Foldable phones are all the rage and every big flagship manufacturer worth its money has jumped into the ring with their own takes (with notable exceptions being Apple and Sony). Google released the Pixel 9 Pro Fold last month, marking only its second attempt at a foldable phone, and to be honest, it is miles above the first one.
Most of the package is pretty exceptional — it’s a good-looking device with an okay spec sheet (the cameras are a bit of a letdown compared to the other Pixel 9s). However, the build quality is where the company’s experience will be put to the test and after a bend test, things don’t look great.
JerryRigEverything Puts The Pixel 9 Pro Fold Through Its Paces; Fails The Reverse Fold Test
I treat my smartphones like ceramic artifacts — with a lot of care. I don’t use a screen protector but I avoid metal in the same pocket, place it face-down as little as possible, and avoid leaving it too close to table edges. I’m not immune to accidents but it reduces the risk. Not everyone is like me though. If your phone takes a beating often, durability tests show you exactly how much of a beating your (prospective) device can take.
Well, the unofficial authority on durability testing, JerryRigEverything, has given us the durability test for the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Most of the test goes exactly how you’d expect — cover display scratches at higher levels like every other smartphone, and the foldable display collects grooves from the pressure of a fingernail, which comes with the territory. However, the bend test is where things go bad.
Obviously, being thicker than a regular smartphone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold tanks the bend test when folded. However, when you attempt to bend it the wrong way when it’s unfolded, it breaks along the antenna lines close to the hinge on the back panel. That’s worrying, as the hinge would normally be assumed as the weakest point, but not here.
In your head, you might be screaming at me and Zack, “Obviously a foldable bent the wrong way would snap in two!” Unfortunately, that’s not true. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 went through the same test, survived, and the foldable screen didn’t take any damage. It’s understandable if the screen fails, but the device definitely shouldn’t have its chassis snap. This might present a potential design change in the third-gen Google foldable.
How Much Does A Bend Test Really Matter To Consumers?
Now, you might be wondering whether this kind of durability test really shows you anything as a consumer. Well, I’ll say that aspects of it definitely do. There are some parts of the testing that I don’t quite get, such as the burn test on the screen and a scratch test on the metal frame. However, aspects like the bend test have some utility.
Most people won’t attempt to bend their foldable the wrong way, but in the case of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it shows a major fault line in the device’s build. All it takes is carelessly plopping your butt on the sofa and crushing your open foldable beneath it. The bend test shows that a lot of foldables might survive that, but the one from Google won’t.
