Nailing the foldable concept... is Google. Surprisingly. Sorry, Samsung, sorry OnePlus

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In my three weeks of Pixel Fold video review Shorts, I'd been slowly coming to the conclusion that, despite being slightly outgunned in the raw specs department (screen brightness, chipset, charging speeds), Google absolutely nailed the form factor.

What's needed is a phone that's manageable in the hand and yet which unfolds to a decent tablet size. Samsung's Z Fold series gets all the basics right but is over-tall and over-slim when folded, while OnePlus' new Open foldable is almost as tall and wider, making it a large phone to start off with. Plus the latter omits a 2023 essential - Qi wireless charging and isn't waterproof...

See my concluding Short in particular (a blog embed isn't perhaps the perfect container for a portrait video, but hey...), in which I list all the reasons why the Pixel Fold is the foldable right now:

The key phrase in my video is perhaps 'compact'. Although heavy, the Pixel Fold sits just right in a pocket and in the hand, using it one-handed just as a regular small candy-bar phone.

And it's not just me that thinks all this - folding supremo Shane Craig has been posting just today about the same issue, comparing all the various foldable and form factors - and also coming up with the conclusion that the compact Pixel Fold is the way to go if you're determined to go down the foldable route:

I haven't touched on price per se because almost no one pays the inflated RRPs. Buying new, there are always big trade-ins and discounts, and buying second hand (as I did) you can expect to start at around half the RRP.

Despite my overwhelming positivity in my Shorts videos for the Pixel Fold, I remain ambivalent to the whole folding concept. What does this mean? It means more videos and more articles while I wrestle with the concept of ultra fragile folding glass in a mission-critical smartphone. I'm blown away by what the Pixel Fold can do for me, but I'm also apprehensive at reported repair costs and expected real world folding longevity.

Watch this space!

PS. No disclosures needed - I bought my own Pixel Fold (see 'second hand' mention, above!). So you can't put any praise down to wanting to please Google's PR department. Just thought I'd mention that.

PPS. If you like this feature and want to support my work then please do so here via PayPal. Thanks.

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