Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold has once again struggled in a durability test, with the foldable cracking along both antenna lines during a bend test. It’s the fourth consecutive generation of Google’s foldable phone to break at the same vulnerable area.
The latest test comes from Zack Nelson of the YouTube channel JerryRigEverything, who put the Pixel 11 Pro Fold through his usual series of scratch, flame, dust and bend tests. The biggest concern came at the end, when the phone cracked along the antenna lines positioned next to the hinge.
That is the same area where the original Pixel Fold, Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel 10 Pro Fold failed during similar testing. Google has previously claimed that it re-engineered the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to be three times stronger, with its hinge tested to withstand 83 million opening and closing cycles in a laboratory environment. The durability test suggests there may still be a weak point outside those controlled conditions.
The exterior 6.6-inch display also showed scratches at level six on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves at level seven, despite Google claiming it is twice as scratch-resistant as last year’s model. The larger 8-inch Super Actua Flex Display, meanwhile, scratched at level two, with deeper marks at around the level of a fingernail, which is expected for a flexible display.
The flame test caused permanent damage to both screens. The exterior display lasted around 20 seconds under the flame before suffering permanent damage, while the inner display lasted about 13 seconds.
Zack also found that fine particles could make their way into the hinge despite the phone’s IP68 rating. Water resistance and dust resistance aren’t necessarily the same thing when a device has moving parts, and the test showed dust collecting around the hinge and internal components.
The most dramatic moment came during the bend test. The phone cracked along both antenna lines, but the front glass also popped completely away from the frame. Zack noted that the glass came off without wires or other components remaining attached to it.
The test also offered a look inside the phone, including its flexible display construction and hinge. Under the inner screen is an ultra-thin glass layer and reinforcement structure, while the hinge uses a different design from Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also has an internal cooling system with a copper vapor chamber for its Tensor G6 chipset.
As with any durability test, this doesn’t mean the Pixel 11 Pro Fold will fail during normal use. However, seeing the same antenna-line failure for a fourth consecutive generation raises questions about Google’s decision to retain the placement of a known structural weak point.
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