Google has officially announced its new foldable smartphone, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which maintains the general design lines of last year's version while introducing some notable technical improvements, amidst a growing and crowded market of competitors.
The device comes with a slightly thinner body, measuring 5 mm when unfolded and 10.1 mm when folded, as well as being 19 grams lighter compared to the previous version. Although these differences may be minor in daily use, Google focused more on device durability, claiming a successful threefold increase in durability thanks to a new ceramic cover glass and a fiberglass composite back cover.
Display and Visual Capabilities
The outer screen has received a noticeable upgrade, reaching a peak brightness of 3,600 nits compared to 3,000 nits in the previous version, making it easier to use the phone in bright lighting conditions. However, the phone still maintains a visible crease in the middle of the foldable screen when exposed to direct light, compared to what some competing companies have achieved in reducing crease visibility.
On the photography side, the phone features an updated 48-megapixel main sensor that allows more light in, along with advanced digital zoom support reaching up to 30x Super Res Zoom, alongside new software features like Looks to change photo color tones and Magic Capture to select the best frames from video clips.
Software and User Experience
The operating system provides a side-by-side multitasking experience along with minor improvements to the Google Gemini smart assistant, such as time-based suggestion features in apps. However, experience indicates that some popular apps, such as Slack, still suffer from a lack of optimal adaptation to wide screens compared to core Google apps like Gmail.
Price and Availability
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is launched at a starting price of $1,899 USD, placing it in direct competition with other foldable phones in global and US markets such as iPhone and Samsung.