The Pixel 10 Pro Fold doesn’t need a Galaxy Z Fold 7 moment, and here’s why

Google is expected to launch the Pixel 10 Pro Fold in a few weeks at its upcoming Made By Google event, and there seems to be a lot more riding on the success of this model. Following Samsung’s impressive Galaxy Z Fold 7, it feels like many people want the Pixel 10 Pro Fold to match its wow factor of “look how thin I am!” However, I really don’t think Google needs to worry about (or should even be thinking about) Samsung when it comes to its own foldables.

These days, my focus has been primarily on smaller flip phone foldables, such as the Motorola Razr and Galaxy Z Flip. However, my time with the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold showed me a whole new world and gave me an appreciation for larger-screened foldable phones. It’s slim, stylish, performs well, and is overall a fun device to use for anyone who prefers these types of foldables.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is not likely to be much different from its predecessor as far as design goes, and following my experience with the 9 Pro Fold, this is perfectly fine, even if the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is arguably the more exciting phone. Here’s why I don’t think Google has to worry about Samsung.

This battle for thinnest foldable is kind of silly

Let me just start by saying that this battle for who has the thinnest foldable phone is kind of ridiculous. Samsung and Honor have been battling it out to the point where it basically comes down to measuring technique. Meanwhile, both the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Honor Magic V5 are as thin or thinner than some high-end flagship smartphones.

The difference in thickness between these two phones seems minuscule, especially with their large camera housings, and it makes Honor look a little ridiculous that it’s fighting so hard to retain its crown.

Then there’s the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It may not hold the crown for thinnest foldable in 2025, but it’s still pretty thin. In fact, Google touted it as the “thinnest foldable available,” with the caveat that it was only referring to phones in America. That’s nothing to sneeze at and still an impressive feat for a second-generation foldable.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is rumored to have a nearly identical design, save for some changes in thickness and weight, and even some new color options. According to leaks, the foldable will measure roughly 5.2mm thick when unfolded, compared to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s 5.1mm. That’s a difference of .1mm when unfolded (roughly .3mm when folded), which, for a phone as large as this, seems hardly worth crying over.

If the Pixel 10 Pro Fold dimensions are to be believed, the phone would be roughly 2mm thicker than the Z Fold 7, but still about 2mm thinner than the outgoing Galaxy Z Fold 6. That still feels like a win to me, especially when you consider that Samsung’s phone still has a smaller battery than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold or its closest rival, the Honor Magic V5 with its massive 5,820mAh battery.

Not to mention everything else that Google may be packing into this phone.

The upgrades that matter

We’re just weeks away from the Pixel 10 Pro Fold launch, so there are plenty of leaks and rumors to go by, many of which seem pretty credible. Thus, we have a pretty good idea of what we can expect from Google’s next foldable, which may appear visually similar to its predecessor. It may not be a significant upgrade, but the biggest changes are expected to happen internally, and more than justify any potential increase in thickness when compared to the 9 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The first of those changes is a rumored increase in battery capacity. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold already has a larger battery than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at 4,650mAh (versus 4,400mAh), but it’s rumored that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold will squeeze in a 5,015mAh battery. That’s a difference of nearly 600mAh compared to Samsung’s foldable, and I’m frankly okay with a slightly thicker phone if it means I can get more battery life.

I wasn’t a fan of Samsung giving the Galaxy S25 Edge a smaller battery than the base Galaxy S25 to achieve its level of thinness. To me, shaving off a few millimeters doesn’t mean anything if you have to sacrifice a larger battery, particularly in a day and age when smartphones are doing so much more and demand more power. Sure, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold probably won’t win any thinness competitions, but the trade-off may be well worth it.

We’ve also seen leaks indicating that the Pixel 10 series may be the first Android flagship phones to support built-in Qi2 magnetic charging. We’ve seen an image of what appears to be a base Pixel 10 with a “Pixelsnap” accessory, indicating that a separate case may not be necessary. While we haven’t seen this on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, we can probably assume that this will also be included on the foldable, as it would be a pretty odd omission.

Adding Qi2 magnets to a phone likely requires quite a bit of internal reworking, so a bit of added thickness is likely one trade-off to adding a more convenient charging method. Another benefit to this is that it may increase wireless charging speeds from 8W on the 9 Pro Fold to a more respectable 15W.

Lastly, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is rumored to be the first foldable with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. This could be the result of an improved hinge, making it more durable than the competition. I don’t know about you, but a more durable foldable sounds pretty good to me.

Thinner vs. cheaper

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is no doubt an impressive phone, but all those upgrades come at a price. The Fold received its first price increase in years, bringing the price back up to $2,000. Granted, $1,799 was already a pretty penny to pay for a phone, and $2,000 is more than I pay for rent in Seattle, WA. Sure, you can chalk it up to “it’s just a $200 difference,” but think of what you could get for that $200, such as a Galaxy Z Fold 7 case, screen protector, and/or some other accessory.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is rumored to launch at the same $1,799 price tag as its predecessor. With that, you’ll likely get a more capable processor, faster and more convenient charging, a larger battery, and more. All of that in a phone that will probably be relatively thin and potentially more durable.

If Google keeps the $1,799 price, then it’s already won in my eyes. The price of foldables is a major barrier for many consumers, and increasing the price doesn’t seem like the best way to attract more customers towards buying their first foldables. Sure, preorders of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 are up, which is an impressive feat, but I imagine many of those are not first-time foldable owners, and you’d be hard-pressed to convince me to pay that much for a phone.

Yes $1,799 is still a lot of money, but it’s much more palatable when you’re still getting a good phone that does pretty much everything you need it to do. And when the options for foldable phones in the United States are still quite limited, consumers will have to decide between the cheaper phone and the thinner one. I know which one I want.

I’m excited for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 may be expensive, but it finally makes Samsung’s foldables exciting again. As for Google, I believe that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold was its Galaxy Z Fold 7 moment, as it was a major departure from the original Pixel Fold and showed that Google is serious about the foldable space. It’s quite all right if the company takes a year to refine what’s already a great phone.

This may be Samsung’s year to take the foldable spotlight, but that doesn’t mean the Pixel 10 Pro Fold won’t be an exciting phone in its own right.