**A First-Hand Review of the Google Pixel Fold**

I have to admit that I was excited about the prospect of reviewing the Google Pixel Fold, one of the most highly anticipated foldable phones of the year. As someone who has been following the development of foldable technology for some time now, I had high expectations for this device. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was not entirely justified.

One aspect where the Pixel Fold fell short was in terms of camera capabilities. While it does offer a 48 megapixel main camera and a 5x telephoto lens, I couldn't help but feel that it didn't quite live up to its lineage in this department. The phone's cameras are good, don't get me wrong, but they're not the best among foldables. For example, when it comes to low light photography, the Pixel Fold doesn't quite match the standards set by other devices like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 or the Oppo Find N2.

To put this into perspective, let's take a look at some sample photos taken with the Pixel Fold. The first photo I took was of a flower, which is often considered a challenging subject for cameras to capture well. To my surprise, the Pixel Fold produced a slightly less vibrant image compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4. In contrast, the Google Pixel 7 Pro still managed to outdo it in terms of color accuracy.

Moving on to the Ultra Wide Angle camera, I was pleased to see that it offered a wider angle than some other foldable devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, its resolution is capped at 10.8 megapixels compared to the 5x telephoto lens, which offers better zoom capabilities.

**Low-Light Photography**

One area where the Pixel Fold shines is in low-light photography. I took several photos of a cocktail bar in Greenpoint and a cup of chai, both of which turned out well despite the challenging lighting conditions. However, when comparing them to other devices, such as the Oppo Find N2, it's clear that the Pixel Fold still has some catching up to do.

For example, the shot of the champagne I took with the Pixel Fold looked slightly less bright than one taken with the Oppo Find N2. On the other hand, the photo of my a7s camera at night turned out beautifully, with excellent detail and color accuracy.

**Pros and Cons**

So, what are the pros and cons of the Google Pixel Fold? Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by its performance and features. The phone's foldable design is quite clever, making it easy to prop up and use for tasks like time-lapses or astrophotography. However, there are some areas where it falls short.

One major concern is price - at $17.99, the Pixel Fold is priced similarly to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, which may not be justified given its slightly less impressive camera capabilities. Additionally, I would have liked to see more features like stylus support, which is available on other devices in this class.

**Conclusion**

Despite some areas where it falls short, I still think the Google Pixel Fold is a great device that's worth considering for anyone interested in foldable technology. Its cameras may not be the best among foldables, but they're certainly good enough for most users. And with its sleek design and user-friendly interface, it's easy to see why many people will fall in love with this phone.

I've already pre-ordered my own Pixel Fold, which is set to arrive tomorrow. I'm looking forward to spending more time with the device and seeing how it holds up over time. If you're interested in learning more about my experience with the Pixel Fold, be sure to subscribe to this YouTube channel for future reviews and updates.

**Final Thoughts**

For those who may not know, I've been following the development of foldable technology for some time now, and I must say that it's been exciting to see how quickly these devices have improved. From a user perspective, there are still some challenges to overcome before we can truly consider foldables as viable alternatives to traditional smartphones.

However, with devices like the Google Pixel Fold pushing the boundaries of what's possible in terms of design and functionality, I'm optimistic that we'll see even more innovation in this space in the future.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthank you the first official Google foldable is here this is the pixel fold and its arrival is a big deal it means Google will finally optimize Android for foldables and it also means Google is casting its bets on this form factor the phone promises to be the thinnest foldable out there as well as the one with the best camera all of these are plausible but how does it fare in the real world hi I'm Michael Josh your Gadget Matchmaker and over the last decade I've made it my job to show people around the world that Tech can be easy fun and exciting on this channel I give you special access to the products I review the events I attend and all the interesting people I get to meet along the way so if multiple phones are your down give this channel a subscribe and this video a like and I'll help you find the right device to match your needs this is my pixel Fold review this is the new pixel fold Google's first foldable smartphone it's both a 5.8 inch smartphone and a 7.6 inch compact tablet so it's not too thin Not Too Tall actually this form factor it's great I've always disliked how narrow the Galaxy Z fold is when closed it's a pain when you want to text or compose an email that's why I've gravitated towards the Oppo Find N2 mainly because it's wider making it much more usable while closed and still very pocketable for some though with its squarish aspect ratio the find and 2 is too small to enjoy as a tablet the pixel fold offers a good mix of both like the oppos it's wide enough to comfortably use while closed but because it's taller when you open it up its screen is larger a great size for tablet use and about the same size if you rotate the z-fold 4. in the week testing the pixel fold I use it mainly close to do most everyday things like responding to text or emails surfing the web perusing social media taking photos I did all of that quite comfortably with the screen closed the larger screen though comes in handy when working more serious when you want to multitask and have two windows open for example it's so easy to drag and drop photos from my gallery to an email or message or like I love to do on my computer have Google doc open on one side and a browser window on the other or maybe you're checking out a new recipe and want to have your Google keep shopping list on one side more on multitasking later pixel devices are known for their cool editing features too like magic eraser and the larger screen is perfect for that also I also love reading ebooks and this is also the perfect aspect ratio for using my Kindle app which sinks progress with any book I'm reading on my Kindle Oasis for me when it comes to foldables my expectation is that I have two devices and I want a great experience both when the phone is closed and the phone is open and in the time that I've spent with the pixel fold I'm happy to report that this device works great open and it works great closed so we're off to a great start before we continue here's a brief message from this video's sponsor not too long ago when I traveled to San Francisco my credit card somehow got hacked I woke up one day to find that my bank had suspended all of my accounts all because I connected to public Wi-Fi since then I've been extra diligent about using a VPN whenever I'm out and about like this video sponsor private internet access they help protect my data from hackers and they can be anywhere at cafes planes lounges or hotels places where I spend a lot of working hours with private internet access my internet connection is encrypted so that my personal data is protected because I travel a lot a VPN service ensures that I can watch the content that I want to watch no matter where I am in the world the critically acclaimed movie triangle of sadness for example is available to stream for free on Hulu which is only accessible in the US so while on the app I just click on the Pia button it's switch to another server and I'm connected or when I'm home I can watch Harry Potter movies by switching to this Australian server since it's no longer available on Netflix us get private internet access today at 83 percent off that's just a little over two dollars a month plus you get four months free it's available on every platform so all your devices can be protected I'll put all the links in the description box below the pixel fold comes in two colors obsidian which is dark gray and Porcelain which is a light champagne both have a matte frosted finish with color matched polished stainless steel hinges I had the privilege of using both colors and Porcelain is the one I've ordered for myself it's the standout color of the two but caveat it's only exclusively available from Google if you purchase it from a carrier obsidian is your only option you know me I'm not usually a fan of black phones and the darker finish shows fingerprints more easily that said the matte finish does a decent job of hiding them and it's a step up from the glossy finish on the pixel 7 Series speaking of the rest of the pixel line the fold has the same large camera bar as its siblings giving it that distinctive pixel look that fits right in with the rest of the family the sides of the pixel fold are rounded making them extremely comfortable to hold and it's eyes perfect for any pocket props to Google for impressively managing to make this phone so thin and that's thanks in part to the hinge design which we will cover next but while we're on the topic of design my biggest complaint is button placement you see the volume rocker is where my finger normally sits so say I'd want to open it up I almost always press it down even on the smaller Oppo Find N2 the button is higher up leaving the space free take a look at the pixel fold side by side with the Oppo Find N2 and the Samsung Galaxy Z fold 4. notice how much thinner it is that's thanks to an interesting new hinge design called the friction hinge whereas most manufacturers build the hinge mechanism underneath the display the hinge mechanism on the pixel fold is off to the side or you could say up top and on the bottom now this comes with its set of pros and cons pros obviously it's much thinner and it's virtually gapless meaning it's less prone to dust and dirt trapped underneath compare that to the fold 4 which has a large gap on one end and the find end 2 which closes shut but still has a bit of a gap having no air gap is so important especially when it comes to devices that have screens that are so fragile now speaking of durability the pixel fold also has an ipx8 rating which is the highest form of water resistance when it comes a device can achieve now let's talk con and first we're going to zoom in to that big bezel around the inner display because the mechanism is off to the sides notice these cams on the top and bottom ends of the device a week into use and I'm still not a fan of this big bezel it makes the phone feel like a prototype also for some reason it doesn't feel like the screen opens all the way to 180 degrees it's like it's missing two degrees if you're willing to overlook the aesthetic that also means that you don't have to deal with that inferior under display selfie camera and you get room to hold the device without interfering with the display Google says the hinge was designed so that the pixel fold will stay open at any angle and that it would close with a satisfying thump speaking of noises this is where I have to talk about a problem that I encountered Google sent me a review device early as you can see from this unboxing video I shot last week and in this clip from my unboxing I was surprised to hear that it made a cracking sound since the very first time I opened it I informed my Google PR rep and they were kind enough to send me a replacement and I was hoping that this would be a one-off case however just the other day I saw this tweet from my buddy Ray Wong who is a reviewer at inverse.com turns out he experienced the same issue and he sent me this clip foreign experiences are documented in his review and like him I hope that this isn't a widespread issue however it does kind of remind me of the first time Samsung sent out review devices for the original Galaxy fold because many reviewers were experiencing problems they had to issue a recall and that kind of delayed their launch date Google claims that this hinge is supposed to be the most durable of any foldable but only time will tell lastly let's talk about the screen and the crease something about opening up the phone especially Outdoors gives off this cheap feeling I've kept that thought to myself but many reviews came out today and surprisingly a lot of people feel the same way it's something however I can't quite put a finger on it's also not bright enough even if on paper it should be I struggle to see the display on a bright sunny day out taking photos at New York's little island and now the crease I'm obviously it's a foldable so it's there it's a little bit wider but definitely not as deep as Galaxy Z fold 4. I was curious though if I was too critical as a YouTuber so I had chai do a blind test you'll see from this video obviously there was no blind test but we could trust her and she described the fold four as having the deepest crease the find end 2 is having the best feel and the pixel fold as being right there in the middle and that pretty much matches what I feel with maybe less objective eyes and fingers foreign normally on Android phones you'll find this white bar at the bottom of each app and when you swipe on it you go home this white bar is also present on the pixel fold and if you swipe on it just a little less than you normally would you'll bring up the taskbar the key to multitasking on a pixel fold with an app already open you can summon the taskbar and from there launch another app just drag the app from the dock to whichever side of the screen you want it to go don't worry about it though you can reorder the windows around by double tapping right here in the middle if you switch to another app the app pair you just created will also remain available for you to quickly access and since we're comparing on the Galaxy Z fold 4 you have the option to have floating windows over two windows you have on split screen mode you can't do that on the pixel fold Google does make an effort to present this new foldable Centric SKU of Android as ready and intentional for a example a quick swipe down from the home screen utilizes the screen real estate smartly so you get quick settings on the left and all over your notifications on the right Google Apps also offer two column experiences like on Gmail or calendar but those aren't necessarily new its default behavior on the find end 2 and on the Galaxy Z fold 4 you need to rotate your device first overall though Android for foldables doesn't seem quite ready for Prime Time features like translator letting you use the inside and outside displays for real-time conversations with someone in another language are coming soon other stuff that works out of the box on other foldables like being able to show the person you're taking photos of a live preview of what the camera sees just doesn't work on the pixel here's another one usually with phones that you can prop up to take selfies with a hand gesture signals the camera to take the photo on the pixel fold this only works if you turn on timer mode to 3 or 10 seconds you even worse if you want to go back to taking photos the normal way you're still stuck in timer mode until you manually set it back it's these odd software quirks about the pixel fold that have left me a little bit disappointed the reason I was most excited about it was because my biggest issue with foldables today is that Android isn't optimized for it I hope these problems just exist because this is the start and that the OS and the ecosystem improves or catches up real soon the home screen is another example there's no way to have a different layout on the inside screen your front screen just mirrors your apps and widgets where foldables are concerned I think manufacturers need to give users different experiences on the outside screen as well as the inside screen not just a mirror I think the whole point of foldables is to give users two distinct experiences so manufacturers should definitely keep that in mind now that said there's still a lot to love about pixel Os or Android on a pixel exclusive features like call screening now playing and the ability to transcribe voice notes it's all there foreign fold is packed with a 4821 milliamp hour battery which is larger than the other two foldables I considered while working on this review to squeeze that much battery into a device Google has placed separate battery cells on each side of the device in my time with the pixel fold I was able to squeeze in a full day of use and that's probably because I used the auto display more often there is no charger in the box and the phone tops up at 21 watt charging but for our Gadget match charge test I use the optional 25.30 watt adapter that Google sells and here are the results 17 after 10 minutes 47 after 30 minutes an hour-long charge gets you to 80 the pixel fold also supports wireless charging but not Google's fast kind unlike the Galaxy Z fold there's also no reverse wireless charging but that's not a feature I lose sleep over because foldable phones don't have a big chassis for components you can expect that there's not enough space to be able to pack in complex camera systems to make them competitive with their Bigger Brothers say the pixel fold versus the pixel 7 Pro but I was still hoping that it lives up to its lineage and offers the best set of cameras we've seen on a foldable and we'll get there but first let's go over what you get on the outside there's a 10.8 megapixel Ultra wide angle camera a 48 megapixel main camera and a 5x telephoto lens alright let's start with something easy a flower actually bright red and pink flowers are not so easy for many phones while the Galaxy fold produced the more vibrant photo the pixel fold captured better detail but as you can see in this next photo of a pride flag the Galaxy fold consistently puts out punchier colors it's not as obvious in this shot of some cute stickers over a graffiti wall but it's safe to say that in general the pixel folds photos are more muted it could be the way that Google chooses to render color because here are the same shots taken with the pixel 7 Pro but actually in this photo of me the pixel 7 Pro still produces better color but not as vibrant as the Galaxy fold we're going to switch to some low light shots soon but first a few more points the fold 4 has a wider Ultra wide angle camera as can be seen in one of my favorite photo spots of a cause statue but the fold 4 only goes to 3x versus 5x on the pixel fold as can be seen in these photos all right some low light shots the first at this cool cocktail bar in Greenpoint I think all phones did a great job here the cocktail was good too two more low light comparisons this time let's throw in the Oppo Find N2 first up a shot of chai and it's obvious that in low light the pixel fold doesn't do as well chai still comes out clear but the photo just isn't as bright dare I say the finding tube does the best job lastly a shot of my a7s which is the camera I use to film all my videos all phones did a great job of producing that creamy bokeh using the lights from the Manhattan skyline the pixel fold did an excellent job here even adjusting the white balance a little overall I think the pixel fold cameras are good but not the best among foldables as I had hoped for that said enjoy some standout clips from a pixel fold photo walk in New York thank you anybody go go go go sh while the flip form factor is better for propping up your phone to take photos the friction hinge on the pixel fold allows you to prop it up for things like time lapses and this is a sample that I shot as well as pointing it up at the sky to use the phone's astrophotography mode so is the pixel fold your Gadget match because we don't live in a vacuum it's also worth pointing out that Samsung is about to launch the Galaxy Z fold 5 at the end of July I hear that OnePlus is also planning to announce a new foldable OnePlus device so watch the space especially if you live in the US where up until recently the Galaxy Z fold 4 was the only foldable that one could get the pixel fold came with high expectations and while there is a lot to love about it I don't think they hit the market especially since at 17.99 Google is asking as much as Samsung is for the fold 4 and the fold apart from now going on five iterations also offers other things like stylus support all these things notwithstanding I think it was a great first effort from the pixel team and for what it's worth I've already pre-ordered my pixel fold it's coming tomorrow hopefully and porcelain and I do intend on keeping it and using it that should tell you that I actually enjoyed my time reviewing the device speaking of my order I also ordered a pixel case in porcelain to match my fold but I saw a blue one out in the wild and might pick one up too Google is known to make excellent cases for their smartphones and that was my Google pixel Fold review I can't believe we finally have an official foldable phone from Google and I know it's only been six days so maybe in a month or two or maybe even more after using my own pixel fold I can kind of put together more thoughts and come back to you that's something you'd like to see make sure you subscribe to this YouTube channel and hit that Bell icon so that you get notified as soon as we publish follow me on social media for all the behind the scenes fun stuff and for news and updates make gadgetmatch.com your daily habit until the next video I'm Michael Josh for dropping by foreign\n"