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Pixel 11 Pro Fold still doesn’t survive bend test, but at least it didn’t ‘explode’ this time [Video]

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold has gone through the typical torture test of JerryRigEverything and, while it faired better than last year, Google still has work to do.

Google has yet to make a foldable that didn’t break when it was bent in half, but last year’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold literally finished off its test with a bang. While the word “explode” has felt a bit strong, the battery ruptured, which is exceptionally rare in these tests.

The good news? Pixel 11 Pro Fold didn’t break to quite that degree, but it still didn’t fair very well.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold still broke, right at the antenna line just like in every other model. The same mistake just keeps repeating itself, despite Google boosting the overall durability this year. That can be seen in the ceramic outer display covering, which essentially did not scratch at Level 6 on the Moh’s hardness scale, where every other phone tends to scratch. There were still pretty deep grooves at Level 7, though. The back “glass compositive fiber” is, as suspected, basically just sturdy plastic, scratching with a knife.

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The bend test itself goes on to see the phone ripped apart with bare hands. No tools, just a front panel that literally pops off and a back panel that’s remarkably easy to rip off. Oof.

With Google having teased new redesigns for Pixel every “2-3 years,” we’re certainly due for a revamp at this point, and there are some very obvious places that need to be fixed up.

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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.