Pixel 10 Pro Fold Becomes IP68 Durability Benchmark

Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold comes with a clear thesis: make foldables “tougher,” not thinner. It’s the first foldable with a complete IP68 rating, and combined with a new gearless hinge system, it abandons fragile novelty status in favor of a daily driver. The result—one might argue, given what building a custom Frankencomputer entails—is a more solidly built, confidently chunky device that’s designed with longevity in mind over lab-bench bragging rights.

Design and durability upgrades emphasize toughness

The 10 Pro Fold looks, visually, largely identical to last year’s model. Its engineering changes are not superficial ones. The new hinge, which is now gearless, adds a little resistance to slamming the phone open and closed, but more importantly cuts down on the “gap” (in the past, Samsung tended not to give reviewers devices that were fully working models). That matters: more room is less chance for pocket lint or grit to worm its way in and stress out the inner display.

Impressive is the IP68 rating—dust-tight and waterproof in accordance with IEC 60529. Competing foldables have generally gone up only to IPX8, which neglects dust entry. It won’t make the phone indestructible, but shifting to IP68 meaningfully alleviates the two biggest sources of anxiety buyers cite in surveys from research firms like IDC and Counterpoint Research: dust and water.

Google hasn’t posted a fold-cycle endurance number, while Samsung has for years cited 200,000 folds on its flagship. That said, the tighter hinge, fewer ingress points, and more stout build do combine to feel somewhat reassuring. It’s weightier than other models, but it feels purposeful, not fragile.

Display improvements and battery life gains explained

Brighter panels on the cover and inner displays make outdoor use better. The vibrant colors punch through sunlight and the touch response is snappy. The bezels are thicker than the trailblazers in this category—you’ll see that if you’re coming from a recent slab flagship—but the compromises also allow for the sturdier frame and hinge geometry.

A better-than-last-year battery lets the Fold clear a day of mixed messaging, map use, and photo capture comfortably. The charging is not class-leading (it also lacks the faster Qi2 implementation reserved for Google’s top slab model), but the endurance gains are substantial on a device running two sizable displays.

Performance, cooling behavior, and software features

With the Tensor G5 installed, the 10 Pro Fold is exceedingly quick in regular use: app switching, camera launches, and multitasking are fast. It’s not going to top the charts in synthetic benchmarks against the latest Qualcomm or Apple silicon, and you can still coax warmth when gaming for extended periods or recording long 4K videos (albeit less so without the vapor chamber cooling of Google’s Pro slab phones). It is very responsive for most users.

AI is the software headline. Magic Cue pulls in contextual snippets from screenshots and apps such as Maps, Gmail, Messages, and Keep to minimize the need to jump between apps. Practical day-to-day use is provided by real-time call translation and Gemini Live with video view. A camera coach adds guidance that can assist with composing shots. The ideas are genuinely useful, not just demo fodder, and they also scale well on the larger canvas of that inner display.

Camera hardware and image quality compared to Pro

The camera stack looks a lot more like last year’s Fold than it does the Pixel 10 Pro: a 48 MP main, a 10.8 MP telephoto with 5x optical, and a 10.5 MP ultrawide, as well as 10 MP front-facers on both displays. The primary sensor captures detailed, balanced images in good light and does well across dim scenes with the processing power of Google. The ultrawide and telephoto are fine but a shade behind the Pixel 10 Pro’s higher-spec pair, especially in low light.

Macro behavior can be too enthusiastic, engaging on small subjects when you’d rather use the traditional focal plane. And if you’re considering Pixel AI Zoom for its headline-grabbing 100x snaps, that feature doesn’t make it here. It’s definitely not a bad camera system, but that “Pro” name goes a long way toward setting expectations the hardware can’t quite meet.

Multitasking polish and third-party app optimization

When it comes to windowing, Google’s implementation is refreshingly clean and intuitive, and the omnipresent taskbar makes app pairing a breeze. However, third-party optimization remains uneven. Samsung’s multi-window and app continuity tricks still feel more coherent with a broader set of apps. If foldables are going to move beyond the stage of early adopters—the category is still low-single-digit percentages for worldwide shipments, according to Counterpoint and IDC research firms—Google will have to start nudging developers harder on building large-screen layouts and also sand off a few remaining rough spots.

Price versus competitors and what matters most

For $1,799, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is cheaper at list price than Samsung’s most recent giant foldable by about $200; regular promos can shave that down even more. It all depends on what you value most. If you’re most concerned with the slickest possible multi-window ecosystem or the absolute best telephoto performance, rivals still have an edge. If you’re interested in a foldable that at long last treats dust and water resistance as table stakes, this is the new going rate.

Verdict: a durable, smart foldable with trade-offs

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is Google’s most compelling evidence yet to make the case that a foldable can be someone’s primary phone, not just an experimental one. Seals are tighter (IP68) and there’s neater tech inside (a gearless hinge), the screens are brighter, battery life is better—and Google’s AI smarts genuinely feel like something everyone could use on a big canvas. Thicker bezels, slower charging, and camera hardware that lags behind the one on the Pixel 10 Pro prevent it from being a slam-dunk “Pro.” But if you prioritize durability and smart software, this is the foldable to beat at the moment.