Google Pixel Fold: The 8 best features for your new foldable – Android Police

The Pixel Fold is Google's first foldable. It has unique features that help it stand out from the competition. While we noted glaring hardware and software issues in our Google Pixel Fold review, it has plenty of standout features that make this a good first attempt from Google.

The Pixel Fold ships with Android 14. If you're unfamiliar with the new features introduced in the latest Android OS version, we recommend catching up with everything your Pixel Fold can do on the software side.

The Pixel Fold's wider outer screen looks strange, especially if you're used to Samsung's ultra-narrow foldables. When you spend time with the Pixel Fold's 5.8-inch 17.4:9 outer screen, you'll wish that every foldable manufacturer took this approach. The wider aspect ratio makes the Pixel Fold usable when closed, whether typing, watching videos, or browsing the web. It doesn't quite make up for the lackluster inner screen, but you won't have to open the Pixel Fold to perform a simple action.

App support for the Pixel Fold's wide screen is spotty, but some apps blew us away with their customized interfaces. These are limited to Google's apps, and they look fantastic.

The Weather and Calendar apps are particularly stunning. You can view all the information you need at a glance while organizing buttons and menus into accessible spots. Other apps like Drive are similarly useful on the Fold. However, there are a few shortcomings, like with Gmail, which doesn't let you open an email in full-screen unless you rotate the screen.

Android 14 introduced the ability to navigate your phone while dragging and dropping text or images. This is a useful feature, and on the Pixel Fold, it's even better. Open two apps simultaneously on the Pixel Fold, and drag and drop text or images between them. While this might not sound exciting, Android 14 introduced a way to make this more powerful.

On Android 14, you can hold text or an image while navigating around your phone. Tap and hold an element and swipe with your other fingers to change apps. On the Pixel Fold, you can do this between either app on your screen, so you can copy an element, close both apps, and open two new ones without losing it.

While other manufacturers have struggled to impress us with their foldable's cameras, Google lives up to its claim of offering the best camera on any foldable. Like most Pixel phones, the Pixel Fold offers powerful post-processing that makes it easy to capture great photos. The Pixel Fold avoids the oversaturation that plagues Samsung's Z Fold phones and some Pixel phones.

The selfie camera is average. But as this is a foldable, you can open the phone and use the rear camera to take selfies. This is our recommended method for taking Instagram-worthy shots.

The Pixel Fold's software tricks aren't limited to its camera. Using Conversation Mode in Google Translate on any other phone (including other foldables) involves both parties looking at the same screen. The Pixel Fold helps conversations feel more natural by mirroring the translated text on the outer screen.

We recommend folding the Pixel Fold to 90 degrees and placing it on the table between you and your friend. This way, you can converse normally while glancing down to check the translated text.

The Google Pixel Fold offers five to six hours of screen time when using both displays. In our review, we ended the day with about 25% battery life. While the Pixel Fold's Tensor G2 chip is efficient, its two 120Hz screens use a lot of power. This extensive battery life is a surprise, but a welcome one.

We recommend always using the Pixel Fold's rear camera, even when taking selfies. But when taking shots of someone, use the phone's outer screen to help your subjects adjust themselves. Activate Dual Screen Preview in the Camera app and the view from your camera displays on the Pixel Fold's outer screen.

One of the best things about owning a Pixel phone is receiving exclusive features through Google's quarterly Feature Drops. These updates bring new features and tools to your Pixel devices, including the Pixel Fold.

The Pixel Fold's Dual Screen modes for Google Translate and Camera were included in previous feature drops, and the phone will continue to receive updates until 2026 alongside yearly Android releases.

There's plenty to get excited about with the Pixel Fold. If its flaws are too much for you, consider an Android foldable that offers a more reliable experience.

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Google Pixel Fold: The 8 best features for your new foldable - Android Police