Hands On: Google's $1,799 Pixel Fold Is Finally Here to Take on Samsung

pcmag.com:

After months of rumors and teasers, Google fully unveiled the Pixel Fold, its first folding phone, during its I/O developer conference keynote in Mountain View. The Fold faces unique headwinds the company's other phones don't: It's expensive. With a starting price of $1,799, it's twice the cost of the Pixel 7 Pro and more than three times the cost of the Pixel 7a. That said, it's the same price as the current champion of folding phones, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4. Will buyers take a chance on it? Based on what we’ve seen of the phone so far, there’s plenty to like.

If there's one thing that stands out about the Galaxy Z Fold 4, it's the narrow shape the phone takes when closed. The tall, skinny silhouette makes the outer display less functional than that of a standard smartphone and it's particularly difficult to type on. Google doesn't want that for its folding phone, so it gives the Pixel Fold a shorter, wider stance. This provides the outer screen with more space to breathe and leads to a better experience when the device is folded shut.

The phone measures 5.5 by 3.1 by 0.5 inches (HWD) when folded and 5.5 by 6.2 by 0.2 inches when unfolded. It weighs 10 ounces, which is significant for a phone but certainly not as much as a tablet. It didn't feel overly heavy when I used it for a short while and it was more comfortable to store in my jeans pocket than the taller, thicker Galaxy Z Fold 4 (6.11 by 2.64 by 0.62 inches, 9.28 ounces).

Google takes a completely different approach to designing the hinge, which features moving parts at the top and bottom, but not in between. This is what allows it to make the phone thinner than the Z Fold 4 while maintaining rigidity and strength. Google says it's made from multi-alloy