The Google Pixel Fold was a long way off as a foldable phone, but we're not complaining because Samsung finally has a real contender in the battle of the best foldable phones. And Google seems to be taking aim at what it sees as a weakness in the Galaxy Fold series.

I hate the thickness of the Galaxy Z Fold 4; the Pixel Fold is the thinnest fold ever. I wish the front display wasn't squished; the Pixel Fold's cover display has a wide aspect ratio. Google even claims the hinge is the most durable, based on its own drop tests. (Don't drop yours.)

Unfortunately, the Pixel Fold can't beat Samsung on price; the Pixel Fold starts at $1,799, which is exactly the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 4. (And that's the price at which the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is expected to arrive later this year.) Also, the bezels on this fold are quite thick and the creases are quite noticeable. I've had a chance to hold the Pixel Fold in my hands, and this is my impression so far.

The Google Pixel Fold is available for pre-order now (May 10) and the device will be available in June; Verizon has shared that the Pixel Fold will be available on June 27, and we will post AT&T and T-Mobile release dates as soon as we know them.

People who were able to secure pre-orders for Google's first foldable phone have reported that the Pixel Fold's ship date has been pushed back from June 27 to July 3 to July 7. Therefore, Google may have underestimated the inventory needed to fulfill purchase orders for the Pixel Fold.

And if you're interested in getting a Pixel Fold, you'll have to be prepared to spend quite a bit: the Pixel Fold starts at $1,799 for 256GB of storage, and you'll pay $1,919 if you want 512GB. At least Google's Pixel Fold pre-order campaign is attractive: you get a free Pixel Watch worth $349.

See our guide on how to pre-order the Pixel Fold at the best price, and our interview with Google Pixel Fold product manager George Hwang for Google's pricing strategy and deals.

The first thing you'll notice about the Pixel Fold is that the 5.8-inch cover display is wide enough that you don't feel pressured when trying to type. This is a welcome change compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4's tall but narrow 6.2-inch front screen.

In my hands-on, I had no problems typing quick messages.

Open the Pixel Fold and you will be impressed by how thin it is. At just 0.2 inches thick, it's the thinnest of the foldables; the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is 0.25 inches. It may not seem like much, but I will be using the Pixel Fold longer to read because of this advantage.

But it's not all good news: the Pixel Fold weighs 10 ounces compared to the Z Fold 4's 9.28 ounces, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is said to be even lighter. We're also not fans of the Pixel Fold's rather large bezels around the display.

However, the Pixel Fold looks pretty tough; the Pixel Fold's 180-degree fluid-friction hinge is designed to fold over 200,000 times, which Google says is the most durable hinge available. It is also IPX8 water resistant (assuming rain or water spills). The only complaint about the hinge is that it does not seem to fold completely flat when the phone is opened.

The Pixel Fold comes in two colors: obsidian and porcelain. I prefer black because it hides the large bezel a bit better.

The Pixel Fold offers many modes of use thanks to its flexible design. There is a hands-free tabletop mode, which allows the device to be placed like a laptop. This is useful for video calls, watching videos, and taking pictures without a tripod. It also allows users to take pictures from a distance with a palm gesture.

The Pixel Fold can also be used in tablet mode, and Google says it has optimized more than 50 apps for the larger screen. In addition, it has worked with third-party apps like TikTok, Spotify, Asphalt 9, and Disney Plus to make sure they work well on the larger canvas.

Like the Galaxy Z Fold, the Fold's large display allows two apps to run side-by-side, and you can drag and drop content between windows, such as Google Photos and Messages. There is also a taskbar that makes switching between apps easier and disappears when not in use.

In our hands-on with the Pixel Fold, we liked being able to start a YouTube video and continue watching it on the outside display in tent mode; you can do the same with a Google Meet call;

The coolest thing about the Pixel Fold is that you can start a video and watch it on the outside display in tent mode; the Pixel Fold also has an apps bar that allows you to drag and drop content between windows.

The coolest trick is not yet realized in Android 14. In the future, you will be able to do live translation between two people, with one person looking at the Pixel Fold's inner display and the other looking at the cover display.

Both of the Pixel Fold's dual displays offer refresh rates of up to 120 Hz and appear quite bright.

The 5.8" OLED cover display has a resolution of 2092 x 1080 pixels with a peak brightness of up to 1550 nits and up to 1200 nits for HDR content. The inner 7.6-inch display is not quite as sparkling, with a resolution of 2208 x 1840 pixels and a peak brightness of 1,450 nits, or 1,000 nits when using HDR.

The good news is that the trailer for "Guardians Galaxy Vol. 3" looked realistic on the 7.6-inch display. However, wrinkles were noticeable at some angles, especially since we were outdoors during the hands-on session.

The front of the Pixel Fold is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, while the inner panel is made of ultra-thin glass with a protective plastic layer.

The Pixel Fold has three rear cameras: a 48MP main sensor, a 10.8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 10.8MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and 20x super res zoom (digital).

The cover display has a 9.5MP front camera for selfies and an 8MP inner camera for selfies and video calls. If these options are not satisfactory, you can take advantage of the rear camera's selfie mode and flip the cover display over to shoot with the main 48MP sensor.

During my brief hands-on, I was impressed with the quality of the camera, which took sharp portraits of my colleague Kate. In addition, the 5x optical zoom allowed me to see the fine details of her hair when zoomed in.

The Pixel Fold is powered by Google's Tensor G2 chip and 12GB of RAM, so there should be plenty of power for multitasking. It also has 256GB of storage, but a 512GB version can be purchased.

In my hands-on, performance seemed fairly smooth, but I did experience some bugs. For example, when transitioning from tablet mode to tent mode, the app was sometimes incorrectly oriented. However, I hope Google will fix this issue.

The Pixel Fold has a 4,727 mAh battery. This is good news as it is larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 4's 4,400 mAh battery. However, Google does not have the best reputation for battery life, so let's see if it can somehow make our list of best smartphone battery life.

The Pixel Fold supports the same 30W wired charging as the Pixel 7 series. It also supports Qi wireless charging.

Overall, I have mixed reactions to the Pixel Fold. I like the outer display, the thinness of this fold, and the fact that Google has thought through every use of this device with respect to optimized apps and split-screen multitasking. The camera system and 5x telephoto zoom are also reassuring.

However, the bezels on the Pixel Fold are quite chunky at this stage, and the folds could be more subtle. Also, the $1,799 price is comparable to the Galaxy Fold series, but still prohibitive.

We will bring you a fully evaluated Pixel Fold review as soon as we can.