Google makes folding phones more affordable but I | Tech News

Apple is rumoured to be debuting its first folding iPhone later this 12 months, but Android phones have folded ever for the reason that Galaxy Fold in 2019. Today, you may buy book-style and flip-style folding phones from Samsung, Honor, Oppo, Motorola and Google, with all of them sharing one factor in common: a sky high price.

That’s why it’s notable Google is at present offering £450 off its newest flagship folding cellphone, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which is on sale for £1,299 down from £1,749. It’s the identical price on Amazon.

That’s a sizable low cost, but it nonetheless leaves you needing to fork out the equal of a month’s rent or, certainly, practically 3 times as a lot as the fee of the Pixel 10a, which can also be on sale for a comparatively modest £449.

It acquired me interested by folding phones and how regardless of being round for seven years, they haven’t acquired a lot cheaper, and at £1,299, I in all probability wouldn’t buy the Pixel 10 Pro Fold if I needed a new cellphone, even when I had the finances.

I would possible decide to spend the identical quantity on a cellphone with a significantly better digicam, such because the £1,299 Xiaomi 17 Ultra, or £799 on the common Pixel 10, a cellphone that really has very related triple cameras because the pricier 10 Pro Fold. Despite the ‘Pro’ title, the cameras you get on the Fold aren’t nearly as good as those on the conventional Pixel 10 Pro.

I’ve examined the Pixel 10 Pro Fold since its release in October 2025, and it’s a very achieved system, don’t get me incorrect. But the digicam compromise together with the design drawbacks nonetheless make this cellphone a onerous sell at its discounted charge.

For one, carrying the Pixel 10 Pro Fold round in my denims pocket means I always remember to put a belt on. At 258g it is a bit of a paperweight, and at 10.88 thick when closed, it’s chunky for a pocketable system.

Much more svelte book-style foldables such because the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (215g, 8.9mm) and Honor Magic V6 (219g, 8.8mm) show the Pixel is lagging behind in 2026 in terms of the ergonomics of a book-style folding cellphone.

The crease down the center of the Pixel’s screen can also be deep and apparent, and onerous to disregard. Though it’s not accessible within the UK formally, the Oppo Find N6 has a just about invisible crease, with a design that smooths out the screen so that you don’t have a dip proper within the center.

One huge factor which may sway me over to the ten Pro Fold is the software program. I love Google’s Pixel flavour of Android, and I miss it when I use different Android phones. For all Honor’s {hardware} prowess, its software program is unpolished in comparison with Google’s, and although Samsung’s One UI could be very slick, it’s at present filled with a lot AI guff that I don’t need to use it.

Google’s software program help can also be great at seven years, which at the least would guarantee I’d nonetheless be utilizing the ten Pro Fold until 2032 – if the folding screen didn’t break, that’s.

Even on the sale price of £1,299, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold nonetheless makes too many compromises for me. That mentioned, the rumoured folding iPhone is prone to push the £2,000 mark. We’ll have to attend and see if Apple is ready to end up a superior cellphone, and if Apple fanatics are prepared to shell out.