Google Pixel Fold

[Bkdodger]

So, I am wanting to pre-order but there’s something that’s stopping me. They’re actually giving a surprisingly good value for the iPhone 13 Pro Max base, at $900, so I was thinking about trading in. But the problem, is knowing me, there is a darn good chance that, despite how excited I’ve been, this thing will end up going back in favor of my iPhone just because I have so much trouble changing to a new UI for my one and only main device. In that case, I’d be returning it, and I don’t know what happens then. Does anyone here know if they actually ship your traded in device back? I’m assuming not but if that’s the case what happens to the credit? Does it get added to your account or does it just disappear. Even in the former, I’m not sure what I would do with $900 of google store credit. I suppose the real question is, do they allow you to ship in your device after that 14 day return period is up so that I have the entire return period to actually evaluate the device?

Think you good on time for trade in ..

Buy a Pixel phone & trade in your old phone for a credit - United States - Google Store Help

When you buy a new Pixel phone, you can get credit when you trade in your old phone through Google Store. Trade-in through Google Store is available in Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and

support.google.com

 

[Aneres11]

Not fold related, but that coral 7a is swweeeeet 😁

 

[rillrill]

I ultimately canceled my preorder. I want to wait until the battery reviews are out and the deals kick in. I’m sorry, Google. I think you made a good product, but anything not Apple loses a lot of its value 6 months later. I don’t have a phone to trade in, as I want to keep my iPhone as a hand me down. I’m hoping some carrier deals roll out by September or Google lowers the price.

 

[Bkdodger]

Not fold related, but that coral 7a is swweeeeet

Haha ...I do like it and that powder blue is not too shabby

 

[danb1979]

I’m not too worried about camera specs. The Pixel line has never really had the absolute best camera hardware. I’m certain the camera will be a noticeable improvement over the Fold 4 even if not quite as good as the Pixel 7 Pro.

That's the thing though; for the brief time I had the 7 Pro; the camera was absolutely superb IMO and better than the S23U's camera to me... That's why the Fold feels a let down as it's a backwards step in the specs

 

[Bkdodger]

That's the thing though; for the brief time I had the 7 Pro; the camera was absolutely superb IMO and better than the S23U's camera to me... That's why the Fold feels a let down as it's a backwards step in the specs

I think the camera is going to perform well but I definitely understand wanting to have at least the same thing camera wise as the 7 Pro... Has me thinking since they wanted to keep the phone really thin they had to do a little bit of compromising with the camera I don't know for sure just has me thinking that

 

[Aneres11]

That's the thing though; for the brief time I had the 7 Pro; the camera was absolutely superb IMO and better than the S23U's camera to me... That's why the Fold feels a let down as it's a backwards step in the specs

This is another reason why I've not ordered one. And it's the same criticism I have of the Fold and Flip series. The cameras are always a step down vs flagships, yet these foldable cost much more than the flagship...
I know the reason will likely be the design and that some compromises have to be made, but I class the camera as one of the most important things in a smartphone, so I want to have a very good one.

I'm still confident the Pixel fold camera will be great, though. As you only have to look at the A series. It's an inferior camera to the flagships, yet still takes incredible stills. So it could be a non-issue, but I agree with the point of flagship price should warrant complete flagship design and components.

 

[RedTheReader]

Think you good on time for trade in ..

Buy a Pixel phone & trade in your old phone for a credit - United States - Google Store Help

When you buy a new Pixel phone, you can get credit when you trade in your old phone through Google Store. Trade-in through Google Store is available in Canada, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and

support.google.com

Wow, I was more-so asking the people who’d had personal experience. I really, really do appreciate you taking the time to read the fine print for me. Pre-ordered.

 

[Ludatyk]

That's the thing though; for the brief time I had the 7 Pro; the camera was absolutely superb IMO and better than the S23U's camera to me... That's why the Fold feels a let down as it's a backwards step in the specs

Let me first mention, I've never owned a 7 Pro nor a S23U... however, not once have I took a picture with this recent Fold 4 and wished for a better output when taking a photo.

The results we get from smartphone cameras are debated and analyzed to determine which performs the best. But it's getting to the point where the differences between them are subjective. As MKBHD once mention, its more to do with computational work behind the scenes when taking photos.

 

[5105973]

I ordered bc I was probably going to upgrade my Z Fold4 to the 5 but figured I’d try something different as the Pixel experience has long been my favorite on a phone. I like the front screen and aspect ratio on the inside better as well. The fact that Google is giving around what Samsung usually does for trade in value of the Fold I figured why not give it a go. If the Z Fold 5 looks like one I can’t live without then I imagine I’ll trade in my S23U but I feel it’s going to just be a refinement of the Fold 4 and I can probably hold off till next year. So likely combo will be S23U on my personal line and Pixel Fold on the work line. I think I can live with that a while 😀

That all makes sense. I can’t wait for you to get your Pixel Fold! I like the aspect ratio and overall look of the Pixel Fold myself. The Z fold 4 is very narrow and doesn’t fold very flat. So I’m interested in seeing Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold improvements on that aspect.

 

[blairh]

After reading some hands-on impressions, this potential issue with the GPF not opening entirely flat without extra effort is very concerning. At the very least the Galaxy Fold series seems to lock into a fully open position rather easily.

Unless you absolutely need a free pixel watch, I highly recommend waiting until all the reviews drop and even holding the device in a store before purchasing. (And that pixel watch promo may remain for a while too fyi.)

 

[Ctrlos]

That all makes sense. I can’t wait for you to get your Pixel Fold! I like the aspect ratio and overall look of the Pixel Fold myself. The Z fold 4 is very narrow and doesn’t fold very flat. So I’m interested in seeing Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold improvements on that aspect.

I'd honestly wait for first reviews and the Z Fold 5 before making a purchase. If Samsung integrate the S-Pen this year that makes it a very compelling purchase. If you look at the marketing the ZF4 is entirely focussed on productivity features whereas the Pixel Fold page looks just like the Pixel 7 Pro's but with an added sub entry about the foldable screen, almost as if its not a selling point.

That's not to belittle the Pixel 7 Pro. I think its the best phone you can buy for under £1000; its just that Google don't seem to be selling the folding aspect an awful lot, despite having apps that morph between phone view and tablet view which is very cool.

 

[danb1979]

This is another reason why I've not ordered one. And it's the same criticism I have of the Fold and Flip series. The cameras are always a step down vs flagships, yet these foldable cost much more than the flagship...
I know the reason will likely be the design and that some compromises have to be made, but I class the camera as one of the most important things in a smartphone, so I want to have a very good one.

I'm still confident the Pixel fold camera will be great, though. As you only have to look at the A series. It's an inferior camera to the flagships, yet still takes incredible stills. So it could be a non-issue, but I agree with the point of flagship price should warrant complete flagship design and components.

Nail > head 👍🏼

 

[SteveJUAE]

I think you are referring to the Edge Panel that allowed to pin apps to the side bar… Samsung removed that in favor of the taskbar.

And, yes. The Google bar (I just call it the dock) is a feature similar to the taskbar that’s on the bottom of the Fold… I think Google’s version is better because it’s larger. Google claim its a Android 14 feature… perhaps, Samsung makes changes to it for OneUI 6.0.

Nope edge Panel is still there and far more customisable etc

 

[Ludatyk]

Nope edge Panel is still there and far more customisable etc

Yes, the edge panel is there.. but we can no longer pin apps to the side. That's been removed.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Yes, the edge panel is there.. but we can no longer pin apps to the side. That's been removed.

View attachment 2200645

Pin was just a Labs experimental sub feature of side panel so no biggie it did not survive

Personally never used it as for me its to declutter and not have permeant real estate occupied with menus or task bars or nav buttons

 

[Ludatyk]

After reading some hands-on impressions, this potential issue with the GPF not opening entirely flat without extra effort is very concerning. At the very least the Galaxy Fold series seems to lock into a fully open position rather easily.

Yeah, it’s going to be so many post regarding this… claiming whether or not its a flaw.

 

[Bkdodger]

View attachment 2200680

Yeah, it’s going to be so many post regarding this… claiming whether or not its a flaw.

I think it's going to make it easier to pick up

 

[Aneres11]

(No shade), but it’s been interesting seeing the Samsung Fold users / fans reactions to the Pixel Fold… I imagine the Reddit threads are a blood bath hahah.

Google entering the foldable space is good for everyone, as hopefully it will make Android foldables better across the board. Same with the Pixel tablet. Hopefully that will make Android tablets better as in my previous experience, they’re pretty horrible and don’t come close to the iPad (for my use case). The price of the tablet is really good, though.

 

[Achillias]

View attachment 2200680

Yeah, it’s going to be so many post regarding this… claiming whether or not its a flaw.

That's so so bad. I would've shipped that thing back if it was a retail version. 🤣 Also what's happening with the durability. That thing is scratched badly. And I've seen more of those in a short time. Especially around the camera seems to be a weak spot.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Well, there are some foldable specific software like the dual mode feature where a Pixel Fold user can speak to the phone and it translate in real time on the cover display.

And they stole some ideas from Samsung with flex mode features being able to angle the Pixel Fold in a 90 degree angle to control video playback, there’s also the ability to use the cover display as a viewfinder for selfies. Not sure what more you want in multitasking… since it’s a mini-size tablet.

Well let’s think about this. The typical Fold user is a power user that wants to multitask and use it as their all in one device so they don’t need a tablet. Samsung recognizes this which is why they included stylus support, multitasking up to four apps, Dex, permanent dock, etc. Not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, but to me it seems like Google just did the bare minimum in terms of software, which is usually where they shine. They allow only two app multitasking, a dock that’s only recent apps that doesn’t stay permanently, and some UI things like split screen settings/camera/etc. They made their own apps with UI changes but that’s it. Samsung made their own apps UI compatible, partnered with Microsoft to update their UI, and added labs to make apps without UI compatibly to at least rotate and stretch the aspect.

 

[Awesomesince86]

That's so so bad. I would've shipped that thing back if it was a retail version. 🤣 Also what's happening with the durability. That thing is scratched badly. And I've seen more of those in a short time. Especially around the camera seems to be a weak spot.

100% not a bad unit. That’s how all of them are. Max Weinberg, the annoying little twit from Android Police, posted on Twitter a few weeks back that his friend played with a dev unit from a Google employee and the thing that stood out the most is that it didn’t fold flat and said it felt like it would break if you did fold it flat.

 

[Mellofello808]

(No shade), but it’s been interesting seeing the Samsung Fold users / fans reactions to the Pixel Fold… I imagine the Reddit threads are a blood bath hahah.

Google entering the foldable space is good for everyone, as hopefully it will make Android foldables better across the board. Same with the Pixel tablet. Hopefully that will make Android tablets better as in my previous experience, they’re pretty horrible and don’t come close to the iPad (for my use case). The price of the tablet is really good, though.

I have a love/hate relationship with my fold 4.

I am convinced that folding phones are the future, and probably will never go back.

That being said I resent the form factor, and I have a ton of issues with the camera. Beyond it not being the best fidelity, mine has a ton of focus issues.

If the fold 5 was coming in with this form factor, and better cameras I would be chomping at the bit to get one.

Ultimately I think that this will actually be much better for productivity vs the fold. It is actually wide enough for 2 apps side by side. You can rotate the fold and have a wide screen, but having the crease down the middle is less than ideal.

 

[Aneres11]

I have a love/hate relationship with my fold 4.

I am convinced that folding phones are the future, and probably will never go back.

That being said I resent the form factor, and I have a ton of issues with the camera. Beyond it not being the best fidelity, mine has a ton of focus issues.

If the fold 5 was coming in with this form factor, and better cameras I would be chomping at the bit to get one.

Ultimately I think that this will actually be much better for productivity vs the fold. It is actually wide enough for 2 apps side by side. You can rotate the fold and have a wide screen, but having the crease down the middle is less than ideal.

Interesting! When I had a Fold 2, it was just flat out bad to use. The outside screen was completely pointless, meaning I had to open it anytime I wanted to do something. When it was open, it was great and I 'got' foldables completely.
But for a quick reply to a text whilst waiting for a coffee at work etc, it just got annoying opening the thing all the time.

And don't start me on Samsung cameras 😅. Never been for me. I think the Pixel Fold looks great, but I just don't think it's in my price range currently. Particularly with all the tech upcoming in Sept / Oct so I'll hold out.

 

[5105973]

Not fold related, but that coral 7a is swweeeeet 😁

I hate you. I took a look at it because of your post and OMG! I’m in love 😻.

Trade in value on my Pixel 6 Pro is not bad, too, compared to past values given for it. I’m tempted. I’d lose the zoom but I’d gain a smaller Android phone I might possibly be able to look at.

But one review says the phone runs hot. That’s my pet peeve on phones. I have sensitive skin when it comes to that sort of thing. And it triggers some primitive self preservation instinct, but I just freak out when my phones get really hot. My 12 mini would run hot when the sun shines on it for just a few seconds. I loved that phone but hated THAT. My 11 Pro used to heat up like it was about to self destruct in a poof of ash.

Getting back on subject, the Pixel Fold is definitely interesting. I hope my husband gets one. I like how it’s wide even when folded. It has a nice useful exterior display. I do want to see more reviews about the actual apps running on it. I always thought the Fold 4 is too narrow and too chunky.

I’ve been short on time so unfortunately all I can do this week is pop in, read a few posts and pop out again.