Pixel Fold teardown reveals the guts of Google’s $1,800 phone
Behold the insides of the Pixel Fold. It's cramped in there. (Full disclosure, this is a composite of the left and right halves with all the thermal tape peeled off.) [credit: PBKReviews ]
The Pixel Fold is one of Google's most complicated pieces of hardware ever, but what does it look like on the inside? The Pixel line doesn't get much teardown love from iFixit anymore (despite an official partnership), but PBK Reviews is still a reliable source for timely teardowns of Google's latest phones.
As usual, the Pixel Fold is glued together, so you'll have to heat up the back cover and the front screen, and then pry everything off. The camera side of the device has most of the normal phone components, like the three cameras, the SoC, storage, modem, bottom speaker, and USB-C port, and also squeezes in a 1489 mAh battery. The other side is mostly battery, sporting a big 3332 mAh battery, the outer display camera, haptic feedback vibrator, earpiece, and SIM tray.
Google Pixel Fold From $1,799 at Amazon (Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.)It doesn't look like there's much room for repairability. The USB-C port lives on the motherboard, so it'll be tough to replace. PBK Reviews didn't even attempt to pry off the flexible screen due to "a high chance of damaging or breaking the screen," but presumably, there's just a big slab of metal underneath it. With all the parts removed, you can see how the two sides communicate as a series of ribbon cables snake their way through the hinge.