Pixel 11 Pro Fold review: Google just made the Fold 8 look overpriced
The upgraded design and specs round out a phone that may cost more, but still delivers a great experience
š Rating: 4/5
ā
Pros
š± Bright, sharp displays that feel spacious
šø Camera upgrades mean better low-light photography
š¤ Smart Gemini Intelligence features youāll want to use
š All-day battery life with Pixelsnap wireless charging
7ļøā£ 7 years of software update support
š Solid stereo speakers
ā Cons
š° Price went up by $100
šŖ« Battery life isnāt as good as last year
ā”ļø Wired charging is stuck at 30W
šØ Colors arenāt as flashy as the other Pixel 11 Pros
š² Square form factor might not appeal to everyone
The Shortcut review
Google made its best folding phone ever with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and while it might not be the flashiest or most exciting foldable weāll see this year, this $1,900 device deserves some love.
It looks a lot like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold from last year, save for some new colors and a rearranged camera system to fit a better main camera and HiLight (Googleās color LED that comes to life when you summon Gemini). It skips the wider format that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 adopted, and the price did go up by $100 compared to last yearās device.
But that doesnāt change the fact that this is a great phone. We were expecting to be underwhelmed with the upgrades Google made when we went hands-on with the phone for the first time, but after getting to review it, I have a whole new outlook on it. Not only are the upgrades welcome, but its ability to keep up with the competition (and surpass it in important ways) makes the $100 price jump a lot easier to digest.
With its sharp displays, great cameras, handy software features, and Pixelsnap, this folding phone is worthy of your attention. It can go toe-to-toe with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, all while still costing $200 less. Itās a compelling package thatās great as someoneās first foldable to help ease them into the experience, or for someone who wants truly helpful AI in the palm of their hand.
āļø Review notes
š Refinement is the name of the game. Google barely changed the design of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, making it almost a millimeter thinner and shaving off a few grams to make it feel a bit more refined. Compared to the 10 Pro Fold, it does feel less brick-like, but itās still not quite as thin or light as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. Thatās fine in my book; the phone might not be the most stunning piece of jewelry in the case, but it still looks good and is perfectly functional. The fact itās a bit lighter and thinner now is even better.
šØ Colors are nice, but not as flashy. I love the Olive color that my review unit came in, but if youāre looking for the same vibrant hues of the other Pixel 11 Pro phones, youāll be surprised that the only other finish the Fold comes in is Obsidian. Thereās no Canyon or Fog here, and certainly nothing as vibrant as the Hibiscus Pixel 11. Itās a shame that Google only ever sells its foldables in two colors, but at least the green one looks good.
š± Gorgeous screens that are brighter than ever. The 6.5-inch and 8-inch Super Actua AMOLED displays are as pretty as ever - and theyāre even brighter than ever, too. Google boosted the brightness to 3,600 nits on each, an increase of 300 nits, which helps to see the screens more easily in direct sunlight. I took the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to the beach this past weekend and could see both displays perfectly fine in the summer sun. The screens are also colorful and vibrant without being oversaturated. From reading e-books to watching movies to playing games, youāll love doing everything on these displays.
š¤³ It feels normal when itās closed. This is an important distinction in this day and age of folding phones. When the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is closed, it feels like youāre using a regular brick-shaped smartphone. Itās not nearly as radical as the passport-shaped cover screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it isnāt as narrow as the Z Fold 8 Ultra. It sits in between and feels as natural as any normal phone feels to use. If thatās something you value, you should strongly consider the 11 Pro Fold. Itās something you wonāt find on most folding phones this year, save for the Moto Razr Fold.
š¤·āāļø I never used HiLight. Googleās flashiest new feature on the Pixel 11 Pro series is called HiLight. Itās a little LED orb in the camera cluster that lights up when you summon Gemini, or if you get a phone call from one of your favorite contacts. But I never found an instance where I actually used it. I donāt keep my phone face-down on a table when Iām not using it, and when I did to use HiLight, I flipped it back over and kept the screen up. Itās also extremely limited in its functionality; the fact you can only see it light up if you talk to Gemini or if you get a call from someone feels like a missed opportunity to make it more useful. In the end, HiLight felt more like a gimmick to me than anything else.
šø Photos and videos look a lot betterā¦ Google finally upgraded the camera hardware on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and it has a big advantage over the 10 Pro Fold: it lets in way more light. The new 48MP f/17 main camera has 56% better light sensitivity, which not only makes nighttime pictures look better, but it also helps balance out daytime photos by picking up more details in shadows. The result is a camera that is noticeably better than the previous generation and sparks a serious conversation as to whether itās the best camera on a foldable. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultraās 200MP lens may offer more megapixels, but it canāt match the quality of what you get on the Pixel.
ā ā¦ but only for the main camera. Thatās where the upgrades come to a halt. The 10.5MP ultra-wide and 10.8MP telephoto cameras are the same as last year, letting in less light and detail than the main sensor by a bigger margin than ever before. You get 30x zoom this time around, which is nice, but youāll want to stick to 5x optical zoom if you donāt want your pictures to look too overprocessed. At night, neither camera can match the quality of the main shooter, making them feel more like utility cameras when you need to punch out or zoom in to capture a scene, not necessarily a lasting memory. The twin 10MP selfie cameras are the same, too, and theyāre good enough for daytime selfies but not as much at night.
š„ Video quality gets a boost. The main camera is also better at recording video, which has seen a noticeable improvement compared to previous Pixel phones. Switching between lenses is smoother than before, and there seems to be less fragmentation around sharp edges in the frame. While the Pixel 11 Pro Fold isnāt on par with, say, the iPhone 17 Pro Max in the video department, the 4K 60fps clips I captured were more than serviceable for Instagram and TikTok.
šŖ Magic Capture makes hands-free capturing even better. Googleās smart camera features always impress us, and this year, Magic Capture stole the show. Switch to the mode in the Camera app, and the phone will lean on Gemini to record a video of a scene, then capture photos of all the best moments. It looks for the best framing, action, and facial reactions during the clip and saves them to your Photos app. This is incredibly handy when using the Pixel 11 Pro Fold in its tripod mode, where you prop the phone up halfway. You can press the button and take all the hands-free pictures you want, and itās even better that youāre not dependent on burst mode and a timer to get the picture you want.
š¤ Gemini Intelligence feels like a superpower. The experience using the Pixel 11 Pro Fold goes beyond Android 17 thanks to Gemini Intelligence. Itās Googleās suite of on-device AI features that take Geminiās smarts to a new level. It can see whatās on your screen, what youāre talking about with your friends, which emails you send, what your favorite coffee order is, and more (so long as you give it permission). From there, Gemini can show proactive prompts to make finding information easier, like checking your calendar if you tell someone you think youāre free on Saturday. You can also use an agent to order your morning Starbucks, get an Uber, order groceries, and more, all operating in the background.
š¦¾ Helpful AI feels so refreshing. Whether you dive head-first into using all of the AI features on the latest Pixels or just pick and choose a few to lean on, it all feels refreshingly useful to use. I love it when Gemini can proactively find a flight number for my trip to IFA when Iām sending an email, and someone asks for it for scheduling, or when I get too many notifications, and it highlights the only ones Iāll actually care about. Circle to Search remains as useful as ever, and Rambler (voice typing for brain dumps you can send to people and make them make sense) is perfect for long conversations. Thereās even Live Translations for sign language. So many of these features are exclusive to Pixel, which not only gives it an edge over the competition, but proves that AI isnāt always a gimmick to sell more phones.
š All-day battery life with a catch. Google has once again shipped a folding phone that can easily last a full day, which is great. But hereās the thing: the battery inside the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is technically smaller than the one in the 10 Pro Fold, and side by side, you notice the difference. The 10 Pro Fold could last a full day and into the next morning, whereas the 11 Pro Fold will die before then. Depending on how much you use the bigger screen, your phone could die before youāre ready to call it a night. While it will still last all day long, you wonāt get any extra endurance like you did last year.
ā”ļø Same charging speed, but at least we get Pixelsnap. The 30W charging on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is disappointingly slow, if only because the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra get faster 45W charging. It isnāt begrudgingly slow, but something faster than 30W in 2026 would be appreciated. At the very least, we get Pixelsnap with Qi2.2 25W wireless charging. Not only is it speedy for wireless charging, but the fact Google continues to integrate magnets into the design of the Pixel is something weāll never take for granted.
š Great performance and multitasking. The Tensor G6 inside the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has proven once again that Google can make a great chip. Is it as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 that a lot of other Android phones use? Not quite, but itās still capable of reliably fast performance for general tasks, multitasking, and gaming. Itās also well-equipped to handle all of Gemini Intelligence, given Googleās extensive work on the neural processor. Paired with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage, the 11 Pro Fold has plenty of power for years to come.
š„ It still gets a little hot. One thing that continues to be an issue for Googleās folding phones is heat management. While yes, the summer months will keep your gadgets warmer than normal, and that could be the reason the Pixel 11 Pro Fold gets hot when Iām using it. But every foldable from Google Iāve reviewed has gotten warmer than the other phones in its lineup, likely due to the thinner design and less room for thermals to operate. It doesnāt happen all the time, but if you have the screen brightness cranked up and run a few apps at the same time, youāll start noticing the back of the phone heating up.
š Loud stereo speakers. Jamming out to my playlist in the shower sounds great thanks to the Pixel 11 Pro Foldās stereo speakers. Thereās one on either side of the phone when itās open and one on the top and bottom when itās closed, and theyāre surprisingly full and loud. The bass isnāt quite as powerful as Iād like, but you wonāt be disappointed here.
š° The price should scare Samsung. The Pixel 11 Pro Foldās starting price of $1,899 puts it in a weird position, and no matter how you look at it, it seems like a better deal than what Samsung will sell you. Pay the same amount of money and you get the Fold 8, which is smaller with one less rear camera. Pay $200 more and you get the Fold 8 Ultra, which looks and acts like a Pixel Fold but doesnāt have the same Gemini Intelligence features or camera quality.
š„ Best bang for your buck. Raising prices is always a negative for the end consumer, but that almost doesnāt matter in the case of the Pixel. Googleās foldable is positioned to beat both of Samsungās foldables no matter how you swing it, so if you want the foldable with the best all-around experience for the least amount of money, youāll want the Pixel.
š¤ Should you buy the Pixel 11 Pro Fold?
Yes, ifā¦
ā You want the smartest foldable you can get
ā You want your phone to feel normal when itās closed
ā You want a great camera
ā You need your phone to last all day
ā You want the most features for the least amount of money
No, ifā¦
ā You want your phone to be more compact (get the Galaxy Z Fold 8)
ā You want to use a stylus with your phone (get the Motorola Razr Fold)
ā You want a thinner and lighter foldable (get the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra)
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.