Yet Another Pixel Fold Hardware Issue Has Shaken My Confidence
Cracked Pixel Fold
It's happened again. Another Pixel Fold, another problem. This time, it's not the screen... but it's still enough to make me question my loyalty to Google's foldables. Third time's the charm? Let's just say I'm not feeling very charmed right now.
It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Google Pixel devices and a particularly big fan of the Pixel Fold. The original will go down as one of my favorite devices. I adored the shorter cover display and the proper tablet aspect ratio.
That was until May of 2024 when my inner screen rather spontaneously cracked. I sat down on my couch, opened my screen to work inside two apps at once, and I heard the faintest cracking sound. Within moments, a crack appeared on the left side of my screen. What ensued was nothing short of a battle of wills. My device was defective, and Google would replace it whether they liked it or not. After my Pixel Fold made three trips to Texas and back, they finally agreed to replace the phone with a refurbished model.
Shockingly, only a few months later, my refurbished replacement also spontaneously cracked. I have owned several Z Folds, a Z Flip, and a OnePlus Open, and these were the only two breaks I had ever had. Hell, the last time I properly broke a phone was the Galaxy S3. This time I was able to use my insurance purchased through Mint Mobile to get a brand new device. That phone has sat in my collection, only used for testing beta builds.
SIM? What SIM?
Fast forward to January 27th, 2025. I go into the Google Message app on my Pixel 9 Pro Fold to send a text, and I see a message that my SIM is not inserted. I eject the tray and then reinsert it, expecting everything to be fine. Nothing happens. My phone just does not see my SIM. I discover that if I eject my SIM, then reboot and then reinsert the SIM, everything comes back to life… for a while. Sometimes a couple of hours, sometimes less. Eventually, the SIM vanishes again though. Later that day, I ordered a replacement SIM from Mint Mobile, and it got here earlier today (Jan 29th).
I really had hoped that my SIM was just worn out from hundreds of phone swapping instances, but alas, that was not the fix. Even after a factory reset, my SIM was still vanishing. The final straw was placing my SIM into another phone only to have it remain steady as can be.
I tried everything I could think to try and even some things I found online like placing a piece of paper beneath the SIM. It was just time to accept that there was something wrong with another Pixel Fold. At that point, I headed over to the support chat on my Pixel Phone and explained the situation. I was told that I could head to a local UBreakIFix, and that they could do a repair under warranty. Back with my initial screen crack, they had told me the same thing was possible. That’s when I learned not to trust that process either. Despite Google swearing they could repair it (for a fee), UBreakIFix told me they could not. They didn’t repair Pixel Folds. I left the chat up and called the local store, and to my shock, they said they could special order the part and repair it for me.
So that’s where we are now. I once again have a Pixel Fold that requires repair/replacement. My confidence took a hit with the first one. It took a major dip after number two. Number three failing? Well, let’s just say I’m really starting to wonder if I’m cursed or if Google’s foldable QC is just not great. I guess the good news is that I’ll be putting my SIM into a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra for review tomorrow anyways, though that does little to ease the sting.
Tomorrow, I head to my local store to create a work order and have the part ordered. Here’s hoping they know what they’re doing.. Updates to come, I’m sure.