Beyond the Alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column that focuses on the tech world both inside and out of the confines of Mountain View.
For much of the year, the focus on foldable phones has been on how thin manufacturers can make them. But after Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold put the rest of the market on notice, the same can be said about the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, but for a completely different reason.
We’ve lamented on numerous occasions about how the original Pixel Fold was an eyesore and behind the 8-ball as soon as it arrived. It was awkward, had thick bezels, and a hinge that may or may not have opened all the way. It made the Galaxy Z Fold 5 look futuristic, despite using a design that was already getting a bit long in the tooth.
Google then surprised us all with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, managing to beat out the rest in the race to become as thin as possible. Fast forward to now, and Google has “recycled” this design for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, skipping the “thin” factor in favor of other specs, such as a larger battery and Qi2 magnetic charging. However, there’s another reason why the added thickness doesn’t bother me, and it’s one we probably don’t think about enough.
Where the Pixel 10 Pro Fold stands apart
There’s one thing that Google’s flagship foldable has over the rest of the competition: an IP68 rating. Frankly, many wondered if such a rating would ever apply to foldables, given the numerous fail points on a phone with a built-in hinge. Not to mention that Google was the first to achieve this, not Samsung, Oppo, Xiaomi, or any other phone maker.
In doing so, it provides me (and hopefully everyone else) with a bit more confidence when I get caught in a thunderstorm or take a trip with the family to the beach. No, I’m not saying you should drop the 10 Pro Fold into a bucket of water to test it, but you also won’t have to worry quite as much compared to others.
Initially, I didn’t really think much about the IP rating, mainly because I’m almost never in a situation that would require me to worry about it. However, funnily enough, that all changed recently when I went to a three-day music festival at the beach.
Being who I am — a nerd who likes phones and tech — I went to the festival with three different phones. Two were foldables, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in one front pocket, the Oppo Find N5 in the back pocket, and the non-folding Pixel 10 Pro in the other front pocket.
Day one of the concert festival went off without a hitch, but day two was a completely different story
It was raining off and on all day, and it got worse after my wife and I arrived. We were there to see a few different bands, but the headliner for night two was Good Charlotte, a band that we both love and haven’t had the opportunity to see. The problem was that by the time they came on stage, it felt like we were standing in the outer bands of a hurricane with heavy rain and winds.
Naturally, when you’re someone like me, carrying three phones and seeing bands you listened to religiously growing up, you want to take pictures. Throw in the fact that Good Charlotte had a surprise guest in Deryck Whibley of Sum 41, and it’s even more of a reason to record a video or take some pictures.
Not once did I reach for either the Find N5 or the Z Fold 7 out of fear that the conditions might overwhelm them. Instead, I relied on the Pixel 10 Pro to snap pictures of the band as they played through the hits of my childhood. All the while, jumping around and dancing in a downpour that just so happened to let up as soon as Good Charlotte’s time was up.
That hesitation was enough to make me wish that I had the 10 Pro Fold with me, as I would’ve felt just as comfortable using that over the other two foldables in my pockets. Not only could I have written about that experience, but I also would’ve been more likely to leave all of the other phones behind and just carry that one.
Compromises for the sake of compromises
The thing with foldable phones is that they represent the epitome of compromise within the smartphone space. Companies try to cram as much tech as they can into phones that aren’t just simple slabs of aluminum and glass, usually to the detriment of one feature or another. It’s why the Pixel 10 Pro Fold doesn’t have the same camera hardware as the 10 Pro XL, despite the former being about $800 less expensive.
This idea of compromise is also why Samsung ultimately decided to ditch S Pen support with the Fold 7, as the digitizer prevented Samsung from making the phone as thin as it wanted. And while I think there’s a prototype out there that looks like the Fold 7 but includes the necessary tech to support the S Pen, I suspect that it’ll never see the light of day.
Honestly, I don’t even know if I would care at all about the IP68 rating if it weren’t for my concert experience. But if anything, it’s made me realize that it’s time for Samsung, Motorola, and every other foldable phone maker to get on board. Even if that means that the phone is a few millimeters thicker than the current models.
Don’t sleep on it
The Pixel 10 Pro Fold might not be the thinnest foldable, but Google is relying on other major changes to lead the way, even if they aren’t immediately noticeable.
