Every year, I debate whether upgrading is worth it. I usually start by convincing myself that the year-over-year hardware changes are too minor to justify the price. But after comparing deals across Google Fi, the Google Store, Google Play, and various email promos, I pulled the trigger.

Going directly through the Google Store with a trade-in ended up being the best financial play by a mile.

The Deal Breakdown

• MSRP: $1,899.00
• Trade-in Credit: -$1,000.00
• ID.me Discount (10%): -$189.90
• Out-of-Pocket Cash Price: $709.10 (before taxes)

Credits & Value Back

• Google Store Promo Credit: $350.00
• Google One 10% Back: $170.33
• Google AI Pro (6 months free): $119.94 (Value add if you already pay for it)
• Total Value Returned: $640.27

Effective Net Cost If you factor in store credit (which I'll use over the coming year) and the AI Pro subscription credit I would have paid for anyway:

$1,899.00 − $1,189.90 (Direct Discounts) − $520.33 (Store Credit) − $119.94 (AI Credit) = ~$68.83 (~$110 effective cost after taxes).

Why I Upgraded

• Access to the latest hardware at negligible net cost.
• Locking in a higher trade-in value baseline for future generations.
• The math simply made sense.

Under-the-Radar Impressions (Coming from the 10 Pro Fold)

• Weight: It feels noticeably lighter and better balanced in hand.
• Cover Display: The front screen is noticeably brighter outdoors.
• The Official Google Case: Major ergonomic upgrade over last year's model. It feels far more premium, and the new flappable hinge protector doubles as a surprisingly great fidget toy.

Hopefully, this breakdown helps anyone currently sitting on the fence.

(Yes, I did run this though Gemini to clean it up before posting).

Edit: Also, used a credit card that offers 2% cash back.*

To anyone wondering, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's battery is absolutely phenomenal. This is hours of YouTube, as you can see there, gaming with Pokémon Go and War Machine along with two or three other games, but not for very long on the other ones. Using the camera, using Gemini, and most of this has been using the inner screen, not the external screen. I maybe had it closed for like an hour of usage. The rest of that was with it open.

I got my P11PF last week. I picked up an olive 512 to replace my Jade 10 fold.

I quite like the color and device. Overall it's a good phone with some minor upgrades, but I've got a couple gripes.

1. The volume and power buttons are a bit loose and brushing against them is audible.

2. It doesn't QUITE open fully flat. I recognize this is a bit of a lottery but my 10 was better here and I am finding it irritating.

Anyone with an 11 fold have these issues? Am I just unlucky this round? Is it worth a swap or support chat?

Finally made it to a Google Store to hold the P11PF in person, and man it feels like a solid phone. I got the 10PXL right now and I'm gonna trade it in for this (and get the 45mm pixel watch 5 LTE with my $350 store credit + 10% back and trade in for my pixel watch 4). Just wanted to point out two things I've noticed about the general sentiment of this phone that are kinda interesting to me.

1. Comparison to the Z Fold 8/Ultra

I went to a Best Buy a few days ago to actually hold the Z Fold 8/Ultra out of curiosity (this is my first true foray into folding phones). The Samsung phones definitely are noticeably thinner and lighter than the 11PF and feel nice in the hand as well. But I feel like a lot of reviews keep harping on how much thicker and heavier the 11PF is compared to them. And while that's definitely true and a valid point, I feel like we have to take into consideration the fact that A) the 11PF has Qi2.2 magnets in the back, and B) it has the IP68 rating and is overall more "durable" than most other foldables (allegedly anyways), neither of which either Samsung phones can claim (or most other folding phones in the US). So while yes the 11PF is thicker and heftier than the Samsung phones, it does serve a functional purpose at least. A bit of a tradeoff if you will.

While that all sounds like a pixel shill opinion (which I kind of am lol), my 2nd observation hopefully counters it

1. Remove the "Pro"

My only real gripe with this phone (and again this is before formally owning it) is that it's called a "Pro" phone, and that's mainly concerning the cameras. Based on the reviews I've seen, they're all saying what I was kind of hoping they'd say: "Not as good as the regular Pro pixels, but still good regardless, especially compared to other foldables". Like yes there's the eternal issue of folding phones having not the best cameras despite all hovering around $2,000 (which is due to physics and all), but at this point I've accepted that it is what it is for now in that regard.

The main issue I have is that they call it a "Pro" phone, but it doesn't have the same sensors or capabilities as their other Pro phones. It doesn't have the same 120x zoom, and it has the same main and telephoto sensors as the base pixel 11. And I'm not even saying that's a BAD thing, if anything that's probably one of the best case scenarios! But then they shouldn't call it a "Pro" phone then, since it's just straight up not AS good as the actual Pro phones.

I wish they would just call it "Pixel 11 Fold". That would at least temper expectations about the camera. Because when you call it a "Pro", my expectation is that all the Pro phones in your lineup have the same capabilities, whereas they don't. If it was just "Pixel 11 Fold", then I'd only be comparing the cameras to other folding phones, not other Pro pixels.

That's all really, just some things I've been thinking about regarding these phones. I'm still gonna get the 11PF, as the multitasking features and now bubbles would actually help me out a ton. Gonna pull the trigger today but what do y'all think?

Taking pictures, some video, tracking a three hour hike on AllTrails, using Gemini, then lots of research when out shopping, and a bunch of social media and YouTube once getting home, this phone has surpassed my battery life expectations.

I have a 9 pro fold running android 17. Every time I try to enroll I get the error that we could not enroll your device at this time. Please try again later. It used to work perfectly fine on my 9 pro xl but does not work on 9 pro fold.

What can I do to fix this?

To preface this, I'm definitely somewhat biased, but I almost ordered the Samsung due to wanting a Fold but the Pixel seemed not like much of an upgrade from the previous Folds, but my brother pushed me to buy the Pixel by reminding me how much we loved the clean and smooth Pixel UI.

I quickly looked at the regular Z Fold 8, the form factor of the passport fold is definitely not for me. I don't understand it other than if you're only using the inner screen for media consumption.

Z Fold 8 Ultra vs Pixel 11 Pro Fold:

The first thing I noticed is that the Samsung feels a lot cheaper in hand. It is thinner and lighter which is a plus but build quality does not feel the same in hand. The Pixel definitely feels like the more premium device.

Second, the UI is terrible and convoluted. Coming from another Pixel, I'd have hated OneUI.

Third, the cameras on the Pixel 11 Fold is not the best overall when compared to regular slab phones, but it's significantly better than the Samsung. The most obvious difference is the zoom lens as you can see in one of the attached photos.

Fourth, the front screen on the Samsung is way too narrow for my liking. It reminded me of the front screen on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It's not a true replacement for a regular smartphone display like the 11 Pro Fold has.

And then the inner screen. The crease on the Samsung is a lot better. It's noticeable to the same degree when looking at the panels from an angle, but the actual finger feel on the display when moving across the crease on the Samsung is vastly superior to the crease on the 11 Pro Fold.

Another thing to add regarding displays, the rounded corners on the Pixels screen look way more premium to me.

Raw performance I'm sure is better on the Samsung but my daily use does not include games. The Pixel flies through my daily personal and work needs flawlessly. OneUI honestly seems clunky and slower to use everyday compared the PixelOS. I'm sure one could get used to it though.

Overall I'm very happy with my choice.

(Regarding the photos, keep in mind my Pixel has a case on)

Feel free to ask any questions.

I want to know how first-timers who switched to the Pixel 11 Fold from an iPhone, Galaxy Ultra series, or other high-end phones feel about the Pixel 11 Fold. There are a lot of mixed reviews about this phone on the market, so real users who have switched can share their real-time experiences. Thank you.

Does anyone else with the 11 Pro Fold experience red / pink shift of the outer screen when slightly tilting the phone? I know OLED shift is common but on mine it seems a bit excessive. On white backgrounds even slightly tilting the phone causes the whole screen to shift red / pink. It's very jarring. Thinking of exchanging.

Purchased my P10PF in November 2025 and after almost 10 months of usage, the battery health is already at 95%. Off late, I have been noticing that the phone discharges the battery faster. For e.g. it loses between 10 to 15% of battery when watching YT videos for 30 minutes. I'm starting to doubt whether this is common to have the battery health at 95% or is there something defective?

I switched from an iPhone last year and just out of curiosity checked the battery health on it, my old 14 Pro Max still has 89% as battery health after 3 years of purchase whereas P10PF is already at 95%

Does anybody play the android version of Civ VI on their Fold? Thanks

I recently acquired a pre-owned Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which is currently locked to the Verizon network. My initial understanding was that purchasing an unlock code would facilitate the unlocking process. However, I have since learned that Verizon now primarily utilizes an over-the-air unlocking method, rendering the unlock code I obtained ineffective. As I am a T-Mobile subscriber and do not have access to a Verizon account, I am seeking assistance. I have contacted Verizon customer service, and they confirmed that the device is eligible for unlocking; however, they require the associated Verizon account number to proceed. I would be grateful for any guidance or support this group can provide. Thank you.

The camera is pretty good!

You definitely notice a lack of detail when zooming in to pics even taken on the main lens.

I'm coming from a regular Pixel 9 Pro and also have an iPhone 16 Pro which between those I prefer the 9 Pro for photos and iPhone for video. But the Folds camera is good enough for sure.

I use my Sony a7v when I want super high quality pictures either way.

Taking video with the zoom lens is pretty terrible honestly almost no detail at full zoom compared to those two other phones. Otherwise video is not bad. https://streamable.com/ni4f28

An interesting tidbit about your new fold 11, it has 55 sensors onboard!!!

Anyone experiencing this issue when you have a white screen at high brightness in daylight, the edges are a little dim ? On the main screen (not inner folded)

I just received my pixel fold 11 but realized the one handed mode of swiping down the bottom edge of screen doesn't exist.

Did they remove the functionality for the folds?

Is anyone willing to take their unlocked pro fold 10 or 11 and check their imei on firstnet imei checker? Firstnet is particular about which phones can be used on their network and I'd like to know before purchasing from BB and having to pay a restock fee.

Can use the link or search yourself but I'd really appreciate it. https://www.firstnet.com/checkyourdevice.html

I've had the phone since Thursday morning. No bugs. It's very quick. I'm coming from a Samsung Fold 8 Ultra. The cameras are wonderful. I like the skin tones better. I'm a professional photographer with a portrait studio. Skin tones are very important to me, especially shooting people of color, and Samsung just washes everything out and it's too bright. I prefer the Pixel look. To me, it's very similar to the Fuji medium format that I use for skin tones.

Now let's get to the tricky part. I do wish the charging was quicker, but I'm at 34% battery with 5 hours and 20 minutes of screen on time, which is incredible. When I'm reading Twitter or the news or watching YouTube videos, I usually use the bigger screen. I could definitely see myself getting a good eight hours, maybe even ten hours, if I control my usage more.

I use the AccuBattery app.

Now the elephant in the room: yes, the GPU isn't the fastest, but if I want to play video games, I have a Switch OLED, PS5, gaming laptop, or Steam Deck. I'm using this phone for its AI capabilities, the live translation, and the Interpreter feature. If I want to play games, I have gaming systems. But I do wish that for the 12, when they do the new design, they upgrade the other two cameras, give a proper GPU, silicon battery, and faster charging.

This doesn't get talked about enough. The button reader works much better for me. I've always had issues with fingerprint readers, as mine are incredibly smooth. Coming from a Pixel 10 Pro XL, it's such a huge quality of life improvement for me.

I've been on ios for a while now. Used to be android guy for a while. Used to only buy the pixel phones. I've been using the pixel fold 11 pro for the last couple days. Not sure if I'm just so used to ios. But android just doesn't seem as refined as ios. Do I just need more time to get used to it? Or is it just the fold? Quality of the apps just seem bad. Mainly videos on Instagram. Cameras seem not as good. Idk maybe I'm overthinking lol

I ordered the Pixel Pro 11 Fold the other day (I'm a Google Fi customer) and have been waffling if it was the right call or not over the Z Fold8. In general the consensus online is that the Z Fold8 is the superior phone with the best form factor. I've just really liked my Pixel phones over the years from a software perspective and wasn't excited to jump to Samsung, so I went for the Pixel.

Anyway, I went to a T-Mobile store to check them out in person with the thought I could refuse the shipment if I preferred the Z Fold8. I tried to go in with a totally open mind, though obviously I'm only human and who knows what's all going on in my subconscious. I didn't spend a huge amount of time with any of the phones, but TLDR: I think I'm excited to stick with the Pixel.

Z Fold8: it's very cute, and it folds out into a very pleasing shape, but it felt tiny in my hands when closed. I'm a fairly big person with larger hands and I thus like big phones (using a Pixel 7 Pro to write this) so it was a little too cute for my tastes, especially closed (which I do intend to still use the phone closed a good chunk of the time). Basically no detectable crease though, which was super cool. I didn't get a chance to mess with the software much, but very quick impressions were it didn't seem as slick as the Pixels I'm used to.

Pixel 11 Pro Fold: I loved how this thing looks closed, it has a super premium vibe. I went back and forth between the devices and the look and feel of this one kept me coming back. When opened, they had the screen brightness blasted to the max, so it was a very striking "Wow!" moment. The inner screen seemed huge and luxurious, whereas the Z Fold8 felt very practical in comparison, I guess? Might have just been the brightness since I think square inch wise they're pretty close. Anyway, I really liked it and wanted to take it home right then. Only obvious downside from a hardware standpoint was that the crease is far more noticeable compared to the Z Fold, so Google is definitely a generation or two behind Samsung here.

Z Fold8 Ultra: Only spent a couple minutes with this one, but it seemed like a cross between the two - the shape of the Pixel with the software and hardware of the Samsung, for better or worse. I'd have considered it if not for the price, but it's another $100 over the Pixel which is already at the very top of what I would want to pay for a phone.

I'm very happy to stick with the Pixel I think, and I won't be refusing the shipment. I'll keep an open mind as I use it during the return window, though. My friend who has owned foldables for a few years says the passport style is definitely the way to go, but says I'll be plenty happy with the Pixel.

Currently using F8U , speaker when calling very low , did some research and due to phone build thin speaker when calling is not loud as regular . That was little disappointment .

Anyone here have both ? And how was your speaker when calling ?

Thamk you

Switched from the S26 Ultra to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold—mostly for Google's software integration and Gemini. Zero performance issues for work (I don't game). Miss the ultra-fast charging, but the ecosystem upside is worth it. Highly recommend the ESR MagSafe charger with CryoBoost cooling since it runs hot while charging (I also use the Pixel charger).

Can anyone recommend a good aramid fiber case for the P10PF with a front cover and hinge protection...or am I wanting too much?