Technologies

Google Chose Durability Over Sleekness for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and That’s OK

Commentary: While Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 prioritizes thinness, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold focuses on battery life and dust resistance. Take your pick.

When Samsung debuted the Galaxy Z Fold 7 last month, the spotlight was on how thin and light that foldable phone is. On Wednesday, Google took a different approach when unveiling the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, focusing more on internal upgrades like a larger 5,015-mAh battery and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance — a major step in the world of foldables — while sticking roughly with the design of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Both Samsung’s and Google’s updates are designed to make foldable phones feel as «normal» as possible. In an ideal world, foldables would be the full package: slim, tough and powered by a big battery. But in the real world, where these niche devices are still finding their footing, you still have to choose between sleekness and durability. And Google is betting you’ll pick the latter.

«The foldable market has matured to the point where one-[size]-fits-all does not apply anymore,» said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of devices at IDC. «Some users will value a device that feels as sleek, light and portable as a traditional flagship phone.» That’s where the 215-gram Galaxy Z Fold 7 comes in, which is just 4.2mm thick when open and 8.9mm when closed.

«Some other users will prioritize function, reliability and peace of mind over aesthetics,» Jeronimo continued. «The Pixel 10 Pro Fold addresses the top concerns that have historically held consumers back: durability and battery life. Its IP68 rating — a first for this type of foldable — offers a level of confidence for anyone who is less careful using the phone in environments more prone to damage. This user is willing to accept a heavier device in exchange for a more resilient one.»

Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. My preference, of course, would be to have it all, but we’re just not there yet.

A different approach to standing out

If you’re spending a lot of money on a phone, you want to make sure it ticks all the key boxes. And foldable phones are far from cheap. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at a whopping $2,000 ($100 more than last year’s Z Fold), while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold maintains its $1,799 price tag from last year (still not pocket change).

Phone manufacturers have to set their offerings apart to lure your precious dollars. Loading a bunch of AI features, which both Samsung and Google do, is only half the battle. The main appeal of a foldable, after all, is the innovative design. Finding ways to make that design more practical can be a huge selling point, hence Samsung’s and Google’s (varied) efforts.

Samsung slimming down its Z Fold 7 helps it feel like a standard slate phone when closed, at 8.9mm thick and just 4.2mm when open, weighing 215g. The 200-megapixel main camera adds to the premium feel and puts it on par with the top-of-the-line S25 Ultra. But there is a major trade-off: the Fold 7’s battery is a meager 4,400mAh. Plus, it has an IP48 rating, meaning it’s only protected against solid objects larger than 1mm — not smaller granules like finer sand.

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold solves for those battery and IP shortcomings, but with the trade-off of strongly resembling last year’s model rather than slimming down. It’s 1 gram heavier than the 9 Pro Fold, clocking in at 258g. The 10 Pro Fold is 10.8mm thick when closed and 5.2mm thick when open. For those who would rather opt for day-to-day longevity and sturdiness, it’s not too bad an exchange. But it does admittedly feel like less of a flex, once you’ve seen and held a thinner phone like the Z Fold 7.

There is one key area where I feel like Google isn’t quite living up to the «Pro» name in its Pixel 10 Pro Fold: the cameras. I have yet to test the phone’s cameras, but at least on paper, the Fold’s specs are a step down from what you’ll get on the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL.

The 10 Pro Fold has a 48-megapixel wide-angle (like the much cheaper Pixel 9A), 10.5-megapixel ultrawide and 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera, while the non-folding Pro models have a 50-megapixel wide-angle, 48-megapixel ultrawide and 48-megapixel telephoto camera. The Fold also lacks the impressive Pro Res Zoom feature that uses generative AI to snap sharper images at up to 100x zoom, sticking with the Super Res Zoom that delivers acceptable images at 20x zoom.

I may be spoiled by Samsung’s loading of its top-end camera onto its thin foldable, but I feel like Google could have also pushed to add those truly Pro specs to the Fold, especially since they had more room to play with. But again, you can’t have it all.

A growing niche

A CNET survey from July found that 64% of people aren’t interested in buying a foldable smartphone in the next year, but a notable 13% said they were keen to make that leap. As foldables become sleeker, more powerful and more durable, it’s likely that a growing number of people will consider them when purchasing their next smartphone.

«The hardware and software advancements in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7, as well as other devices such as the Honor Magic V5, signal that the foldable category is rapidly maturing and knocking down the barriers that have prevented mainstream adoption,» Jeronimo said.

IDC predicts the foldable market will grow 6% year over year in 2025 (compared with 3.9% in 2024). In 2027, it could jump to 11% year-over-year growth.

«The stronger performance will be driven by stronger demand for foldable devices overall, Apple’s potential launch of a foldable iPhone and more models at lower price points from Samsung, Huawei, Motorola and other Chinese brands,» Jeronimo said. «Nevertheless, we expect foldables to continue representing less than 3% of total sales by 2029.»

And as competition inevitably ramps up, so, too, will innovation. And maybe someday, you won’t have to choose what to prioritize.

Technologies

Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance

Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.

Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.

The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.

Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.

Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.

Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.

The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»

Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.

Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.

At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.

Technologies

OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report

OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.

OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.

‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.

The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.

Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.

This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

Technologies

OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift

OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.

Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.

‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.

Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.

‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’

A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.

Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’

On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.

OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.

In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.

Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.

The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.

‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know