The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is off to an explosive start (and not in a good way)

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold foldable phone has been put through a popular stress test, with spectacular results.

Google’s latest high-end foldable was recently put through the usual suite of torture tests by YouTube channel JerryRigEverything – and according to the presenter, it failed “catastrophically”.

While there were no great surprises on the scratch tests (Gorilla Glass Victus 2 cover screen, aluminium frame, and alarmingly soft internal screen), the phone reacted rather alarmingly to the physical bend test.

The video highlights how Google doesn’t appear to have learned from the design weakness of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which crumpled along the antenna line nearest the hinge when serious pressure was applied. Sure enough, the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold failed at the same point.

Even worse – when the presenter straightens the phone up for a second pass, the battery starts hissing and smoking, essentially exploding. It’s the first phone to ever do this in 10 years of the channel’s existence.

Pixel 10 Pro Fold – not so dust proof

The presenter also put the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s much vaunted dust resistance to the test. It’s the first foldable to pack an IP68 rating, but it doesn’t quite appear to be up to the task.

Sprinkling a bunch of grit onto the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s new hinge and manipulating it produces a hideous grinding sound, with said dust audibly working itself inside the mechanism.

“I can conclusively say that the Pixel 10 Pro Fold hinge is definitely not dust proof,” concludes the presenter, and it’s tough to disagree.

It’s worth pointing out that all of these tests are at the extreme end of the scale. If you’ve bought a Pixel 10 Pro Fold, it’s highly unlikely to start exploding on you, and it probably won’t bend in the wrong places unless you deliberately set out to do so.

In our own review of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, our tester referred to the “sturdy and confidence-inspiring” build of the phone, adding that “The hinge was already great, but it’s been improved on this model, and it’s easily one of the best in the business.” Of course, foldable phones have always been inherently weaker than their non-foldable brethren, so the usual caution is advised.