Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold sticks closely to the design of its predecessor while refining some key areas. The phone is slightly lighter and thinner, measuring 5mm thick unfolded and 10.1mm folded, with a 19-gram weight reduction from last year’s model. Durability has been improved significantly, with the company claiming the new foldable is three times stronger thanks to a glass-ceramic cover and a glass-fiber composite back. The device also introduces a subtle yet attractive olive color option. Despite its sturdiness, the chunky hinge means one-handed unfolding isn’t possible, a trade-off for the reinforced build quality.

The foldable’s display has been upgraded, offering a brighter screen that peaks at 3,600 nits compared to 3,000 nits on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, enhancing outdoor visibility. However, like many foldables, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold still has a very noticeable crease that becomes more visible under bright light. Its slightly larger outer display complements the experience, but the crease remains a design compromise. The foldable design supports multitasking with two apps side by side and includes fold-specific software enhancements, like Gmail's split view. However, many apps, such as Slack, aren’t yet optimized for the expanded screen, which may frustrate users.

On the software front, Google continues to leverage its AI-based features, including subtle updates to Gemini, its assistant system that offers timely suggestions across apps. The Magic Cue and Rambler features support efficient communication, especially in handling emails and notes, which benefit from the foldable’s larger display. Additionally, app bubbles enable convenient multitasking with floating windows. Despite these improvements, the Android foldable ecosystem trails behind Apple’s rapidly evolving app support for the iPhone Duo, highlighting a gap in seamless foldable software experiences.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold’s camera setup sees only incremental improvements, with an updated 48-megapixel main sensor that gathers more light and adds 30x Super Res Zoom, up from 20x previously. However, its ultrawide and telephoto lenses remain largely unchanged from last year, meaning it can’t quite match the camera prowess of Google’s Pixel 11 Pro slab phones. Priced at $1,899, the device sits in a competitive chunk of the market alongside the iPhone Duo and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, both wide-format foldables starting around $1,900 as well. With foldables from other manufacturers like Xiaomi and Honor entering the scene, Google faces stiff competition in this evolving segment.