Pixel 11 Pro Fold is $1,899 and Google says the back is ‘nearly impossible to crack’ [Hands-on]

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold doesn’t look like much on the surface, nor is it the most compelling new foldable out right now, but some key changes make this the most impressive of Google’s new releases.

While the rest of the Pixel 11 series feels much like a copy-paste job with unfortunately higher prices, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold brings a way more to the table than I thought.

At its core, it’s a similar update to the rest of the family. Tensor G6, slightly faster charging, the “HiLight” LED on the back, new colors – “Olive” green with the return of a black “Obsidian” – and a few other tweaks. All for $100 more – thanks RAMageddon.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is thinner this year, 10.1mm, while also being around 10% lighter at 239g. Neither of those hold up well against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 series, but aren’t too far off from Motorola’s Razr Fold either. Google falls short in the camera – 48MP + 10.5MP ultrawide + 10.8MP 5x telephoto – and battery, just 4,806 mAh, in that comparison.

But what impressed me was that Google continues to focus in on a key point of criticism for foldables, durability.

Google touts a new hinge design and the return of an IP68 dust/water resistance rating, something no other mass-market foldable currently offers, while also debuting two new glass updates. The front display on Pixel 11 Pro Fold is a new ceramic material that Google touts as “three times more durable.” The back glass, meanwhile, is actually a “glass fiber composite” that sounds kind of awesome, actually, as Google says it’s “nearly impossible to crack.” In our hands-on time, a Googler explained that a bend test of this material saw the backplate wrap around the part of the machinery designed to break it, rather than actually shattering. Wild stuff here.

The inner display sees far less drastic improvements, with thicker ultra-thin glass and a larger bend radius to improve the crease – it looks marginally better at best, and quite a ways behind the competition. Both displays are brighter, by the way, topping out at 3,600 nits.

Google is also using the foldable form factor to enhance some of its new features, such as Live Transcribe in Gboard with sign language, while also touting the arrival of Bubbles in Android 17 – and apparently the “App Handles” feature is available here –, as well as new animations for the “Made You Look” camera feature.

Pixel 11 Pro Fold is available for pre-order today at $1,899 for the 256GB model – which, unlike the other Pro phones, has 16GB of RAM – with an August 20 release date. There’s also a sweet new leather-like case that covers the hinge.

Pixel 11 Pro Fold:Google Store | Amazon | Best Buy

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Pixel 11 Pro Fold is $1,899 and Google says the back is ‘nearly impossible to crack’ [Hands-on]

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