Pixel Fold Dies in Just 4 Days, User Cites Several Design Flaws That Have Contributed to This Foldable’s Sad Demise

I was very vocal about my love for the recently released Google Pixel Fold, and even though I was not going to upgrade from my Galaxy S22 Ultra, Google's latest foldable was the benchmark to beat in terms of foldable. Now, it seems that I might have to take back my word because Ron Amadeo from Ars Technica just experienced his foldable dying in just four days, and he has cited several design flaws that led to the sad demise of an expensive device.

Pixel Fold's screen is not completely protected, leaving it exposed to foreign debris that could kill the screen with the slightest bit of pressure

Ron has talked about how he barely used the device during the four days while it was still working. It mostly just sat on his desk as he wrote about it and used it every now and then. The phone didn't even get the chance to go through the wear and tear that most phones go through once the user starts using the device properly. I mean, my Galaxy S22 Ultra was dropped from almost 3 feet onto the concrete floor a week after I bought it courtesy of my cats getting the zoomies in the middle of the day and me being a little too careless. However, in the case of Ron, the Pixel Fold just straight-up died without really getting any usage out of it.

The death of this Pixel Fold started with the bottom 10 pixels dying first, which formed a white line of 100 percent lit pixels that was seen on the bottom of the screen. The entire left half of the screen also stopped responding to the touch, and in just an hour, a white gradient started showing on the screen.

So, what caused it? Well, the Pixel Fold in question died because of an exposed OLED gap, and this means that other units also have the same gap. Ron talks about how something must have gotten in the said gap when the screen was closed, and it was strong enough to puncture the panel. He even shared a picture of what he thinks is the puncture, and it's terrifying to see how something so small can damage a $1,799 device.

What's even more concerning is that you can see how the plastic layer is not running edge to edge across the entirety of the OLED panel, and this means that your phone is almost always susceptible to getting damaged, provided something makes its way into that corner. I am not sure if this was a design choice for the Pixel Fold or simply an oversight by Google, but this does raise more concerns for a lot of people who have bought these devices.

Another issue that Ron believes has to do with the fact that the Pixel Fold has bezels that are nearly flush, which means that when you close the device, both sides of the display are so close to each other that they can actually touch each other, and this, easily can contribute to the phone's screen failing because even the tiniest bit of debris can screw your phone beyond repair.

Sadly, I feel that Pixel Fold is not the only device susceptible to such a failure, but the issue is far bigger than what most people would think. You see, this device didn't die because of Ron's negligence. He's mentioned how he barely used it, this device died because there's a pretty big design flaw that's just waiting to be exploited, and anyone could have killed the device. I am not sure what Google is going to do to mitigate the situation, but until then I would highly advise people to think twice before getting their hands on a foldable device. The form factor, despite going through over five generations, still has not improved to the point that it becomes completely safe.