So Close… Pixel 11 Pro Fold First Impressions vs Z Fold 8!
Today I have the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold in hand, and I was really excited to compare it to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 I’ve been using. At around $1,800 it’s really expensive, like all the foldables this year, but it brings a telephoto camera, IP68 dust and water resistance, and a shape that feels more like a normal slab phone when it’s closed. I unboxed it, put it side by side with the Z Fold 8 and the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and then used it for a couple of weeks to get my first impressions. (Part of this video is sponsored by Vankyo.)
The packaging is nicer than Samsung’s, and I went with Obsidian black over the green-gold because the black back matches the screen and looks more cohesive; the grayish finish feels great, is well coated so it isn’t a fingerprint magnet, and I prefer it to Samsung’s bluish tint. Unlike the other foldables this year, it has a telephoto unless you go for Samsung’s Ultra, and it’s IP68 dust and water resistant, so in theory you can trust it more than the Z Fold 8. It’s more comfortable to hold by a long shot because it’s narrower with rounded corners that don’t dig into your palm, though it’s a little too tall and the Z Fold 8 feels thinner; closed, it’s a bit shorter and slightly narrower than the Pixel 10 Pro XL, and open it’s basically two normal phones side by side, which makes multitasking great because you get two full apps at their original aspect ratios. The crease is the big weakness: the Z Fold 8 hides its crease much better (even if I can see it more after a couple of weeks), and on the Pixel you can feel a real indentation, so it feels a little dated, though you get used to it quickly. I love that the inner camera sits top right instead of in the middle like the Z Fold 8, but videos get too many black bars, there’s a random strip of space at the top from a widget you can’t remove, and gaming is my biggest gripe, since titles like Rocket League Sideswipe run in a weird square, aren’t optimized, and don’t feel responsive, so I’d pick the Z Fold 8 or 8 Ultra for gaming. A case makes it feel bulky, so I ditched it and used the built-in magnets for MagSafe-style accessories a ton, which the Z Fold 8 is missing, and the cameras have been good enough for a foldable without anything to write home about.
Watch the full Pixel 11 Pro Fold first impressions to see the size, crease, and gaming comparisons with the Z Fold 8. Final thoughts: it’s a pretty good foldable and a strong choice if you want a normal slab-phone shape that also unfolds, and I still prefer the Z Fold 8’s format, but the Z Fold 8’s lack of dust resistance worries me because my hands are always full of chalk from the gym and rock climbing, and that’s exactly where the Pixel comes in; it’s still a bit too expensive and that crease makes it feel less refined than the Z Fold 8, the 8 Ultra, and likely Apple’s new foldable, and the Vankyo Leisure 3R Air projector from the sponsor segment is linked in the video description.
