I replaced my Samsung with the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold – a week later, I’m going back

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When I tested the Pixel 9 Pro Fold two years ago, I applauded Google for going back to the drawing board and building out a true successor to the flawed Pixel Fold. When I tested the Pixel 10 Pro Fold a year later, I wondered if the company was starting to settle, putting more effort into AI features than the actual design. After a week of testing the newest Pixel 11 Pro Fold, I’m ready to move on.

Also: Pixel 11 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8: I’m a fan of both foldables, but this one wins

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold isn’t a bad phone per se; it’s arguably the safest foldable phone you can buy today, with an IP68-rated enclosure that shields the device from everyday splashes, dust intrusions, and debris. It also helps that the outer screen is made with a new glass-ceramic material that the company tells me is more than twice as scratch-resistant as its predecessors.

There are a few other upgrades under the hood, but considering Google has bumped up the Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s price by $100, bringing the foldable to $1,899 for the 256GB configuration, you’ll really have to love what else is new to justify spending that much money this time around. Here’s the breakdown.

A very familiar design

If you showed the average consumer the last three generations of Pixel Pro Fold models, they would struggle to tell you exactly what has changed with the design. That’s good news if you’re a fan of Google’s more traditional, rectangular form factor, with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio that makes wielding the handset feel like using a standard slab.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: The compact foldable I’ve wanted all along

Google has trimmed the bezels just enough this year to let the outer 6.5-inch display blend more seamlessly into the sides of the device, while also making material choices that ultimately bring the Pixel 11 Pro Fold down to 239 grams (versus 258 grams on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold). That doesn’t put the Pixel in Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 territory (201 grams), but it’s a good change regardless.

Within the camera island is a new HiLight ring that pulses in different colors and patterns depending on which of your favorited contacts is calling you, or when Gemini is listening, thinking, or responding. I just wish it signaled more things than just those two. 

For example, I’ve built a habit (as has my social circle) of texting more than calling, so 50% of the use cases are out the window for me. And I’d like to think that I’m not alone.

Bringing support to the Messages app would be very welcome. Expanding to Messenger, WhatsApp, and even KakaoTalk would be even better.

As for the Gemini integration, I’d much rather see my conversation clearly shown on screen when it’s listening and transcribing my queries, rather than assume it is based on a few light pulses. There’s nothing more frustrating than needing to ask a question again because it wasn’t properly received the first time, right? 

The actual bright spot

It took only the first few hours of testing the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to appreciate the brighter AMOLED display, which peaks at 3,600 nits this year. As I was on my balcony transferring data and settings from my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (3,000-nit display) to the Pixel, the difference in legibility was noticeable.

Also: I tried Google Wallet’s new allowance feature, and my kid already ditched their debit card

I remember struggling to make out various pop-ups and text when I tested the original Pixel Fold back in 2023, so the progress in display technology is admirable. 

Seeing both foldables side by side also exposed the evergreen shortcoming of the Pixel’s more squarish inner display: thick letterboxing when watching 16:9 videos. 

Content consumption remains a primary reason shoppers consider a foldable phone, according to multiple carrier store representatives I spoke with this past week, and it’s contributing to Samsung’s recent success with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. I hope Google keeps up with the trend, because Apple’s impending iPhone Fold may set the Pixel even further behind going into 2027.

Android 17 is buttery smooth so far

My week of browsing, multitasking, and gaming on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold showed me most of the positive sides of Android 17 and the new Tensor G6 chipset. The year-over-year difference in speed and responsiveness was almost immediately noticeable, with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold naturally running app animations and general services even when the system was being set up.

Also: Pixel 11 Pro Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: How the big Android foldables compare

I typically transfer a batch of apps, photos, videos, and miscellaneous files when switching to a new device, so it’s always a good indicator of exactly how well the processor and RAM juggle background tasks. With the Pixel, I was surprised to see it boot up with very few hiccups. 

Having 16GB of RAM (no matter what storage configuration you buy) certainly helps here, as does Google limiting split-screen functionality to only two apps.

You can technically have multiple apps open at the same time on Android 17 thanks to the new floating bubbles feature, but it’s not as intuitive to multitask as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold models.

If anything, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold only started to bog down about 10 minutes into a 3DS emulator session, with noticeable frame drops and the back cover getting progressively warmer. The big question mark is how well the Tensor G6 chipset will hold up over the years, as Google’s track record with its in-house processors hasn’t been the most promising.

Also: 5 ways I speed up my Android phone beyond clearing system cache – all for free

As far as battery life goes, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold just barely gets me through the day, with roughly 10-15% battery by the time I’m preparing dinner. Perhaps it’s the phone still needing to learn my usage patterns before it can effectively run things in the background, or the fact that Google downsized the battery capacity this year to 4,806mAh (from 5,015mAh), but I wouldn’t trust the device to handle a road trip without having a portable charger beside it.

It’s all about the AI camera features

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s camera system, like its predecessors, is still a step below the other Pixel Pro models, with this year’s biggest change being a new main sensor that Google claims pulls in more than twice as much light for sharper details and color reproduction. 

From my initial samples, I’m seeing results mostly similar to last year’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold, with the sensors delivering crisp details and realistic colors, but with a flatter overall output due to aggressive HDR processing. Shadow detail is often lifted while highlights are toned down, making subjects blend in with the background more than my social-media-acclimatized eyes would like.

Also: I compared Google’s pricier Pixel 11 series to Samsung’s Galaxy lineup – here’s the better value now

I did find the new AI camera features rather useful, though, including the on-screen teleprompter that rolls as the phone detects you reading the lines, and Magic Capture, which intelligently pulls screen-captures of “ideal” frames as you record a video — so you can focus more on the action and less on when to press the shutter button.

ZDNET’s buying advice

I’m going to quote myself here and say that with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, Google finds itself in an odd place. On one hand, the company has doubled down on building the most durable (and least wobbly) foldable phone on the market. 

That’s something users may appreciate years down the road, when they’re preparing to switch to a new phone and realize their shape-shifting handset is still fully functional. (This is also still the only foldable phone this year that natively supports Qi2, magnet-based charging.)

But I’m not exactly sure how many customers in the $2,000+ market are prioritizing longevity. Instead, power users, mobile enthusiasts, and all the risk-takers in between may be more drawn to devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Honor Magic V6, ones that have more surface-level appeal; ones that bring more instant gratification for all the money you just spent.