Pixel Fold: The Google foldable you can’t buy in the UAE?

Google announced its first foldable device, the Pixel Fold, during Google I/O, which was held on May 10th, and it revealed that this phone would be released on June 27th in some parts of the world. Like some other foldable phones that preceded it, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and the Huawei Mate X3, the Pixel Fold has two displays, one on the outside and another large one when you unfold it.

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When the phone is unfolded, its display size measures 7.6 inches diagonally. As expected, Pixel Fold uses an OLED display for the inside screen with refresh rates up to 120Hz. It has a peak brightness of 1,450 nits; otherwise, the screen’s brightness is limited to 1,000 nits for regular usage.

To match things evenly, Google offers a similar experience on the front screen, with a peak brightness of 1550 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate. Other features of Pixel Fold include a good set of cameras with a wide-angle, telephoto, and ultrawide camera.

The Pixel Fold will use Google Tensor G2 instead of the rumoured Google Tensor G3, expected to launch with Pixel 8 devices later this year.

Pricing and availability

Google didn’t comment on what regions this phone would be launching in. Google has never released a phone officially in the UAE, so we doubt we’ll see the phone in the Middle East. It’s also unclear if the Pixel Fold will launch in India.

In the US, Google is charging this phone an unbelievable $1,799, which roughly translates to AED 6,600 or INR 1.4 lakh. That pricing is similar to what other foldable phones in the market are released at, though with time, they can be picked up at a discount rate, such as the Samsung Galaxy ZFold 4 that is currently available for AED 4,455- over 30% its launch pricing of AED 6,999.

Pixel Fold Specifications

Size:	Folded: 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.1 mm Unfolded: 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.8 mm
Weight:	283 g
IP Rating:	IPX8 water resistant
Screen Size:	7.6-inch foldable OLED display 5.8-inch OLED cover display
Resolution:	1840 x 2208 pixels 1080 x 2092 pixels
Refresh Rate:	120Hz 120Hz
Processor:	Google Tensor G20 (5 nm)
RAM / Storage:	12 GB + 256 GB / 12 GB + 512 GB
Cellular:	5G
Primary Camera:	48 MP f/1.7
Ultrawide:	10.8 MP f/2.2
Telephoto:	10.8 MP, f/3.1 5x Optical Zoom
Selfie:	8 MP f/2.0 + 9.5 MP f/2.2
Video:	4K 60fps
Battery:	Li-Po 4821 mAh
Wired Charging:	N/A
Wireless Charging:	N/A

Design and display

The Pixel Fold uses Gorilla Glass Victus at the front, where the 5.8-inch display is hosted, and on the back of the phone. The unfolded section of the phone uses a plastic front, and the frames are made of aluminium.

Google is making the Pixel Fold available in two colours: Porcelain and Obsidian- in other words, dark grey and milky white.

Both large (unfolded) and small (front) displays use an OLED panel that supports a 120Hz refresh rate and also supports HDR and HDR10+. The small (front) display has a peak brightness of 1550 nits, and the large (unfolded) display has a peak brightness of 1450 nits.

There’s a fingerprint sensor mounted on the side of the phone for quick unlocking and stereo speakers.

Features and performance

Google is using its in-house-designed SoC, the Google Tensor G2, for their Pixel Fold device, and it will be using the Mali-G710 MP7 GPU.

The Google Pixel Fold will come in two storage options: 256GB and 512GB, but only one RAM option: 12GB.

The Pixel Fold will ship with Android 13 out of the box but will be upgradeable to Android 14 and beyond. Google also mentioned that it has worked on many of its apps to adapt to the larger inside screen.

Unfortunately, this is all our information about Pixel Fold’s features and performance.

Cameras

The Pixel Fold has plenty of cameras; in fact, there are five cameras, two of which are selfies cameras, with one on the outside screen and the other on the inside screen. The back of the phone has a camera isle, which houses the following:

• Primary: 50 MP, f/1.8 with OIS
• Ultrawide: 12 MP, f/2.2
• Selfie camera: 32 MP, f/2.5

Coming to the two selfie cameras, the one on the outside is 8MP with a focal length of f/2.0, and on the inside, it’s 9.5MP with a focal length of f/2.2. The selfie cameras can record videos up to 4K at 60 FPS and 1080P at 60 FPS, while the primary camera can record 4K at 60 FPS and 1080P at 240 FPS, supporting 10-bit HDR recording.

Google has yet to provide more information about this phone’s camera, such as the available camera modes.

Battery & Charging

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information about the Pixel Fold’s battery and charging except that it uses a 4821 mAh Li-Po battery and supports wireless charging. That’s a bit of a small battery, but maybe software optimization will help counter that.

Alternatives to Google Pixel Fold – How does it stack up against competitors?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 has the advantage of being officially available in the Middle East and at a much lower price than the Pixel Fold. From a specs perspective, Samsung has equipped the Z Fold 4 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor which is faster than the Tensor on the Google phone in many areas. Cameras should be similar on both these devices, while the software experience will purely be a personal choice as some people like Samsung’s OneUI. At the same time, others prefer the stock Android experience that the Pixel Fold brings.

The Huawei Mate X3 is another foldable phone that’s officially available in the Middle East and, might be the best-looking foldable with an incredibly thin and light design. From a pricing perspective, it costs around the same as the Pixel Fold but expect these prices to drop as the phone is still very new. The biggest challenge for Huawei is Google Mobile Services, or the lack of them, which Huawei has tried to work around through emulation. While that somewhat works, it won’t give you the same experience as natively supporting them.

Pixel Fold Reviews

In his first look, MKBHD thinks that the Google Pixel Fold is a solid first-generation foldable phone with impressive specs and features, but its high price tag and concerns about battery life and software optimization may deter some buyers.

Michael Fisher also took a first look at the Google Pixel Fold and thinks that Google’s first foldable phone comes with a unique design, impressive features, and a robust camera system that sets the standard for foldable smartphones.

Unbox Therapy think the Pixel Fold is a high-end folding device with advanced camera features, powerful performance, and a premium price tag.

Pixel Fold FAQs