesting which mode to make use of (the reply is all the time Portrait mode for my part, however that is simply me). For those who’re as assured about your pictures as I’m, it might not be one thing you attain for fairly often, nevertheless it’s fascinating to see what pictures it suggests.
Add Me makes use of augmented actuality and AI to make it appear to be two persons are standing subsequent to one another in an image, when in actuality you take two separate images which might be merged into one. Add Me debuted on the Pixel 9 sequence, however now it really works on greater group images and is best at recognizing gestures. For instance, if I put my arm out and somebody stands subsequent to me (with the assistance of AR), it will know to position my arm behind them, moderately than splaying it throughout their torso.
Nonetheless, Add Me offers a considerably cardboard-cutout look to photographs, and it may be tough to determine the place somebody ought to stand to make the ultimate shot look pure. A neat Twin Display screen Preview characteristic on the Fold helps a bit; it makes use of the cellphone’s cowl display screen to indicate the individual on the opposite aspect of the digital camera what the shot will appear to be, to allow them to regulate their place earlier than the photographer faucets the shutter.
Religion and I usually are not really standing subsequent to one another, however Add Me makes it seem so.
There is a helpful characteristic referred to as Prompt View that reveals you the images you take in actual time so you possibly can evaluation them. You may see the photographs roll in on the left aspect of the interior show every time you faucet the shutter, and you may regulate your shot as wanted.
Altogether, the ten Professional Fold serves up good, balanced photos, by way of the publicity. Images have an total softness that may compromise on sharpness a bit. Colours look true to life, and highlights and shadows play properly collectively.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold runs Android 16 and comes with plenty of AI instruments and options.
Extra AI with a (principally) sensible lens
Magic Cue is a type of AI options that even I, an AI skeptic, discover myself saying, “Wow, that is really helpful.” It robotically surfaces info that is likely to be related to what you are doing in your cellphone. So if I name United Airways, it will present my upcoming flight info on the decision display screen, with out me having to dig for it in my e-mail. If a pal texts to ask a couple of dinner reservation, it will pull that info from someplace like Gmail or Google Calendar, or a minimum of floor a shortcut to view your calendar.
It is an intuitive use for AI that makes it really feel like an assistant moderately than a nuisance. Simply know it could take a couple of days for Magic Cue to course of info throughout your Google apps, so it may not be obtainable proper once you unbox and arrange your cellphone.
Voice Translate is one other characteristic that flexes Google’s AI chops. Relatively than utilizing a robotic voice to translate what somebody is saying on a name, it faucets AI to imitate the sound of somebody’s voice to translate their speech. I attempted Voice Translate with Vanessa Hand Orellana, the CNET Cellular staff’s resident Spanish speaker. Whereas it did a principally good job translating, it had a humorous behavior of constructing Vanessa sound like she has an accent when it transformed her voice to English, which simply is not the case in actual life. I marveled and laughed suddenly.
Some AI options really feel much less sensible, like Pixel Studio, which comes off as extra gimmicky. This allows you to generate no matter you need in a picture with a immediate, like including a rainbow to a transparent blue sky or altering the view exterior your window to a futuristic metropolis. It is likely to be enjoyable, nevertheless it’s additionally form of pointless.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold has a 5,015-mAh battery.
Battery life and storage
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold has a 5,015-mAh battery, a notable improve over the 4,650-mAh Pixel 9 Professional Fold battery. I suppose that is what you get when you do not slim down a cellphone. I can simply get by a day of texting, scrolling, snapping images, watching movies and sending emails and nonetheless have some battery to spare the following day.
In CNET’s 45-minute endurance take a look at, which includes streaming, scrolling by social media, becoming a member of a video name and taking part in video games on the interior show, the Pixel 10 Professional Fold’s battery went from full to 96%. That beats the 93% I obtained on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the 95% on the Oppo Discover N5.
In an extended, 3-hour streaming take a look at over Wi-Fi, I watched a YouTube video in full-screen mode at full brightness on the internal show. The Pixel 10 Professional Fold’s battery dropped from 100% to 78%.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold can simply final by a day, with some battery to spare.
That is decrease than the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s 84% end result, and a notable drop from the Oppo Discover N5’s 89% touchdown level. Nevertheless it’s in the identical ballpark as the opposite Pixel 10 telephones, which suggests the Tensor G5 chip might not be as optimized for video playback as different chips available on the market. (The baseline Pixel 10 ended at 82%, the ten Professional completed at 69% and the ten Professional XL ended with 76%.)
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold can prime off rapidly with wired charging, going from 0% to 51% in half an hour. It reaches a full cost in slightly below an hour and a half.
The ten Professional Fold may also cost wirelessly at 15 watts and is Qi2 licensed. Magnets embedded within the cellphone — which Google calls Pixelsnap — make it simpler to make use of magnetic equipment like chargers, wallets and stands. Pixelsnap is like Google’s tackle MagSafe for the iPhone. And sure, MagSafe equipment work on the Pixel 10 lineup. Utilizing the Pixelsnap charging stand, the ten Professional Fold went from 0% to 27% in half an hour.
The Pixel 10 Professional Fold arrives with Android 16 on board, and it helps seven years of software program and safety updates. The cellphone has a beneficiant 16GB of RAM, and you may select from 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage.
A 6.4-inch cowl show appears like a wonderfully sensible choice when you do not wish to open up the cellphone.
Ultimate ideas: Must you purchase the Pixel 10 Professional Fold?
The foldable cellphone area stays a distinct segment one, although competitors continues to warmth up as cellphone makers race to launch essentially the most revolutionary, eye-catching designs. Not like lots of its opponents, Google did not slim down the Pixel 10 Professional Fold, however moderately targeted on bolstering options that some patrons may prioritize, like battery life and sturdiness. That offers this cellphone a barely extra sensible attraction, even when it would not make for the flashiest superlatives.
Each the duvet and inner display screen really feel equally sensible in their very own methods. A barely wider cowl display screen with scaled-back bezels helps this cellphone look as “regular” as potential after I want it to operate like an ordinary slate cellphone, like after I’m rapidly taking pictures over a textual content or absentmindedly scrolling by Instagram.
Options like Drag & Drop, Prompt View and a extra versatile Cut up Display screen mode assist make sense of the Fold’s spacious 8-inch inner display screen, and provides me extra of a purpose to open up the cellphone and use it like a mini pc. Having extra of those capabilities may create a clearer use case as to why patrons ought to go for a foldable cellphone, versus a extra conventional design.
I am maybe most thrilled that the Pixel 10 Professional Fold has an IP68 score, which so many different premium telephones have touted for years. Hopefully, different foldable phone-makers comply with swimsuit. However within the meantime, it is a characteristic that may assist the Pixel stand out to anybody who would not wish to stress about tiny particles ruining their $1,799 machine. Seashore authorized!
However regardless of the “Professional” in its title, the Fold’s cameras are nonetheless a step down from its Pixel 10 Professional counterparts. For those who’d moderately have the perfect cameras Google has to supply, you might need to forfeit the cool issue of a foldable and go for the Pixel 10 Professional or 10 Professional XL. It looks like a missed alternative to make the Pixel 10 Professional Fold stay as much as its title.
If in case you have final 12 months’s Pixel 9 Professional Fold, the adjustments on this 12 months’s mannequin most likely aren’t well worth the improve. (I promise you most individuals will not be capable of inform the distinction between the 2 telephones.) For those who’re rocking the first Pixel Fold, it will really feel like fairly the step up, particularly from a design standpoint. And belief me, get it in jade.
Google Pixel 10 Professional Fold vs. Pixel 9 Professional Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Oppo Discover N5
| Google Pixel 10 Professional Fold | Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 | Oppo Discover N5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowl show dimension, tech, decision, refresh fee | 6.4-inch OLED; 2,364×1,080 pixels; 60 to 120Hz refresh fee | 6.3-inch OLED; 2,424×1,080 pixels; 60 to 120 Hz variable refresh fee | 6.5-inch AMOLED, 2,520×1,080p, 1 to 120Hz refresh fee | 6.62-inch OLED; 2,616×1,140 pixels; 1 to120Hz variable refresh fee |
| Inside show dimension, tech, decision, refresh fee | 8-inch OLED; 2,152 x 2,076 pixels; 1 to 120Hz refresh fee (LTPO) | 8-inch OLED; 2,152×2,076 pixels, 1 to 120 Hz variable refresh fee (LTPO) | 8-inch AMOLED, 2,184×1,968p, 1 to 120Hz refresh fee | 8.12-inch OLED; 2,480×2,248 pixels; 1 to 120Hz variable refresh fee |
| Pixel density | Cowl: 408ppi; Inside: 373ppi | Cowl: 422 ppi; Inside: 373 ppi | Cowl: 422 ppi; Inside: 368 ppi | Cowl: 431 ppi; Inside: 412 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | Open: 6.1 x 5.9 x 0.2 in; Closed: 6.1 x 3 x 0.4 in | Open: 6.1 x 5.9 x 0.2 in; Closed: 6.1 x 3 x 0.4 in | Open: 5.63 x 6.24 x 0.17 in; Closed: 2.87 x 6.24 x 0.35 in | Open: 6.3×5.77×0.16 in; Closed: 6.3×2.93×0.35 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | Open: 155.2 x 150.4 x 5.2 mm; Closed: 155.2 x 76.3 x 10.8 mm | Open: 155.2×150.2×5.1 mm; Closed: 155.2×77.1×10.5 mm | Open: 143.2 x 158.4 x 4.2mm; Closed: 72.8 x 158.4 x 8.9mm | Open: 160.87×146.58×4.21mm; Closed: 160.87×74.42×8.93mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 258g (9.1 oz) | 257g (9.1 oz) | 215g (7.58 oz.) | 229g (8.08 oz) |
| Cellular software program | Android 16 | Android 14 | Android 16 | Android 15 |
| Cameras | 48-megapixel (extensive), 10.5-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (5x telephoto) | 48-megapixel (extensive), 10.5-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (5x telephoto) | 200-megapixel (extensive), 12-megapixel (ultrawide), 10-megapixel (telephoto) | 50-megapixel (foremost), 8-megapixel (ultrawide), 50-megapixel (periscope telephoto) |
| Inside display screen digital camera | 10-megapixel (internal display screen); 10-megapixel (cowl display screen) | 10-megapixel (internal display screen); 10-megapixel (cowl display screen) | 10-megapixel (internal display screen); 10-megapixel (outer display screen) | 8-megapixel (internal display screen); 8-megapixel (cowl display screen) |
| Video seize | 4K | 4K | 8K | 4K |
| Processor | Google Tensor G5 | Google Tensor G4 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM/storage | 16GB + 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | 16GB + 256GB, 512GB | 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, 16GB + 1TB | 16GB + 512GB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
| Battery | 5,015 mAh | 4,650 mAh | 4,400 mAh | 5,600 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Sure | Aspect | Sure | Aspect |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None | None |
| Particular options | IP68 score, gearless hinge, cowl and inner display screen 3,000 nits peak brightnes, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cowl and again glass, Satellite tv for pc SOS, ultra-wideband chip, Qi2-certified, free Google VPN. 7 years of OS, safety and Pixel Drop updates | IPX8 score, Satellite tv for pc SOS, Wi-Fi 7, ultrawideband chip, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cowl and again glass, cowl display screen peek brightness 2,700 nits, inner display screen peek brightness 2,700 nits, 21W wired quick charging (Charger not included), Qi-certified, free Google VPN, Tremendous Res Zoom, Add Me, Face Unblur, Made You Look, Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Finest Take, Video Enhance. 7 years of OS, safety and Pixel Drop updates | One UI 8, 25W wired charging pace, Qi wi-fi charging, 2,600-nit peak brightness, Galaxy AI, NFC, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, IP48 water resistance | IPX9 score, 80W quick wired charging, 50W wi-fi charging, nanocrystal glass cowl show, anti-reflective movie on internal show, cowl display screen peek brightness 2,450 nits, inner display screen peek brightness 2,100 nits, LTPO OLED show |
| US worth begins at | $1,799 (256GB) | $1,799 (256GB) | $2,000 (256GB) | $1,870 (512GB) |
How we take a look at telephones
Each cellphone CNET’s critiques staff checks is utilized in the actual world. We take a look at a cellphone’s options, play video games and take images. We study the show to see if it is brilliant, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP score for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and taking part in graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.
All of the cameras are examined in quite a lot of circumstances, from brilliant daylight to darkish indoor enviornments. We check out particular options like evening mode and portrait mode, and evaluate our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally try the battery life by utilizing it day by day, in addition to working a sequence of battery drain checks.
We take note of further options like help for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus help, quick charging speeds and foldable shows, amongst others that may be helpful. We stability all of this in opposition to the value to provide the verdict on whether or not the cellphone, no matter worth it’s, really represents good worth. Whereas these checks might not all the time be mirrored in CNET’s preliminary evaluation, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.
