While many foldable phone-makers tout the sleekness of their devices, Google is once again going in a different direction. 

On Wednesday, the company unveiled the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, emphasizing its increased durability over its predecessor. That might not sound very sexy, but it’s a big deal when you’re spending $1,899 on a phone. 

Yes, that’s a $100 price hike over last year’s Pixel Fold, which Google acknowledged in a briefing is due to the RAM shortage that’s hiking costs across the industry. But the company clearly hopes that’s a price you’ll be willing to pay for a little more peace of mind – as well as some fresh capabilities.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold looks strikingly similar to last year’s 10 Pro Fold – which, in turn, resembled the phone before it. But beneath the surface, the latest book-style foldable is three times more durable than last year’s offering, according to Google.

The new phone lineup, which also includes the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, arrives one month before Apple is expected to unveil its next-generation handsets and, potentially, the long-rumored foldable iPhone. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also debuts on the heels of Samsung’s latest foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which broke preorder records and could share a passport-style design with Apple’s anticipated foldable. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold, on the other hand, maintains the taller build of more traditional book-style phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. 

All Pixel 11 phones are open for preorder now and launch on Aug. 20. Here’s what Google says it improved with the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and what remains the same from last year.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold has a 6.5-inch display with a new glass-ceramic cover that’s more resistant to scratches and cracks, according to Google. Like most foldable phones today, that cover display is a comfortable size for scrolling, typing and browsing, and doesn’t feel awkwardly narrow or tight. The bezels have also slimmed down this year, making the display feel a little more immersive.

The Fold’s glass fiber composite back cover should be harder to crack, and an aluminum frame adds some sturdiness while keeping the phone relatively light. In fact, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is nearly 10% lighter than last year’s phone, Google says.

The 11 Pro Fold’s sprawling 8-inch inner display is also more durable, according to Google, with anti-impact film for better protection against drops. A redesigned hinge can also protect the inside display from damage if your handset takes a tumble. That offers some assurance if you like to live on the edge and go caseless like me.

Google carried over one of the defining features of last year’s foldable: the IP68 rating. That means the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is protected against grains as small as dust and can be submerged in up to a meter and a half of water for 30 minutes – granting it the same level of particle and liquid resistance as most premium non-folding phones. By comparison, foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Motorola Razr Fold are not rated for protection against dust and fine sand, so they likely wouldn’t fare well at the beach.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is slightly thinner this year, measuring 5mm thick when open and 10.1mm thick when closed. That makes it a little thicker than the Z Fold 8 Ultra (4.1mm open, 8.9mm closed) and the Razr Fold (4.6mm open, 9.9mm closed). But the differences feel rather negligible when I hold each of these phones in my hand, signaling just how far sleek foldable design has come. 

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes in two colors: olive and obsidian.

Camera specs on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold

On paper, not much is new about the Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s cameras. This year’s phone once again has a 48-megapixel wide-angle, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide and 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera on the back. There are also 10-megapixel selfie cameras on the cover and inside displays. 

Like last year’s foldable, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has a more scaled-back camera system than its Pixel 11 Pro counterparts, despite the shared high-end name. But I look forward to taking it for a spin and seeing how its cameras perform.

The Fold can now take better low-light photos, according to Google. It also gets an upgrade to Super Zoom, which uses AI to sharpen zoomed-in images, going from a maximum of 20x last year to 30x this year.

The biggest new camera feature is Magic Capture, which lives within the camera app next to the photo and video controls. When you tap Magic Capture, it’ll analyze a scene and automatically find the best shots, so you don’t have to tap the shutter button each time you want to snap a picture. Just hold your phone up and your Pixel will record the scene and then pinpoint the best moments for a photo. You can read more about Magic Capture and the other Pixel 11 capabilities I tried here.

Another new feature lives within the camera bar itself. HiLight is available on all the Pixel 11 Pro devices, and will flash different customizable colors on the back to indicate that a specific person is calling, for example. That way, you can tell at a glance whether it’s worth flipping your phone over and responding, or if you’d rather keep it face down and stay in the moment. 

I could see myself using HiLight to flag only the most important calls, like ones from my mom, when I want to lock in. But I also know the safest bet to avoid checking my phone is to keep it clear across the room where I can’t reach it.

Rene Ramos

Battery life and processor on the Pixel 11 Pro Fold

In slimming down, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s battery takes a slight hit (at least on paper), going from 5,015 mAh last year to 4,806 mAh this year. Still, Google says the battery should last over 24 hours, which I look forward to testing once I can use the 11 Pro Fold as my daily driver. 

The new foldable is powered by a Google Tensor G6 processor and launches with Android 17. That includes a suite of Gemini Intelligence features designed to make it easier to find and share information without hopping between apps. I demoed a handful of these functions when I swung by Google’s Mountain View, California, headquarters last week, and they strike me as surprisingly helpful and time-saving.

Like last year’s foldable, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes with 16GB of RAM and either 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage. The memory shortage means you’ll pay $100 more for the same amount of storage as last year. But you can look for carrier deals to soften the blow of the $1,899 starting price. 

This year, Google appears to have doubled down on the defining advantage of its foldable phone: durability. Now, the question is whether that focus will be enough to resonate with consumers – especially as competition in the foldable market continues to heat up.

Abrar Al-Heeti

Senior Technology Reporter

Abrar's interests include phones, streaming, autonomous vehicles, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. In addition to her current role, she's worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all. See full bio