Zack Nelson, the YouTuber known as JerryRigEverything, has been putting smartphones through a consistent set of durability tests for years, and his videos are quite popular. Nelson put the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which Google claims to be the first dustproof foldable, through the same torture test this week, and he caught on camera an unprecedented incident for his channel. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold exploded during a bend test, with smoke coming out of one of the batteries and triggering a fire alarm.
“Surprisingly, in the decade that I’ve been durability-testing phones, I have never had a smartphone explode before,” Nelson says. “The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first phone to go up in smoke.” The YouTuber explains that his bend test is “extreme,” but adds that “I’ve also subjected every mainstream smartphone made in the past 10 years to these exact same tests. That has never happened before. And this is the first time I’ve ever had one fail so spectacularly to the point where my fire alarm is going off.”
From the start of the durability test, Nelson points out that Google has not changed the antenna design in the newest foldables. The YouTuber tested the previous foldable Pixel models, the Pixel Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and both bent near the hinge, where antenna lines are present. The previous Pixel Fold models did not go up in flames, however, as the batteries were not harmed during bend tests.
Should buyers be worried about the Pixel 10 Pro Fold?
While Nelson says the Pixel 10 Pro Fold failed his durability test “catastrophically,” Pixel 10 Pro Fold owners should not worry about their phone going up in smoke. Nelson’s test involved bending the phone, and then going for a second round. Pixel 10 Pro Fold buyers aren’t likely to go through the same process, unless they do so intentionally. That said, consumers should ensure they keep the phone folded when not in use to prevent accidental bending. Also, they should not store the handset unfolded in bags, purses, and other places where it might get bent accidentally.
Extreme Pixel 10 Pro Fold bend tests aside, Google has run into battery problems with traditional Pixel phones. Earlier this year, Google had to issue updates to the older Pixel 4a and Pixel 6a models to improve the stability of batteries and reduce the risk of battery overheating. Hopefully, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold won’t require any battery fixes.
Separately, JerryRigEverything’s video above highlights another potential Pixel 10 Pro Fold durability issue. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the world’s first phone to feature an IP68 rating, which means the handset is dust- and water-resistant. However, the YouTuber showed that larger debris particles, like sand, might enter the hinge, despite Google’s dust resistance claims. That’s something to consider when bringing the phone to the beach or certain work environments.
