There’s a clear trend in foldable phones right now, with companies such as Samsung, Honor and Oppo vying to make the thinnest model.
In fact, there’s been quite a debate recently as to whether the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Honor Magic V5 gets the official ‘award’. Samsung even made a slightly mad advert for the Fold 7 as if it was competing at the Olympics for phones.
It mirrors a trend from early smartphones (the traditional candybar style), where top tech brands are putting silly efforts into proving they’re the best in another round of pointless Top Trumps.
It’s also about to kick off in the regular phone world when the iPhone 17 Air arrives to rival the Galaxy S25 Edge.
Meanwhile, Google has been quietly working away on its next-generation folding phone which will totally buck this trend, and for many good reasons.
And, rather than being a disappointment, it looks set to be a clear upgrade compared to the competition. Here’s why.
What are we weight-ing for?
Of course, I don’t want my phone to be unnecessarily big and heavy, but there’s a balance to strike here. The Galaxy S25 Edge has some serious downsides as a result of its thin and light chassis, yet still costs an absolute bomb.
For a foldable, I’m far more accepting of the fact the device will be bigger and heavier. After all, I’m essentially carrying around a phone and a tablet in one.
Instead of making the Pixel 10 Pro Fold thinner and lighter than its predecessor, Google looks like it will be going the other way.
Android Headlines
The phone is rumoured to be 5.2mm thick when open, 0.1mm thicker than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and 10.8mm when folded. That’s 0.3mm more than last year.
When it comes to weight, the phone is reportedly set to come in at 258g, which is 1g more.
It’s not much of a change, but it’s the opposite approach to rivals like Samsung and Honor. As mentioned, these changes are for good reason, with three in particular that I want to highlight.
Downgraded thickness, upgraded everywhere else?
For starters, the Pixel 10 Pro is rumoured to have a bigger battery at 5015mAh, a decent 7% larger than the 9 Pro Fold and 9% more than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 .
Google is also reportedly making the phone IP68 dust and water resistant. That ‘8’ is the same as most rivals and means good protection against water, but the ‘6’ is very significant indeed.
It will make the Pixel 10 Pro Fold the first foldable with full dust protection, which could be very important for the longevity of the device.
The list doesn’t end there, either. The Pixel 10 phones are set to get Qi2 magnetic charging built-in. In other words, MagSafe-style tech without having to add a case.
Evan Blass
This may well include the 10 Pro Fold, which would be another first in the foldable market. Google is set to launch a range of ‘Pixelsnap’ accessories which will make life a lot easier for charging, but also many other scenarios.
For a few tenths of a millimeter here and there and only 1g more weight, I’m fully prepared to accept the Pixel 10 Pro Fold getting a little bigger for these major advantages.
If you ask me, the likes of Samsung and Honor have been fighting for brownie points and Google is about to swoop in and steal the show.
We’ll find out if the rumours are true at the Made by Google event on 20 August where the firm will reveal the entire Pixel 10 series as well as devices like the Pixel Watch 4.
