Skip to main content

The Pixel Fold doesn’t unfold completely flat, but it’s not alone

The Pixel Fold has arrived with a premium price tag and some strong words from Google on the engineering behind it. But, as some have noticed, the Pixel Fold doesn’t seem to want to unfold completely flat.

Like other book-style foldables, Google says the Pixel Fold unfolds to 180 degrees. But, in some early impressions, that doesn’t always seem to be the case. Will Sattelberg at Android Police mentioned that the device seems to stop around 176 degrees. In his hands-on time prior to yesterday’s event, our Abner Li said that it was closer to 178 or 179 degrees, to the point where it wasn’t really perceptible in the hand.

Michael Fisher, also known as MrMobile, further dialed in on this “issue” on Twitter. He notes in a thread that the Pixel Fold can reach 180 degrees, but it won’t do so eagerly. Apparently, a considerable amount of pressure is required to get the Fold to be “flat,” to the point where Fisher describes the bend as “too much for comfort.”

Apparently, as Google told Fisher, this is a side effect of the hinge design. The hinge is designed to be fairly stiff, able to sit in place at certain angles, much like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4.

While this might be a little frustrating for some, the Pixel Fold is far from alone in being unable to sit completely flat. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series has the same quirk, it just happens after a few weeks of use. My Galaxy Z Fold 4 currently maxes out around 178 degrees. I can get that last two degrees with some pressure, but like Fisher says, it’s not a comfortable action. Other book-style foldables have been known to do the same thing both out of the box and over time, too, so the Pixel Fold isn’t an outlier here by any means.

In other tweets, Fisher also correctly points out that this issue is made more apparent by the Pixel Fold’s large camera module, which prevents the phone from sitting flat on a table when unfolded anyway.

More on Pixel Fold:

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Google — experts who break news about Google and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Google on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

Author

Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

Find him on Twitter @NexusBen. Send tips to schoon@9to5g.com or encrypted to benschoon@protonmail.com.


Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications