The Pixel 10 Pro Fold sets itself apart with this one thing you don’t see

Despite the Pixel 10 Pro Fold making its debut in August, we’re just now seeing it hit retail shelves. Let’s be honest, Google’s first attempt at a foldable phone wasn’t all that great. But it’s made some huge leaps since, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is one that really nails the foldable phone experience.

Naturally, it’s going to have some awesome tech under the hood, along with some stand-out software features, but Google also made sure to get really granular with this new entry, focusing on the small details most wouldn’t even notice. Fortunately, the brand is revealing some of the innovations that make the Pixel 10 Pro Fold so impressive.

This is the secret sauce

We’ve been around foldables long enough to know that the hinge is what makes or breaks a device. It’s a key part of daily use, which is why it’s so critical to have one that doesn’t compromise usability and the experience. That’s why Google decided to take a more ambitious route with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, building around a new gearless hinge.

The gearless hinge mechanism has many advantages over traditional gears, with the most important being durability. After all, the hinge needs to survive for years, and withstand potentially thousands, if not more than a hundred thousand folds during its lifetime. So you can understand why Google didn’t take this task of designing a new hinge lightly.

The team decided to go with “spring-loaded CAMs”, which provide a smooth and uniform movement. It’s also quite durable, with the ability to withstand drops without becoming misaligned. Once the new hinge was approved, the task of shaping the new phone around it began. The new hinge is why the Pixel 10 Pro Fold delivers vast improvements over the previous model.

It has a bigger display with smaller bezels, and also holds a larger battery. You also get other improvements like an IP68 rating. These are major when it comes to foldables, especially the last two points. After so many years, we’re finally seeing ome parity with slab phones. And things will just continue to get better.

Let’s hope that at some point, prices start to come down. Because no matter how magnificent the tech is, spending $1,800 or more on a phone is still out of reach for most consumers. For now, it’s probably a good idea to skip the high prices, or rely on carrier deals to save you from the hit to your wallet.