Some great aspects coupled with a few terrible aspects makes for an average experience. Add in the price and pixel fold is only for enthusiast who really want a non-samsung foldable.
Take the form factor. For my large hands the size and shape both folded and unfolded is great. Almost comfortable to hold. If there wasn't such a strange weight distribution and odd placement of the buttons. The buttons are placed in the middle of an edge. Problem is that is typically where the edge of your hand would naturally be. You cannot hold the phone tightly because then the buttons would be pressed.
Speaking of which: the fingerprint reader. Power button fingerprint readers are a bad idea. Even with care this reader works probably 75% of the time. Hard to get your finger in the right position ; especially if there is a case.
The button placement is ok when you add on a ohsnap v3, however the weight distribution is bad. The issue seems to be the camera mass. The NSA level combination of sensors is really noticable. Not in a good way. The camera bump is awkward and the weight doubly so. Would likely feel a lot better with less cameras.
As for the cameras: they take pictures. I don't understand why anybody would want this for the cameras. They exist. They are heavy and weirdly shaped. Would be a better device without them. But hey, if you want an awkward camera I guess this would work.
Which brings me to the actual phone aspect. Uh. What can I sawly that is good about using this as an actual phone? There is Bluetooth so a microphone that works better than the tin can the phone comes with is possible. WiFi calling can, fortunately, be disabled .
The displays are bright and clear. I can use either on a bright day but the external display is definitely clearer. The internal display is shiny, very, very shiny. No way someone would intentionally make a screen this shiny. You could signal airplanes in case of emergencies I guess.
The software is truly a mixed bag. For the most part software works well with the different resolutions and layouts. Except google's software. The poor layout is really noticable in google's software. Either the entire screen is cramped with junk that leaves the usable area to small segment of the screen eg: google maps. Or most of the screen is effectively blank. Eg: gmail has over half the screen empty space. Non-google software works well.
Edit: reading over other reviews and some are even more negative on the software support. I really haven't had a negative experience overall. Maybe it's because of google's gmail being so wonky haha. Aside from those few examples, software support has been good. Most apps work well.
Battery life is ok. For my usage I haven't had troubles. Going a full day without a charge is unlikely if you use the main screen
Overall the Motorola RAZR is a better foldable. If you want a google phone and a large size, well this is the only real option. I wouldn't buy this again but I'm happy enough to use this as a daily driver.
Nice review. I give it an 8/10.
My only two gripes that I agree with you on...
I never had the fingerprint issues that others had with the 6 Pro or 7 Pro, so I miss the on-screen sensor. When the phone is unfolded and I need to turn the phone into portrait, my natural inclination is too rotate it clockwise... which makes my fingers mash the power and volume buttons. When folded, the bottoms should be on the top half, imo.
Yeah... The inside screen is waaaay to shiny and the reflections are a distraction when viewing content.
Cameras, software, phone calls, etc are ok on my end though.
Lastly, I bought this phone because I thought it would be a great media consumption device. In reality, I find myself using the smaller, outer screen more than I've used my 6 Pro or 7 Pro. I rarely use the inside unless I'm writing a long-ish email or need the dual-pane for a lot of cutting and pasting. Using the outer screen so much makes me wish for a pixel mini so bad. Or even a size similar to the regular iPhone Pro would be nice. Oh well.
All-in-all, it's more than solid for the niche group that it was built for. I'm just not sure that I'm in that group. I'm not sure that I won't get a Pixel 8 Pro also. I just enjoy using the smaller outside screen of the fold so much.
I'm curious if you have been bothered by the "fact" that the device does not unfold to 180 degrees. This seemed like a big deal from reviewers and... I haven't noticed at all. Maybe it doesn't find flat? Haven't been bothered enough to even check!
Sorry for the late reply. The app I use updated notifications, so I can see when I get them now.
I've noticed it, but I'm unbothered. It's an ever so slight thing. It's not super hard to unfold it the full 180 and I don't feel uncomfortable doing so (I open it the full 180 every time).
It's a fun phone for sure. I'm surprised at the polish it has for Google's first foray into foldables.