Watch Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold Spew Smoke & Explode In Durability Test
Uh-oh, Google’s barely-month old Pixel 10 Pro Fold has faced a catastrophic failure on the JerryRigEverything show. In an unusual battery (excuse the pun) of non-scientific, but nonetheless telling durability tests, the device not only snapped under pressure but also became the first phone in a decade of testing to have its battery explode into a billow of smoke on camera.
The incident occurred during the standard durability regimen performed by YouTube creator Zack Nelson of JerryRigEverything, the same creator who took Nintendo's Switch 2 for a test drive last June. Despite Google marketing the Pixel 10 Pro Fold as its most robust foldable yet (complete with IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, no less), the device was deemed by Nelson as "by far the weakest folding smartphone I've ever tested." That can't be good for Google's PR.
The key moment of failure came during Nelson’s bend test, where he attempts to flex the phone against its natural folding direction. The device broke with alarming ease at one of its antenna lines—a familiar structural weakness that had been called out in both the original Pixel Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. “This is like Vader building a third Death Star with the exact same exhaust port,” Nelson quipped, criticizing Google for failing to address a known, critical design flaw across three generations of foldables.
Worse than the break itself was the consequence. The structural failure, which likely punctured or pinched the internal lithium-ion battery, quickly led to a short circuit. The phone's battery compartment emitted a burst of smoke and fire, enough to trigger the fire alarm and abruptly end the test. This was a first for Nelson, who has subjected hundreds of smartphones to the same extreme stress.
On top of that embarrassment, Nelson also cast doubt on the device’s IP68 rating. After applying pocket sand to the hinge area, the mechanism began to produce an audible grinding noise when the phone was opened and closed. Nelson concluded that while the inner display might be sealed, the hinge itself is definitely not dustproof, especially considering that sand particles are larger than, well, dust.
The dramatic results stand in stark contrast to its main rival, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, which while being thinner, came out of JerryRigEverything's bend and durability tests in much more impressive shape than Google's seemingly self-destructing foldable.
Note that for the most part, these are extreme tests he performs on smartphones. Sure, it's concerning to see a phone go up in smoke, but you'd have to really apply some unusual force bending the Pixel 10 Pro Fold in the wrong direction to achieve that level of catastrophic failure.
