Google’s rival to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is finally here but is it a hit or a miss?

Foldable phones aren’t getting any cheaper, but there are more models hitting the market with every passing month to try and convince you that your next smartphone should be bendy. The latest to go on sale in the UK is the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, a book-style folding device announced in August that, compared to its rivals, feels closest to a pocket notebook in its dimensions and feel.

It joins the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL in Google’s latest line up. It also costs £1,749, making the 10 Pro Fold far from an impulse purchase.

That chunk of cash gets you a phone with a 6.4-inch cover display that can open up vertically to reveal an 8-inch inside screen akin to a small tablet. Both displays are OLED and have smooth 120Hz refresh rates. The screens have curved corners that follow the soft lines of the build, with a cluster of pill-shaped camera cut outs on the back.

It’s available in moonstone (grey) or jade (green), and is the first folding phone to claim IP68 water and dust resistance, meaning Google reckons it can survive submersion or the beach. It’s running Google’s latest Tensor G5 chipset with at least 256GB storage and 16GB RAM, triple cameras including a 48MP main sensor, plus it’s one of the first phones available with Android 16 out of the box.

I’ve been using the Pixel 10 Pro Fold for a week, and while I’ll need longer than that to form a full review or opinion, I like the phone more than I really should when compared to its rivals.

Just one year ago, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold that this new model closely resembles felt like a foldable frontrunner compared to the chunky and oddly tall Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the OnePlus Open. But a lot can change in a year, and two of Google’s competitors have pulled ahead when it comes to folding hardware design.

Both the latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Honor Magic V5 are wondrously slim at 4.2mm and 4.1mm when unfolded. The Pixel by comparison is 5.2mm. That doesn’t sound like much, but when folded shut it’s 22mm thicker, which is actually very noticeable with a folding phone.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is also somehow almost 40g weightier at 258g than the 215g Galaxy Z Fold 7. Compared side by side, the Samsung looks like the future of foldable design while the Pixel looks like the past - even if the past is only a year ago.

But as much as I like the Z Fold 7, I don’t especially love Samsung’s One UI software, which is where the Pixel could (and previous models have in the past) won my nerdy heart. Google’s Android 16 introduces what it clunkily calls Material 3 Expressive, an evolution of what the firm reckons Android should look and feel like.

It’s playful, more colourful and feels like a decent lick of fresh paint. Animations are improved, customisation is more granular than ever, and as a Pixel you still get exclusive features such as Call Screening.

The 10 Pro Fold has the biggest screen ever on a Pixel at 8-inches, but also the biggest battery ever on a Pixel foldable at 5,015mAh, with Qi2 magnetic charging (basically MagSafe) compatibility. I’ve found it works well with MagSafe chargers I already own.

And as I have loved on Pixel phones since their launch in 2016, the camera quality on show for still images, especially on the main lens, is better than Samsung offers on its Fold.

But what do you get that’s exclusive to the folding format?

Instant View lets you take photos unfolded and then immediately preview them on the other side of the screen, and the very cute Made You Look displays cartoon characters on the outside screen when unfolded to capture a little one’s attention while you snap away.

Split screen lets you run two apps side by side and you can set the phone down half folded to watch videos like a mini laptop. I’ve even hooked up a wireless keyboard and used the phone as a tiny little laptop screen to bash out some writing. It’s fun.

But the question for Google, as with every folding phone manufacturer, is how to get people to buy into the foldable future these firms feel is here. The £1,749 Pixel 10 Pro Fold - if I am being particularly harsh - when closed feels akin to the £499 Pixel 9a. Do you really want to pay more than £1,000 extra for an inner screen, a telephoto lens and some extra processing power?

If you have money to spend and you want a phone that’ll get seven years of software updates, has excellent cameras and runs the prettiest version of Android, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold could be for you. But if you want the sleekest looking foldable out there, Samsung and Honor have pulled ahead of Google substantially in the space of twelve months.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is available to buy now from Google from £1,749.