Foldable phones have seen quite the transformation over the years.

From the flip phones of the noughties to book-style foldables that have officially broken into the mainstream, aided recently by Apple’s first ever folding smartphone, folding phones are undoubtedly continuing to grow in popularity.

Although the iPhone Duo might be many people’s first dip into foldables, many brands like Samsung and Google have already cemented themselves as pioneers within the folding phones market. However, while Samsung has evolved with the times, Google has stayed faithful to its original blueprint. 

Google seems pretty reluctant to make any major design changes to its flagship foldable and, though its foldables have seen industry-firsts in the past, the most recent Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold undoubtedly looks outdated, bulky and lacks the sleekness of its competitors.

How has Google managed to make a futuristic phone look outdated?

Take Samsung for example. Samsung introduced the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 this year, which sports a lighter and more practical feeling that makes the the Pixel 11 Pro Fold look like a seriously old-fashioned device – an odd but undeniably true thing to say about such an innovative product.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold has a 6.4-inch front screen, that although doesn’t have the tall aspect ratio of many other book-style foldables, is still way too bulky and heavy in hand to feel like a “normal” phone. As the point of a foldable is that you should be able to benefit from both a smartphone and a pocket-sized tablet, the fact the phone is so heavy to hold is a serious downside. 

And that brings me to the internal display. At eight-inches, the internal display is designed to provide more screen real estate for streaming content or even doing the odd bit of work. However, video content on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold will be tainted by black bars on either side – meaning it’s not quite the immersive viewing experience you’d expect from a £1799 phone. 

That’s especially hard to swallow when you consider the Z Fold 8 benefits from a 4:3 aspect ratio, which not only means that practically all apps run well, but there’s minimal black bars present when streaming too.

Otherwise, not only is the Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s inner display impacted by those irritating black bars, but it’s also impeded by its crease. While once upon a time, the crease was essentially a guarantee for a book-style foldable, many manufacturers have managed to almost completely eradicate it. Look at the Z Fold 8 head-on and you’ll barely notice the dip in the middle of the display, while the Vivo X Fold 6’s is a clear improvement from the folding phones of yesteryear. 

Clearly it’s possible to minimise the crease, so why hasn’t Google done so?

Even Google’s strengths are outdated 

As I mentioned briefly earlier, Google’s foldables have benefitted from industry-firsts in the past. For example, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold was the first foldable ever to sport an IP68 rating – something that Samsung’s Z Fold series is yet to introduce. Yes that’s impressive but it’s no longer rare, as the iPhone Duo and Honor Magic V6 also benefit from the same rating too. In fact, the Honor Magic V6 goes further with an additional IP69 rating too. 

Performance gaps

The Google Pixel line-up runs on Google’s own Tensor processors, known for prioritising AI smarts over pure power. For the most part, this is absolutely fine and, unless you’re a power user or a hardcore mobile gamer, Pixel phones should offer enough oomph that you likely won’t notice that it doesn’t have as much speed as Qualcomm or Apple’s alternatives. 

Having said that, considering the Google Pixel 11 range starts at £879, is this really something we should still be simply accepting now – especially with the £1799 Pixel 11 Pro Fold.

Sure, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s Tensor G6 chip is still a capable performer, but the fact it can’t compete with the Z Fold 8’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy nor the A20 Pro found in the iPhone Duo (though we’re yet to review that one just yet), no longer sits right. Essentially, we’re being told to pay more and be happy with less.

What does Google need to do?

Foldable phones have come a long way in the past few years, and especially in 2026 with the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and iPhone Duo. While the Pixel 11 Pro Fold does have some redeeming qualities, its overall bulky design makes the smartphone feel much less appealing. It’s not just that it doesn’t look nice, but the visible crease, unoptimised internal display and its heavy weight means the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is less usable than its competitors. 

We’d love to see Google redesign its Pixel Pro Fold, with smaller and wider displays, a less obvious crease and a slimmed down thickness too.