It’s been leaked incessantly and was officially confirmed to be true roughly a week before it’s grand reveal. Now, the Pixel Fold, Google’s first foldable smartphone, is finally truly official.

It’s form-factor more closely resembles OPPO’s Find N series — wider and shorter versus the taller, narrower form of the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Folded, you get a 5.8-inch display — just about the size of “mini” phones by today’s standards. Unfolded, you get a 7.6-inch display for a more tablet-like real estate.

Both outer and inner displays have a 120Hz screen refresh rate and have HDR support. Its peak brightness goes as high up as 1,450 nits.

Its hinge allows a full 180-degree range of motion. Friend of GadgetMatch Mr. Mobile says on his Hands-On video that it has “enough friction to pose the phone at any posture.” Google claims their custom-built hinge was designed to be both thin and durable.

The foldable has an IPX8 rating. Yes to water resistance, but nothing for dust.

Everything you expect from a Pixel

Perhaps the most important thing about the Pixel Fold is Google’s implementation of Android. Now that they have their own foldable, there’s reason to hope that more apps will be supported for this form factor.

When folded, the Pixel Fold functions just like any other Pixel phone. Everything from messages, browsing, video viewing, and what not will be a familiar experience.

Unfolded, it unlocks many more features. For instance, if you’re watching a video, it will continuously play from the small display to the larger inner display. The feature is aptly called Continuity. You can also prop it up like a laptop and playback will show up on the bottom-half while the video plays up top. Google says they’re working on adding more playback features in this mode. But this isn’t really new as this is also present the Galaxy Fold as well as other foldables.

On their blog, Google says that when fully open, the Pixel Fold functions much like a tablet. They add that “your favorite apps are optimized to take full advantage of the larger screen.” But as most reviewers will tell you, Android on larger form-factors is still far from being a fully-optimized experience. Granted, Google did say some 50 of their apps will adapt to the foldable naturally.

Some additions include a Taskbar that lets users easily switch between apps. From here, users can also drag compatible apps and go into split-screen. They actually made a true multi-tasking feature by adding the ability to drag and drop files from one app to another where it applies. The Taskbar is also dynamic. Swipe up from the black bar when you need it. When you’re done, it’ll disappear.

Coming soon with Android 14

Google also showcased a translation feature that can be extremely helpful when you’re travelling. Called the Dual Screen interpreter mode, it lets the Pixel Fold display live translations simultaneously on both the inner and outer screens. Hopefully, it works well enough to punch through language barriers.

Best camera on a foldable?

That’s the promise, at least. Pixel phones are known for taking great photos. Google promised to deliver the same with the Pixel Fold. Powered by the G2 Tensor chip, the Pixel Fold should have all the AI goodness that Google applies when Pixels take a photo.

Also home to the Pixel Fold are many of the Pixel’s notable features. These include but are not limited to Super Res Zoom with 5x optical zoom, Real Tone, Night Sight, and more. You also have access to software tools like Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur via Google Photos.

Speaking of cameras, here they are by the numbers:

Main camera array:

• 48MP with 1/2″ sensor, f/1.7 aperture
• 10MP ultrawide with 1/3″ sensor, f/2.2 aperture
• 10.8MP 5x optical zoom telephoto with 1/3.1″ sensor, f/3.05 aperture

Outer screen:

• 9.5MP fixed focus, f/2.2

Inner screen:

• 8MP fixed focus, f/2.0

Price and availability

The Pixel Fold comes in two colors: Porcelain and Obsidian. According to their listing, it will be available initially in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. It starts at US$ 1,799 for the 256GB variant while the 512GB one will cost US$ 1,919.