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Pixel Fold reviews (and possible concerns about its durability)
The Verge, Washington Post, CNET, Engadget reviews
RIP to my Pixel Fold: Dead after four days
Haven't had time to go through all the reviews but as it's a major new device from Google I thought there might be some interest here.
The Pixel Fold is really just a way for Google to stir the market into action I think. I'm really interested in it nonetheless, but worried about durability. I'm a little glad that units are delayed, it will give me time to see how the first batches fair in terms of durability, and then I'll feel safer pulling the trigger
The problem is that this rarely happens. Google's initial foray into tablets didn't really lead to an explosion in market share for Android tablets, the iPad is still king. Similarly with smartwatches, Apple is thoroughly dominant in the category. Foldables already exist, and they're a very niche and expensive product. Until they (as a category, not just Google's) either come down in price or uncover some killer use case, I don't see the market expanding much in this direction, especially from the developer side of things.
Personally, I'm never buying a first-gen product or service from Google again. I got burned by nexus tablets, I got burned by chromecast audio, I got burned by Allo, and I got burned (possibly the hardest) by Stadia. If the fold line actually gets year-on-year releases, similar to the rest of their smartphone lineup, then I'll sit up a little straighter and pay attention. But I have seen too many exciting looking Google products be announced, released, and then forgotten and never followed up. Given all of that, I have no reason to believe that a Pixel Fold 2 will be released next year, or any subsequent year. Almost £2,000 for a phone/tablet hybrid is a tough sell already, but when you factor in that it'll only get 3 years of OS upgrades (5 of security) and Google's track record of losing interest in new product categories that aren't immediate hits... Well that hard sell just became basically impossible for me.
I’m with you on being done with Google after they burnt me one too many times. Your list there struck me as a little odd though. I still use my Chromecast Audios every day. And didn’t they fully refund all Stadia purchases ? I’m curious why you felt burnt by those ones.
I can relate to the Nexus tablets though..
Oh for sure, Chromecast Audios still work, but it's the discontinuation of them that's what bugs me. You can only buy them second hand now, and if you want a product that will actually still have the same functionality and still be supported, I'm looking at something around 5x the price of the original (or rolling my own with a Raspberry Pi situation, I suppose). I only have the one but want to add a few more to my house, and it's frustrating that my options are either unsupported or expensive ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
As for Stadia, I was all in on the idea. It worked flawlessly with my network, and I had been able to play a bunch of AAA games I couldn't have otherwise. I sank quite a bit of money into it, and while I did get a full refund (unexpected, but I'm grateful for it), it still smarts that I don't have access to those games any more without buying additional, powerful hardware. It's not the financial impact of Stadia that pisses me off, it's that I bought into their hype, and they just abandoned the whole project, basically within months of its release. I guess it's the emotional toll of that rather than anything else.
That's a shame, I really liked my Nexus 7 (2013) way back in the day. Still probably somewhere deep in my closet. I even enjoyed the Pixel Chromebook laptop, despite it being just a smidge too late for the real updates (disclaimer: I bought it pretty cheap from Amazon. Like $400 used).
I think Google makes some great hardware, even up to that Stadia controller I have in my room. But yes, Support has never been their forte so good luck if/when something go awry.
There’s a need for good software support of folding phones in Android and having an in-house foldable helps to polish the software experience.
These are my thoughts too. It's sorta like the electrification of cars. The first ones on the market were ok, but the technology has only gotten better over the years. I'll be looking into foldable handhelds once the hinge/flexible screen tech gets fleshed out a bit more.
While I am unlikely to get the Pixel Fold, I will wholeheartedly endorse folding phones. A lot of past rhetoric has compared phones to mobile computers but I've never felt that way due to their small screen sizes. Even the gargantuan phones weren't doing it for me. I never felt like I had a mobile computer until I got a Z Fold 4. It's honestly amazing (and reading Tildes on it is very nice).
Same here. I had a fantasy of one day having a single device that could carry both phone, tablet and computer duties (at least as much as humanly possible) and the Z Fold 4 did it for me.
It's an amazing flagship phone, I don't think there's any debate there (except the cameras, but this is not a camera phone so I don't particularly care).
As a tablet, it's perfectly average and it never feels too big or too small. The aspect ratio does mess up most video content, but I don't mind the black bars. The sound is also very nice IMO, so it makes for a wonderful media consumption device.
And then comes the computer part. Plug in a fairly inexpensive USB-C monitor, get a Bluetooth keyboard and mice, and with Samsung DeX you've got a fairly competent desktop experience.
For email, web browsing and document editing, it's very adequate and I don't have anything to complain about. Yeah, you ain't running any Windows apps, and you'll have to hack it a bit to get any Linux apps running, but as long as you can find web-based alternatives or competing apps on Google Play and Galaxy Store, you can do a lot of things.
I've almost managed to replace my laptop with it. Gaming is done through GeForce NOW and PS5 Remote Play. Programming is easy with GitHub Codespaces, and for command-line programs you can work locally. YouTube always felt better on Android anyway.
And it's probably the best e-reader out there. Tildes looks great, and Aldiko seems like the best ebook reader for the Fold since it puts a page on each side of the crease if the format allows it. old.reddit is terrible though (and new.reddit is even more trash), but we're quitting it anyway, right?
I can't imagine going back to a regular phone honestly, but getting stuck in the Samsung ecosystem isn't my jam either. I am very much rooting for other foldable manufacturers to get their desktop UIs going, and for Apple's foldable to flop (or be average) so they don't ruin the market and/or force me to switch to Apple.
I've been using a Surface Duo 2 as my daily driver since it came out and I love this phone more than any other phone I've ever had by a long shot, probably because I'm the most boring phone user ever - I use my phone to read, send text messages, watch some Netflix during lunch, and browse Reddit (before Reddit went haywire). I don't take pictures or play games so I couldn't care less about the camera or internals. I was sorely disappointed when I heard that Microsoft is ditching the Surface Duo line and so I've been keeping an eye on other foldables because I seriously cannot go back to a regular phone.
I'm really curious about the Pixel Fold but it's reviews like these that scare me and I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and get one despite the reviews in the same way that I got my Duo 2 despite the reviews. The only thing I'm worried about is durability - will this thing last as long as my Duo 2? The Ars article that OP linked has me scared because none of the initial Duo 2 reviews complained about the device dying. They picked apart everything else about the device but it at least continued to work throughout.
On a side tangent here, if Amazon came out with a foldable Kindle similar to the Duo 2 form factor, I'd be the first in line to buy it and I'd happily return to a more "normal" phone.
I would not recommend getting a first-gen device in pretty much any case. Given the demonstrable flaws of the Fold, I wouldn't recommend it either, especially for that price. Even MKBHD's review was essentially "the next version of this should be really good."
I'm curious as to why you wouldn't recommend the Fold 4 (or the 5 when it comes out)?
It has its flaws, many of them, sure. But overall I found it a very solid device without any dealbreakers. In fact, regular phones now have dealbreakers that can't make me go back to them. :(
I was referring to the Pixel Fold, the subject of this post.
Ah yes, my reading comprehension strikes again. My bad.
It doesn't help that both Samsung and Google (and other companies too) went for the lowest hanging fruit with naming.
MKBHD also released a larger review on the Fold. Generally likes the experience, but it does seem to be lacking in a couple of areas which seems typical of most companies first attempt at foldables. Kind of surprising to see from Google who's had the chance to see what's been working on the market.
For what it's worth, when I got to play with a pre-release unit, it didn't feel flimsily made or fragile at all. It's heavy for sure, and I personally didn't notice the "less than 180 when open" that MKBHD mentioned. The hinge feels really good. Of course, I didn't get to spend more than few minutes hands on with it, so take that as you will.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/28/23777211/google-pixel-fold-screen-breaking-reports
Maybe we should delete "possible" from the title.
Same boat, I use a Zfold3 as a daily driver for about the same amount of time. Its been an excellent experience, and I'm all but certain I'll have something with a folding screen from here forward, I don't think I could go back.
I have seen some talk about the outer screen being thin as a negative, but its all upside for me. I use Swype for my keyboard and I can one hand swype texts. Even with normal/slightly larger hands that wasn't the case on my previous phones as it was too wide.
Yes, same, love my Z Fold 3. I work remote and find it excellent for letting me be away from my desk but still able to review slide decks or spreadsheets or whatever other productivity stuff - and it's great for gaming too.
I've replaced the inner screen protector fairly easily due to the other one starting to lift along the crease, and have had zero issues with the new one. Looks like the specs for the Z Fold 5 are indicating a teardrop folding design so the crease should be even less of an issue with that one.