This was an engineering (or as some may say, hinge-a-neering) challenge, though: “Gears are straightforward,” says Yongho Lim, who worked on the architecture of the new foldable. And going from the original, rotational motion to linear motion was not. We thought using spring-loaded CAMs on each half might work in place of the gears,” he explains. “With the CAMs connected across the hinge, when either half of the device is opened, the other would be forced to follow! We knew we were on the right path when we built the first prototypes and the two halves opened perfectly in sync.” And more importantly, when it survived the drop test. “I’ve been working in this field for a long time and have seen thousands of drop tests,” Yongho says. “But I still hold my breath every time a new design gets dropped for the first time!”
The new hinge survived — and allowed the team to keep the product as thin as possible. And since the internal architecture of the phone was completely rearranged, designers had the opportunity to “push” things a bit more, as Sangsoo puts it. For starters, it meant they could expand the display all the way to the hinge and reduce the border significantly. In fact, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold has the largest display on a foldable at eight inches, plus a 6.4-inch outer display thanks to smaller bezels, which shrank in part after taking out the hinge’s gears.
The new build also helped the team maximize something else they knew people cared about. “The number one user demand is always better battery,” says Sangsoo. “The new inner setup meant there was space for a bigger — better — one: It has our biggest battery on a foldable device yet, and can last more than 30 hours.”
Thinking “phone first” for look, feel and function
There were also the aesthetics of the gearless hinge to consider. “When we talk about the hinge, there’s always a lot of conversation around material changes,” says Brian Cutter, who’s a CMF (color, materials and finish) designer for Pixel. “And one important thing that we want to do every year is keep the hinge polished.” If it were matte, he says, it would just blend in — the polish elevates the phone, signaling it fits in with the rest of the pro Pixels. Teams discussed various material options before deciding on aluminum, the same as the phones themselves, which meant Brian’s team could color match nicely and achieve a stunning polish.
