Google Pixel Fold
I’ve used a fair few foldables in 2023, and none were more awkwardly placed in the growing squashable market than the Pixel Fold. Simply put, Google’s first attempt at a foldable did not match what Samsung has been iterating on for years. It had surprisingly large bezels and an unfolding action that was unsatisfying to use. Its software was also far behind that of other devices in its class. While other Android-based foldables could simultaneously open up three, four, or more apps, Google restricts you to two. I took it on a two-week sojourn in Japan for the sake of using its touted Live Translate feature, and it proved so unwieldy that the kindly older woman who ran my hostel could use her old iPhone’s translate feature far faster than the Pixel would translate back and forth. Hopefully, Google will learn from its mistakes in the next foldable iteration. — Kyle Barr
