Foldable, but a couple of steps behind

Review: Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold – Not like the others

Google’s strength when it comes to phones is its ability to integrate features intelligently, but in most respects the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a step behind the competition.

Erik Mörner Erik Mörner

Published 1 October 2026 - 10:20

It is sometimes said that Google's Pixel phones offer the pure Google experience, while other manufacturers add their own unique features on top. In recent years, however, Google has delivered unique features with its Pixel phones that you cannot get anywhere else, making it difficult to talk about a “pure” Android or Google experience.

Pixel has long offered the “Now Playing” feature, where the phone constantly listens in the background for songs being played and saves them in a list. If you have been to a club, restaurant or shop with music playing through the speakers, you can look back on your phone afterwards and see what was playing. Instead of actively starting Shazam, you have the playlist ready without doing anything.

Google loads its Pixel phones with features that other phones from other manufacturers do not get. Several of the features combine the hardware with Google's apps, and not all of them are coming to Sweden. One such example is Gemini's proactive suggestions, where the smart assistant takes its own initiative and helps you with things without you having to ask. For example, the system should be able to help if you receive a question about a meeting by checking your calendar to see whether you are free, or if you receive a text message suggesting a lunch restaurant, the system can immediately provide more information about that restaurant. This is also meant to work with individual apps, but we in Sweden will not be getting any of this. It is coming to the US first.

Nevertheless, there are a number of new features that we do actually get access to, and besides the phone naturally being among the first to ship with Android 17, there are a few additional extras. One example of a new feature is what is called Magic Moment. The idea is that you should be able to take photos and videos while also being part of the moment, rather than necessarily staring at it through your phone screen. In addition to the video being recorded, the phone continuously takes photos of moments it considers meaningful. It takes pictures a few seconds apart, and I have to say that the feature has its shortcomings. If you want to be sure that the most memorable moments are captured properly, you still need to take the photo manually yourself, so this feature does not change that.

Solid cameras without the extra edge

The cameras otherwise, and the phone's ability to take both good photos and video, make a solid impression. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold therefore builds on what we know from Google. They have improved the cameras since last time, with better low-light performance and better zoom, but without really pushing the boundaries. As always, Google relies mainly on post-processing, which gives us good colour reproduction, balanced images with excellent dynamic range, but nothing that can compete with true camera phones featuring larger sensors and a greater zoom range.

When Google introduces a new Android version, we usually see a couple of genuine new features, even if they have become fewer and fewer each year. In Android 17, one of the new features was that apps can be used in bubbles. It is a way to switch more easily between several active apps, and what sets the Pixel apart in this case is that it actually gets this feature. When we have seen Android 17 roll out to other manufacturers, the app bubble feature has been absent on, for example, Samsung devices. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold therefore offers the option of having app bubbles. By minimising an app in this way, the app becomes a bubble in the bottom corner of the screen, making it easy to quickly switch between different apps, cut and paste information between apps, and so on. On the outer screen, you can also drag the bubbles around. As before, you can open an app on the large screen, then swipe up the icon bar and drag an icon from there to split the screen in two. The bubbles are a convenient way to access more apps than that.

The light offers few options

On the back of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, we find a new feature in the form of a light. This is a trend today: Nothing started it, and increasingly more manufacturers have followed suit. Now Google has as well. In its version, the light is called Hilight. However, it is very limited.

For example, a yellow light when a favourite calls.

When I mark a contact as a favourite in the contact list, I am asked whether I also want to add a colour for that contact. The light then flashes in that colour when that particular contact calls. However, there are only five colours to choose from, and the light only flashes when they call you, not if they send an SMS or a message in another app, for example. Of course, I can choose the same colour for several contacts, so that I can be alerted if more than the absolute five favourites call, but Hilight is still of limited use. In addition, the light also pulses when I talk to Gemini, to confirm that the AI assistant hears what I am saying or is working out a response. Perhaps we can hope that Google adds more functions to the light in future updates, but the light is fundamentally very limited, so we should probably not expect too much.

When the predecessor to this phone, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, arrived a year ago, we compared it with the competition and said that foldable Pixels impress in certain isolated areas, but do not deliver an equally reliable overall experience. That impression also applies to the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Over the past year, several competitors have made progress that Google has not yet matched. I am thinking primarily of the Honor Magic V6, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold delivers most of the basic functions, but very little that is unique or exceptional in any respect, nothing that would tempt you away from one of its competitors.

Questions and answers

How bulky and slow is it?

Yes, it is heavier than the comparable Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, has considerably weaker performance and is thicker. Battery life is also poor compared with the competition.

Anything else worth mentioning?

When dictating, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has a dedicated keyboard feature (which can be used in any app) that removes unnecessary words such as “um” and cleans up what you say into more accurate text. It works well, even in Swedish.

How durable is it?

IP68, but Google is not alone in that. Competitors Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra have IP48, while both the iPhone Duo and Honor Magic V6 also have IP68.

An alternative

The obvious alternative is Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. The same number of years of system updates, a more convenient form factor, better performance and AI services that are also available here and in Swedish.