After Google surprised us all with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the company proved that it was capable of releasing a foldable worthy of being ranked among the best. With the next Made by Google event set for August 20 and Galaxy Unpacked behind us, our attention now turns to see what the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will offer.
Of course, this won’t be the only device announced at the event, as Google’s entire flagship phone lineup is likely to see a refresh. And perhaps we’ll even see a new Pixel Watch along with some new smart home hardware. Given that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has arrived, it begs the question of whether you should wait for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold or not.
What changes do we expect for the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold?
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Before we can make a suggestion, one way or another, we need to put the cards out on the table. Thankfully, leaks and rumors have given us a pretty good indication of what to expect, provided that they ring true. With that, here’s a quick rundown of what the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is rumored to bring:
- Slightly larger and brighter cover display (6.3-inch/2,700 nits vs. 6.4-inch/3,000 nits).
- The inner screen remains the same, with a potential bump in peak brightness.
- Google Tensor G5 replaces the Tensor G4, potentially with 16GB of RAM.
- Battery size rumored to increase to ~5,000mAh, and leaks suggest Qi2 compatibility with faster 15W wireless charging.
- It could be the first foldable with an IP68 rating.
- Minimal, if any, camera hardware changes are rumored.
If the rumors prove true, we’re in store for three major upgrades with the Pixel 10 Fold. And at least one of them comes as a huge surprise, especially given the recent slew of new foldable phones that have been released from Samsung, Honor, and Vivo.
3 reasons to wait
The first of which is the most obvious, with Google expected to introduce its Tensor G5. This will be the first Tensor chip to come from the TSMC factory, as opposed to previous generations that Samsung built.
The G5 is also likely to be built on the 3nm process, introducing a wave of performance, efficiency, and AI improvements over the Tensor G4. According to leaked Geekbench results, we’re likely looking at performance in line with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. And while that might sound disappointing, it’s a massive step up from the Tensor G4, which even fell short of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from 2023.
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So, while it might seem disappointing that the Tensor G5 won’t be able to match up with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, this is still an incredible upgrade over the previous iteration. Plus, the improved efficiency will pair quite nicely with the rumored battery upgrade for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.
Battery life wasn’t awful on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold; in fact, I’d say it was pretty darn good for a foldable phone. Apparently, Google still wasn’t satisfied, and it appears as though the 10 Pro Fold could be equipped with a 5,015mAh cell.
This marks about a 7% increase over the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and is almost 14% larger than that of the 4,400mAh battery in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It still doesn’t quite match up to the Honor Magic V5 (6,100mAh), Vivo X Fold 5 (6,000mAh), or Oppo Find N5 (5,600mAh), but those all use the new silicon-carbon battery technology, whereas Google has stuck with a traditional Li-Po battery.
However, the last major upgrade rumored for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is arguably the most important and impressive of the bunch. Recent rumors claim that Google’s next foldable will be the first foldable phone to feature an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
Up to this point, the best we’ve seen is an IP48 rating for the Fold 7 and Razr Ultra 2025. Before that, the “standard” for foldable phones was an IPX8 rating, meaning that there was no dust protection. However, if Google can pull this off, we’d finally have a foldable phone that is fully protected against dust, managing to get in and wreak havoc.
And as a result, it might pave the way for more people to consider foldable phones in the future. One of the primary concerns with these devices is durability, and an IP68 rating would definitely help in a big way to ease those concerns.
One reason why you might want to stand pat
Google set a massive bar with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, not only for itself but also for the competition, as it was drastically different from the original Pixel Fold. However, those hoping for a similar shift with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will be disappointed as indications are that the 9 Pro Fold and 10 Pro Fold look almost identical.
That extends to the camera hardware, as it appears there may not be many meaningful changes on this front. For anyone looking for major camera upgrades, you might be disappointed.
This is the same complaint that I had with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which didn’t share the same sensors as the 9 Pro XL. At the time, Google said this was due to trying to keep the Fold as thin as possible. While rumors suggest the Pixel 10 Pro series won’t be seeing any upgrades either, I would’ve expected at least one of the cameras to be upgraded on the Fold.
One more thing
There’s one more important factor to consider if you’re trying to decide if you should wait for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold: price. The newly-launched Galaxy Z Fold 7 is $2,000, and rumors suggest price increases are coming to much of the Pixel 10 lineup.
However, those same rumors also claim that Google is considering dropping the price for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The current iteration retails for $1,799, but is often on sale for much less. Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold could come in at $1,599, matching that of the Honor Magic V5’s price if you were to import one.
Provided that the price reduction comes to fruition, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is going to be even more enticing than before. Better performance, bigger battery, lower price, AND an IP68 rating? Yeah, I would definitely wait just a little bit longer for Google’s official unveiling of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.