The Return of the Wide Foldable
Google’s original Pixel Fold, launched three years ago, introduced a distinctive approach to foldable smartphones with its shorter and wider form factor, standing out from the tall and narrow designs that dominate the market today. Despite its initial drawbacks—such as hinge durability concerns, hefty weight, and sizeable bezels—the Pixel Fold’s unique shape offered a fresh perspective on foldable usability. Now, with rumours swirling around Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold adopting a similar wide design, alongside Apple’s anticipated iPhone Fold reportedly following suit, it seems the Pixel Fold’s visionary form factor is finally gaining traction among industry giants.
Design and Usability Advantages
The Pixel Fold’s compact and pocket-friendly dimensions made it surprisingly comfortable to carry compared to more recent foldables like the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Its shorter height meant it slipped easily into pockets without discomfort, addressing one of the main challenges foldables face due to their increased thickness and weight. When closed, the Pixel Fold’s design felt almost playful and ergonomic, contrasting with the more serious, productivity-focused appearance of newer tall foldables from Google and Samsung.
Opening the Pixel Fold reveals a wide inner display that excels in media consumption. Unlike the squarer screens of modern foldables, which often leave large black bars when watching videos in either orientation, the Pixel Fold’s stretched landscape display optimises both traditional horizontal videos and vertical content like Shorts. This dual-orientation advantage enhances the viewing experience, making it feel more natural and immersive.
Multitasking and App Optimisation
Beyond video playback, the Pixel Fold handles split-screen multitasking competently, allowing users to comfortably run two apps side-by-side. Whether planning trips, managing tasks, or chatting while watching sports, the wide display supports diverse workflows effectively. Moreover, tablet-optimised apps like Kindle benefit from the wide foldable’s layout, presenting content in a natural two-page book format that aligns with the vertical hinge.
Conversely, tall foldables with squarer screens often require awkward rotations to achieve similar reading experiences, as apps interpret the display differently. For apps not optimised for larger displays, Android’s evolving support now allows forced full-screen modes, mitigating previous limitations of wide foldables. With Android 17 making full-screen enforcement mandatory, compatibility issues that once hindered wide foldables are becoming less relevant, signalling a more favourable environment for their return.
Industry Shift Towards Wide Foldables
Samsung and Apple appear to be acknowledging the benefits of a wider foldable design. Leaked renders of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold “wide” model show a 4:3 aspect ratio for both outer and inner displays, a format that aligns closely with the Pixel Fold’s philosophy and promises improved ergonomics and media consumption. Similarly, rumours suggest Apple’s iPhone Fold will adopt comparable dimensions, reinforcing the notion that wide foldables offer a compelling balance between usability and screen real estate.
Comparisons of the Pixel Fold with these new devices reveal that while the Pixel Fold’s outer display is taller, the inner displays share a similar wide aspect ratio. This suggests that the user experience inside the fold will remain consistent with the original Pixel Fold’s strengths, potentially making one-handed use easier on the newer models.
Looking Ahead
It remains to be seen whether Google will revisit its original wide foldable design in future Pixel Fold iterations, especially as competitors embrace this form factor. The Pixel Fold’s early adoption of a wide display was arguably ahead of its time, and with the Android ecosystem now better equipped to support such designs, the wide foldable could become a mainstream choice once again. As Samsung and Apple prepare to launch their own wide foldables, the coming years may well witness a resurgence of this versatile and user-friendly form factor.
For those interested in the evolution of foldable smartphones, keeping an eye on these developments will be essential as the market continues to mature and innovate.
Source: Googleblog