Google Pixel 11 Pro vs 11 Pro Fold: What’s the difference?

Comparison table of technical data

Price and availability

At the time of writing, both the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro Fold are available for pre-order and will be officially released on August 20.

The Pixel 11 Pro is the cheaper of the two, with a starting RRP of £1,079/$1,099 for the 256GB model. Alternatively, you can go for the XL iteration, which costs an additional £200/$200. Our Pixel 11 Pro vs Pixel 11 Pro XL guide will help you learn the differences between the two.

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The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is Google’s most expensive range, with a starting price of £1,799/$1,999 for the 256GB model.

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The Pixel 11 Pro Fold has two displays

Let’s put aside the most obvious difference. While the Pixel 11 Pro is a standard “candybar” smartphone right now with one screen, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is a book-like foldable equipped with two.

Its external display is larger than that of the Pixel 11 Pro, measuring 6.5 inches, while the Pixel 11 Pro has a 6.3-inch display. There are also some differences between the screens, as the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is 19.5:9, while the Pixel 11 Pro is a more standard 20:9. Additionally, the Pixel 11 Pro is equipped with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is equipped with an “ultra-durable ceramic cover glass.” Otherwise, both displays promise to be the brightest Pixel ever, with a peak of 3,600 nits.

Open the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and you’ll find a massive eight-inch panel. Similar to the external screen, the internal display of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold promises a peak brightness of up to 3600 nits and HDR support. It also benefits from a redesigned hinge, which is promised to be stronger but lighter than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s — but we’ll wait until we review the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to verify that.

The Pixel 11 Pro promises slightly longer battery life

Google has never been able to equip its Pixel devices with particularly powerful batteries, and the Pixel 11 series is no exception. However, the Pixel 11 Pro is slightly better than the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, with a 4,850mAh cell that promises more than 30 hours of battery life. In comparison, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has a slightly smaller 4,806 mAh capacity, which should see you through about 24 hours between charges.

Otherwise, both support 30W fast charging and are Qi2.2-certified for up to 25W wireless charging.

The Pixel 11 Pro has a Pro rear camera

Although both devices have three rear cameras, they differ in their exact offerings. The Pixel 11 Pro has a Pro camera system consisting of a 50MP main, 48MP ultra-wide and 48MP 5x telephoto lenses. It supports up to 120x Pro Zoom and 8K video recording.

In comparison, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has an advanced camera system that includes a 48MP main, 10.5MP ultra-wide and 10.8MP 5x telephoto setup. Although it can’t quite reach 120x zoom, it supports up to 30x super zoom.

The camera differences don’t end there. While the Pixel 11 Pro only has one 42MP selfie lens, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold has two. Both are 10MP, but one is on the outer display while the other is on the inner panel.

Since we’ve yet to review either the Pixel 11 Pro or the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, we can’t verify how well they can actually take photos. However, given that Pixel phones usually end up on the list of best camera phones, and Google claims that the Pixel 11 Pro is its best camera yet, we have pretty high expectations.

However, as with all Pixel devices, the hardware is only half the story when it comes to photography prowess, as Google also has an image editing software suite that is truly brilliant. In addition to Camera Coach, which provides live tips on how to take better photos, there are post-processing tools that allow you to move or even remove objects from images altogether.

Both run on Tensor G6

What unites the entire Pixel 11 series is the fact that all phones run on Google’s Tensor G6 processor. Like its predecessors, the Tensor G6 prioritizes AI capability over sheer performance, allowing it to run Google’s extensive set of AI-driven tools. This toolkit is arguably one of them the reason to choose the Pixel, as it covers everything from the aforementioned photo editing tools to productivity tasks like Circle to Search and access to the Gemini voice assistant.

Google promises that the Tensor G6 will see faster web browsing and app launches compared to its predecessor, and will run AI tasks on the device up to 3.5 times faster than before. We will be sure to update this chip when we review the chip.

Both are IP68 rated

While an IP68 rating is fairly standard for smartphones, meaning it’s dustproof and can withstand continuous submersion, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is one of the only foldable devices to boast such a rating.

Not only that, but the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is made of multi-alloy steel with an aviation-grace, high-strength aluminum alloy skin, while the ultra-durable back features an aerospace-grade aluminum frame with a satin finish. While we haven’t reviewed the Pixel 11 Pro Fold yet, it certainly sounds like a durable device.

Early judgment

Choosing between the Pixel 11 Pro and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold ultimately depends on how you want to use your smartphone. If you want a foldable phone, whether it’s because you want a bigger screen for watching videos, playing games, or even for everyday work, then the Pixel 11 Pro Fold will appeal to you. On the other hand, if it’s sold in a non-folding variant and you want a standard smartphone with a promising camera setup, longer battery life and artificial intelligence, then the Pixel 11 Pro will be fine.

We will update this situation once we review both devices.