Latest Leak Reveals Pixel 10 Pro Fold Upgrade

Ahead of an expected launch in late August, Google is taking steps to make the Pixel 10 Pro Fold as attractive to consumers as possible.

Protecting The Pixel 10 Pro Fold

One of the key aspects of the new design is the increased protection offered. Last year’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold offered IPX8 protection. This marked the foldable as water resistant, but not waterproof, and able to withstand being submerged in fresh water up to 1.5 meters deep for up to 30 minutes. The ominous X showed the handset had no protection against dust.

Alexander Maxham reports that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is expected to ship with an IP68 rating. This more comprehensive rating offers the same water resistance, but now adds protection from dust and other small particles.

Projecting Confidence With The Pixel 10 Pro Fold

It’s a small step forward, but it will offer more confidence to consumers. IP68 is a term prevalent in marketing, so its inclusion on the 10 Pro Fold portrays the handset as matching the competition. And that’s not just the competing foldable phones, but the mainstream candybar phones as well.

Foldables have always carried an air of fragility to them. Indeed, the first foldables, launched more than five years ago, required careful screen handling. Since then, we have seen the engineering around ingests allow for smaller hinges with fewer moving parts, the crease in the screens reduced, and a move from soft plastic screen covers to more durable toughened glass.

Selling The Pixel 10 Pro Fold

There is still a sense that foldable phones are the equivalent of luxury sports cars, designed to show off the technical ability of the manufacturer and act as a halo product for the rest of the product line. Yet they are slowly gaining a broader appreciation in the consumer space.

Improving the IP rating to something familiar is another step along that road. But there’s another sign worth noting. Google brought the Fold under the same Pro branding last year and will do so again this year. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold will launch alongside its compatriots, namely the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro XL, which will signal that all four are consumer devices.

Now read more about the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Google’s latest Android updates in Forbes’ weekly smartphone news digest…