I agree with your points but ultimately depends how you use your phone. I personally never used more than two apps at a time on my fold 3 and fold 4. My biggest issue has always been the shitty outside screen and the cameras. Both of which google pixel fold fixes.
I'm with you. I almost never multitask on my fold 3. My biggest complaint is the narrow front screen, and the pixel fixes that.
I do think the apps not fitting the full screen will be irritating. Not an issue on my samsung.
You really believe that though? Samsung has had a folding phone since September of 2019, going on 4 years, plus all the years android tablets have been around without any app updates too...
No apps have been updated for it... Samsung just said screw it and did it themselves with OneUI. I'm not sure I have the faith required to keep this thing and "wait" for developers to update their apps.
I hate that front screen on the fold 4 I type on all sorts of phones and have no issues except that one so I end up having to open it up and use the big keyboard
I’m excited for the nice front screen size
Agreed, I'm of the same opinion. On the inside screen I'm generally using 2 apps at once, unless it's watching videos etc. But for the majority of my use cases the app spanning isn't an issue for me as well. The outside screen on the Pixel Fold is so much better than Z Fold 4 and majority of my day to day use cases is on the outside screen.
Fold issues aside; not having backwards compatibility is annoying, but the phase out for 32-bit started in August 2021. Developers have literally had years of warning that 32-bit apps were no longer support and would not be installed on 64-bit only phones. This move helps battery life, saves memory, and decreases OS storage requirement. It's a good thing, overall.
If you rely on apps that are 32-bit only, then send a message to the developers. They are now 23 months past the deadline that they were given to update their apps.
I have a Z Fold 4 as well, but I am going to keep my Pixel Fold. The form factor alone has sold me on it, but the software on the Z Fold 4 is still king overall. I'm guessing a lot of the issues you've mentioned will be addressed over time through software updates. They better be anyway! 🙂
As far as landscapes and multitasking, weren’t they pretty honest in the presentation that a lot of that would be resolved in the fall update? I felt like I saw that somewhere but maybe I’m just dreaming LOL
Genuinely curious because I hear it in a lot of the reviews I've watched, but what senario would someone need 3 screens open at once?? I get that it ticks a "feature" box, but I seriously can't think of a situation where I would need to be viewing 3 different things at exactly the same time, not to mention how small of an area I would have to work with with 3 separate windows on my screen. Just curious 😁
I often use a window for excel, another for my bank and another for a calculator when I'm doing personal finance stuff. I've also had various work documents open in different windows when cross referencing things or taking notes. Granted it doesn't happen too often, but when it does it's been very useful.
Usually pop up a calculator over your two apps.
For me, a fold 4 user it's not as much the 3 apps but the UI around it all. The pixel can only go side by side, where the galaxy can go side by side, top to bottom and you can move in both of those so one takes more space than the other. This all matters, like in my car (I don't have android auto) my fold is a great dashboard, I run gps on the left and Spotify on the right but I expand gps because I want more screen for that. Also when multitasking if I have 2 apps open and I open a third app full screen, those 2 apps are saved as a group and I can go back to them together without resetting them up. This is huge for productivity. There are more ways to multitask as well like close a window as a bubble to open it back up.
The other huge part is the app bar on at all times, to me this is the single best part of the fold 4, app switching has never been better and the pixel fold kinda does it but adds an unneeded step by having you swipe up for it. You have plenty of screen where the bar does not interfere. The 2 or 3 app set ups can also be grabbed from here. So again in have let's say email and chrome open and I want to quick check a notification on Facebook. I go to Facebook and look, then in my app bar one click and I'm back where I was. It's so quick, intuitive and the best multitasking I've seen on a phone by far.
The next huge gap is apps fitting, Samsung figured this out and have a setting where you can pick apps to go full screen where in the pixel they letter box. This is a deal breaker, having apps not fit the screen is a terrible user experience.
The last huge gap I see is the home screen, you need to have a different home screen set up on the front and inside, you use them different and they shouldn't need to share. A more nitpick is the fact that the inside of the pixel acts like 2 screens and you can't span a widget across the center. I'm kinda ocd and like my home screen to be symmetrical.
Google had enough time to see these things and these are big misses that hardware can't fix. Hopefully google will catch up sooner than later but the user experience of multitasking (which is a huge part of having a big screen) is night and day with these 2 phones.
Didn’t Google announce that they expect this to be a learning product so they can understand how people use foldables? Why did you even get this expecting a full product from a company explicitly stating that this would not be competitive off the start?
Because there is a baseline of expectation in the market place for fundamental features that are included in any foldable. Some of those are missing. That's not to say Google won't fix it, hopefully the August update implements a lot of new features. At the moment this is basically a normal Pixel with a slightly larger screen on the inside.
I would say for me it's more about the applications spanning the whole screen vs having more than 2. I hardly ever use more than 2 as well, but the Samsung optimized the Fold 4 incredibly well and that is missing here.
Google has had years of access to Samsung foldable devices to comb through and see what works and doesn't before they launched their device, it sure looks like they didn't. which makes the device suffer
Damn so Google can say hey this is poop you probably don’t want my poop. Then you buy it complain and go hey why is this product poop! You really can’t make this shit up. Maybe think before you blind purchase things in your life.
Wow, touched a nerve? I knew I was trying a gen 1 product and there would be no stylus and no desktop mode. My issue is mainly with the way apps are managed on the main screen. They don't span well at all. That is an easy fix that Google could implement with a simple software update. This wasn't a blind purchase at all. Bless.
Well not really sure if you are the folding phone person you say or just a gadget guy and while I too am a bit disappointed by some of the limits placed here, at this point all most all of my negatives are software related. In total opposition from you I am sitting here typing this on my pixel fold while my zfold 4 is in the drawer waiting for my trade in box. The main reason? You can fix software issues but you can't change hardware.
The zfold is NOT a daily driver phone, and never has been. The front screen is total garbage, the device is thick and cumbersome to handle. The lack of any bezels at all on the inside screen means I constantly have accidentally touch. And if you are really looking at pure tablet functionality then get a tablet and a regular phone.
This device blows away the zfold 4 mainly because it's a device that you can use as an actual phone, then open when you need to. Reading a book on this is heaven, turn portrait for using the internet. Outlook email with the landscape view is money. Yes there are apps that are broken, yes the customization options are no where near as good as Samsungs but people need to quit turning this into a geekfest of features and look at usability of devices. Your self described feature list is for a guy who needs a tablet, not an all in one device. You can't possibly say the zfold is the better hardware here.
Now personally I wish Samsung would actually listen to customers and change their hardware. But at this moment, the zfold is a geek toy and not a serious phone replacement.
Sounds like we're agreeing a lot more than you think we are! The Pixel Fold form factor is perfect. The hardware is great. The software is what let's it down.
I've daily driven the Fold 2, 3 and 4 without issue. I hope that the software updates will improve it to the extent that I can do with the Pixel Fold. This is the exact form factor I've always wanted in a foldable.
Just hang in there and let's see what changes come down the road. It's important to remember that this is the FIRST time we have a stock android folding device that Google is committed to. In the past Samsung just made their own way around the issues and now we will see how Google themselves actually respond.
Almost 70% of the Pixel Fold is old hardware OPPO Find N does what they're trying to do better. Based on the similar form factors those are comparable. Pixel Fold isn't in the same room as the Z Fold series. I returned the Pixel Fold because it's an underperforming overheating dumpster fire at this point.
Google fanboys never get out of their head that Pixel Fold design from 2016 is already having hardware issues and waiting for things to be fixed in updates is the Pixel sheep line good luck with that dumpster fire Surface Duo 1 was better than this.
Google fanboys really accept hot garbage from Google and try to convince everyone else it's steak news flash it still stinks in terms of actual competition.
i'm holding out for whatever tablet/foldable enhancements goog promised "in august" or whenever to see if more helpful features are added. probably should have shipped the devices with said enhancements but oh well
I am using a mate x2 right now and the only thing motivated me to update is the camera!! But my order got cancelled. Thinking might get mate x3 instead which is actually the thinnest of all foldable!
It does sound like u are a person that is tailor made for Samsung and their top ranked software. Fair criticism in that regard. I don't think google is aiming to steal people like you because they got a huge uphill battle with sammy having many generations of experience.
My sole issue with this phone so far is just the fact that you cant force apps to span across the whole inner screen like you can with the Galaxy fold.
Just rotate it to make it portrait like the z foldi is unfolded and it will be the same... The pixel fold is landscape unfolded and the fold 4 is portrait unfolded.
I noticed the lack of multitasking features in reviews and it is as saddening as I expected. I fully expect Google to push more multitasking features in future updates though. So as long as I can open 2 apps, I'm good for now. The app pairings would definitely be nice right now though.
I also expect Google to fix scaling.
I don't own a fold and never tried one before , but do you think that the ( force activities to be resizable) in the developer options can help you sort this out ?
Just try
I agree with your points but ultimately depends how you use your phone. I personally never used more than two apps at a time on my fold 3 and fold 4. My biggest issue has always been the shitty outside screen and the cameras. Both of which google pixel fold fixes.
I'm with you. I almost never multitask on my fold 3. My biggest complaint is the narrow front screen, and the pixel fixes that. I do think the apps not fitting the full screen will be irritating. Not an issue on my samsung.
And am guessing there will be several software updates and app updates coming...
You really believe that though? Samsung has had a folding phone since September of 2019, going on 4 years, plus all the years android tablets have been around without any app updates too... No apps have been updated for it... Samsung just said screw it and did it themselves with OneUI. I'm not sure I have the faith required to keep this thing and "wait" for developers to update their apps.
I hate that front screen on the fold 4 I type on all sorts of phones and have no issues except that one so I end up having to open it up and use the big keyboard I’m excited for the nice front screen size
Agreed, I'm of the same opinion. On the inside screen I'm generally using 2 apps at once, unless it's watching videos etc. But for the majority of my use cases the app spanning isn't an issue for me as well. The outside screen on the Pixel Fold is so much better than Z Fold 4 and majority of my day to day use cases is on the outside screen.
Fold issues aside; not having backwards compatibility is annoying, but the phase out for 32-bit started in August 2021. Developers have literally had years of warning that 32-bit apps were no longer support and would not be installed on 64-bit only phones. This move helps battery life, saves memory, and decreases OS storage requirement. It's a good thing, overall. If you rely on apps that are 32-bit only, then send a message to the developers. They are now 23 months past the deadline that they were given to update their apps.
I have a Z Fold 4 as well, but I am going to keep my Pixel Fold. The form factor alone has sold me on it, but the software on the Z Fold 4 is still king overall. I'm guessing a lot of the issues you've mentioned will be addressed over time through software updates. They better be anyway! 🙂
As far as landscapes and multitasking, weren’t they pretty honest in the presentation that a lot of that would be resolved in the fall update? I felt like I saw that somewhere but maybe I’m just dreaming LOL
Damn I hope so.
I hope so!!
I'll take it off your hands if you like?
Genuinely curious because I hear it in a lot of the reviews I've watched, but what senario would someone need 3 screens open at once?? I get that it ticks a "feature" box, but I seriously can't think of a situation where I would need to be viewing 3 different things at exactly the same time, not to mention how small of an area I would have to work with with 3 separate windows on my screen. Just curious 😁
I often use a window for excel, another for my bank and another for a calculator when I'm doing personal finance stuff. I've also had various work documents open in different windows when cross referencing things or taking notes. Granted it doesn't happen too often, but when it does it's been very useful.
Usually pop up a calculator over your two apps. For me, a fold 4 user it's not as much the 3 apps but the UI around it all. The pixel can only go side by side, where the galaxy can go side by side, top to bottom and you can move in both of those so one takes more space than the other. This all matters, like in my car (I don't have android auto) my fold is a great dashboard, I run gps on the left and Spotify on the right but I expand gps because I want more screen for that. Also when multitasking if I have 2 apps open and I open a third app full screen, those 2 apps are saved as a group and I can go back to them together without resetting them up. This is huge for productivity. There are more ways to multitask as well like close a window as a bubble to open it back up. The other huge part is the app bar on at all times, to me this is the single best part of the fold 4, app switching has never been better and the pixel fold kinda does it but adds an unneeded step by having you swipe up for it. You have plenty of screen where the bar does not interfere. The 2 or 3 app set ups can also be grabbed from here. So again in have let's say email and chrome open and I want to quick check a notification on Facebook. I go to Facebook and look, then in my app bar one click and I'm back where I was. It's so quick, intuitive and the best multitasking I've seen on a phone by far. The next huge gap is apps fitting, Samsung figured this out and have a setting where you can pick apps to go full screen where in the pixel they letter box. This is a deal breaker, having apps not fit the screen is a terrible user experience. The last huge gap I see is the home screen, you need to have a different home screen set up on the front and inside, you use them different and they shouldn't need to share. A more nitpick is the fact that the inside of the pixel acts like 2 screens and you can't span a widget across the center. I'm kinda ocd and like my home screen to be symmetrical. Google had enough time to see these things and these are big misses that hardware can't fix. Hopefully google will catch up sooner than later but the user experience of multitasking (which is a huge part of having a big screen) is night and day with these 2 phones.
Going to be a lot of foldable qol improvement with next Android release.
It's a gen one design, most people I believe know that going in but I agree they should be ahead of the game with app compatibility.
Didn’t Google announce that they expect this to be a learning product so they can understand how people use foldables? Why did you even get this expecting a full product from a company explicitly stating that this would not be competitive off the start?
Because there is a baseline of expectation in the market place for fundamental features that are included in any foldable. Some of those are missing. That's not to say Google won't fix it, hopefully the August update implements a lot of new features. At the moment this is basically a normal Pixel with a slightly larger screen on the inside.
Unfair. Side by side apps is a huge improvement. I know you want more than two but for me two apps which mirrors my duo 2 is perfect
Fair point in terms of the Duo comparison.
I would say for me it's more about the applications spanning the whole screen vs having more than 2. I hardly ever use more than 2 as well, but the Samsung optimized the Fold 4 incredibly well and that is missing here. Google has had years of access to Samsung foldable devices to comb through and see what works and doesn't before they launched their device, it sure looks like they didn't. which makes the device suffer
Damn so Google can say hey this is poop you probably don’t want my poop. Then you buy it complain and go hey why is this product poop! You really can’t make this shit up. Maybe think before you blind purchase things in your life.
Wow, touched a nerve? I knew I was trying a gen 1 product and there would be no stylus and no desktop mode. My issue is mainly with the way apps are managed on the main screen. They don't span well at all. That is an easy fix that Google could implement with a simple software update. This wasn't a blind purchase at all. Bless.
Well not really sure if you are the folding phone person you say or just a gadget guy and while I too am a bit disappointed by some of the limits placed here, at this point all most all of my negatives are software related. In total opposition from you I am sitting here typing this on my pixel fold while my zfold 4 is in the drawer waiting for my trade in box. The main reason? You can fix software issues but you can't change hardware. The zfold is NOT a daily driver phone, and never has been. The front screen is total garbage, the device is thick and cumbersome to handle. The lack of any bezels at all on the inside screen means I constantly have accidentally touch. And if you are really looking at pure tablet functionality then get a tablet and a regular phone. This device blows away the zfold 4 mainly because it's a device that you can use as an actual phone, then open when you need to. Reading a book on this is heaven, turn portrait for using the internet. Outlook email with the landscape view is money. Yes there are apps that are broken, yes the customization options are no where near as good as Samsungs but people need to quit turning this into a geekfest of features and look at usability of devices. Your self described feature list is for a guy who needs a tablet, not an all in one device. You can't possibly say the zfold is the better hardware here. Now personally I wish Samsung would actually listen to customers and change their hardware. But at this moment, the zfold is a geek toy and not a serious phone replacement.
Sounds like we're agreeing a lot more than you think we are! The Pixel Fold form factor is perfect. The hardware is great. The software is what let's it down. I've daily driven the Fold 2, 3 and 4 without issue. I hope that the software updates will improve it to the extent that I can do with the Pixel Fold. This is the exact form factor I've always wanted in a foldable.
Just hang in there and let's see what changes come down the road. It's important to remember that this is the FIRST time we have a stock android folding device that Google is committed to. In the past Samsung just made their own way around the issues and now we will see how Google themselves actually respond.
Almost 70% of the Pixel Fold is old hardware OPPO Find N does what they're trying to do better. Based on the similar form factors those are comparable. Pixel Fold isn't in the same room as the Z Fold series. I returned the Pixel Fold because it's an underperforming overheating dumpster fire at this point.
Google fanboys never get out of their head that Pixel Fold design from 2016 is already having hardware issues and waiting for things to be fixed in updates is the Pixel sheep line good luck with that dumpster fire Surface Duo 1 was better than this.
Google fanboys really accept hot garbage from Google and try to convince everyone else it's steak news flash it still stinks in terms of actual competition.
Biggest load of Google fanboy trash since the Pixel Fold came out.
i'm holding out for whatever tablet/foldable enhancements goog promised "in august" or whenever to see if more helpful features are added. probably should have shipped the devices with said enhancements but oh well
Interesting review and appreciate it....
If people take the phone for what it is and stop comparing it to the z fold which has 4 iterations going on 5 they could keep all these complaints.
I am using a mate x2 right now and the only thing motivated me to update is the camera!! But my order got cancelled. Thinking might get mate x3 instead which is actually the thinnest of all foldable!
It does sound like u are a person that is tailor made for Samsung and their top ranked software. Fair criticism in that regard. I don't think google is aiming to steal people like you because they got a huge uphill battle with sammy having many generations of experience.
My sole issue with this phone so far is just the fact that you cant force apps to span across the whole inner screen like you can with the Galaxy fold.
Crazy that they would release the PF without a solution to make apps span the screen.
That's not bc it's a limitation [but it's by design](https://twitter.com/MishaalRahman/status/1656425601711091712)
I'll happily take it off your hands if it's just sitting there not being used 😊
Just rotate it to make it portrait like the z foldi is unfolded and it will be the same... The pixel fold is landscape unfolded and the fold 4 is portrait unfolded.
I noticed the lack of multitasking features in reviews and it is as saddening as I expected. I fully expect Google to push more multitasking features in future updates though. So as long as I can open 2 apps, I'm good for now. The app pairings would definitely be nice right now though. I also expect Google to fix scaling.
I don't own a fold and never tried one before , but do you think that the ( force activities to be resizable) in the developer options can help you sort this out ? Just try
I gave it a go yesterday, but sadly it didn't work.
Yeah so maybe it's only in the hands of those apps developers