Zack Nelson from the tech-focused YouTube channel JerryRigEverything has just subjected Google’s new Pixel 9 Pro Fold handset to his infamous durability test. The $1,800 Pixel 9 Pro Fold is “super durable,” according to Google, but it probably wasn’t thinking of Nelson’s unique way of “inspecting” phones when it made that claim. The results of the test aren’t pretty, but with lots of scratching, scrunching, and burning, as well as a spot of enthusiastically delivered bending, that’s no big surprise. After scraping some pretty ugly marks onto the exterior of Google’s new foldable using a box cutter — and cutting his own finger in the process — Nelson drops an absurd amount of dirt and sand onto the phone “to find out if the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has any dust protection.” The answer is quickly found to be: “No, it doesn’t.” Next comes the naked flame, which, after some prolonged burning, leaves its mark on both the interior display and the outer one, too. Finally, we get the highly anticipated and very unscientific bend test. Not surprisingly, foldables rarely fare well when forced the wrong way. But Nelson was surprised to see that in the case of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the device didn’t break along the hinge but instead just off the center in the location of its two antenna lines. By the end of the video, the phone is a complete wreck. “There’s quite the mess in here,” Nelson observes. Rest assured that even the clumsiest, most irresponsible smartphone user won’t ever end up with a phone in this state. But Nelson’s durability test at least give us some idea of just how much abuse a device can take before it gives in. The new Pixel 10 series poses a conundrum, especially for the Pixel 10 Pro. While its siblings have one or more notable hardware upgrades, the Pixel 10 Pro focuses on a few small upgrades to the Pixel 9 Pro. This isn’t a bad thing, as the Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent phone; however, it does mean that the few unique features stand out even more.  Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which boasts the first IP68 dust and water rating on a folding phone, and the Pixel 10, which features a new 5x telephoto camera at the lowest price on a Pixel, the Pixel 10 Pro skates under the radar in an unassuming way, designed to get the job done. Even the Pixel 10 Pro XL has two key features that set it apart from the competition, as well as its smaller sibling. I’ve been using Google’s new Pixel 10 Pro for the past five days, and while our review is still a few days away, I wanted to encapsulate my experience so far. As you can tell from the title, this is a fantastic phone, but it’s equally exhilarating. That’s not Google’s fault per se, but rather a consequence of just how good Google’s past phone is. A major upgrade last year for the ninth edition made the Pixel 9 Pro the best phone you can buy, but the more modest upgrades in the Pixel 10 Pro make it far less exciting than I was hoping for. I’ve been testing the new Google Pixel 10 for almost a week now. It’s an accomplished entry-level flagship phone which delivers Android in its purest form. As you’ll find out in my Pixel 10 review in the coming days, for Pixel fans, it continues Google’s track record of giving you everything you’d expect, with seamless operation.

Zack Nelson from the tech-focused YouTube channel JerryRigEverything has just subjected Google’s new Pixel 9 Pro Fold handset to his infamous durability test. The $1,800 Pixel 9 Pro Fold is “super durable,” according to Google, but it probably wasn’t thinking of Nelson’s unique way of “inspecting” phones when it made that claim. The results of the test aren’t pretty, but with lots of scratching, scrunching, and burning, as well as a spot of enthusiastically delivered bending, that’s no big surprise. After scraping some pretty ugly marks onto the exterior of Google’s new foldable using a box cutter — and cutting his own finger in the process — Nelson drops an absurd amount of dirt and sand onto the phone “to find out if the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has any dust protection.” The answer is quickly found to be: “No, it doesn’t.” Next comes the naked flame, which, after some prolonged burning, leaves its mark on both the interior display and the outer one, too. Finally, we get the highly anticipated and very unscientific bend test. Not surprisingly, foldables rarely fare well when forced the wrong way. But Nelson was surprised to see that in the case of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the device didn’t break along the hinge but instead just off the center in the location of its two antenna lines. By the end of the video, the phone is a complete wreck. “There’s quite the mess in here,” Nelson observes. Rest assured that even the clumsiest, most irresponsible smartphone user won’t ever end up with a phone in this state. But Nelson’s durability test at least give us some idea of just how much abuse a device can take before it gives in. The new Pixel 10 series poses a conundrum, especially for the Pixel 10 Pro. While its siblings have one or more notable hardware upgrades, the Pixel 10 Pro focuses on a few small upgrades to the Pixel 9 Pro. This isn’t a bad thing, as the Pixel 9 Pro is an excellent phone; however, it does mean that the few unique features stand out even more.  Compared to the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which boasts the first IP68 dust and water rating on a folding phone, and the Pixel 10, which features a new 5x telephoto camera at the lowest price on a Pixel, the Pixel 10 Pro skates under the radar in an unassuming way, designed to get the job done. Even the Pixel 10 Pro XL has two key features that set it apart from the competition, as well as its smaller sibling. I’ve been using Google’s new Pixel 10 Pro for the past five days, and while our review is still a few days away, I wanted to encapsulate my experience so far. As you can tell from the title, this is a fantastic phone, but it’s equally exhilarating. That’s not Google’s fault per se, but rather a consequence of just how good Google’s past phone is. A major upgrade last year for the ninth edition made the Pixel 9 Pro the best phone you can buy, but the more modest upgrades in the Pixel 10 Pro make it far less exciting than I was hoping for. I’ve been testing the new Google Pixel 10 for almost a week now. It’s an accomplished entry-level flagship phone which delivers Android in its purest form. As you’ll find out in my Pixel 10 review in the coming days, for Pixel fans, it continues Google’s track record of giving you everything you’d expect, with seamless operation.