Previous CAD renders had already lowered my expectations for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The latest promotional material shared by Evan Blass through the Leakmail newsletter leaves little hope of anything beyond a new paint job and design tweaks so minor that most people would struggle to notice them without looking closely.
The phone looks disappointingly similar to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, retaining the same proportions, rounded corners, and unusual camera island. I have never liked the way Google stacks what look like two smaller Pixel camera visors on top of each other. It feels awkward rather than cohesive.
Google’s effort to maintain the same heavily rounded design across the Pixel lineup also creates another problem. On its foldable, the shape leaves large chunks of exposed metal around the upper and lower portions of the hinge-side bezel. I am not sure what the thought process was, but the result has never looked right to me.
Google is sticking to the same formula
A conservative refresh would be easier to accept if rivals were not moving in a different direction. The original Pixel Fold introduced a shorter and wider book-style form factor to the Western market, and Samsung has now adopted a similar shape for the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Apple also appears to be taking the same approach with its first foldable. Google, meanwhile, seems content to keep refining its current design for at least another generation.
Previous CAD measurements suggested the Pixel 11 Pro Fold could shrink from 10.8mm to 10.1mm when closed and from 5.2mm to 4.8mm when unfolded. Those reductions are welcome, but shaving a few fractions of a millimeter from the body hardly makes up for another year of the same design. The approach feels similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 8, which became slightly slimmer while retaining much of the same hardware and launching at a $100 higher price.
The slimmer body may also come at a cost. Previous reports point to a battery of around 4,800mAh, down from the 5,015mAh cell inside its predecessor. Pricing is also expected to rise, potentially reaching 1,999 euros for the base model.
A great color helps soften the disappointment
At least the Pine finish looks genuinely good. The muted green back, light gold frame, and matching Google logo work surprisingly well together, giving an otherwise familiar-looking foldable some much-needed personality. The material also shows the recently teased Pixel Glow LED tucked into the upper camera visor. A stylish color and notification light cannot replace a meaningful redesign, but they are two parts of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold that look fresh.
The main attraction of the Pixel lineup will likely be its new Gemini Intelligence features, so I am sure the phone will still attract buyers despite looking nearly identical to last year’s model. All that said, if the early response to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 holds, I would like to see Google give the short and wide form factor another try.
The original Pixel Fold was ahead of its time in that regard. The market may finally be ready for it now that some of the industry’s biggest players are making the design mainstream.