Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era

The foldable phone market is in the middle of a huge transformation, but no one told Google. Last year, Samsung transformed its Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a dramatically thinner design. This year, it made its phones thinner and lighter again, almost eliminated the crease, and introduced a new passport-sized form factor that feels like the future. Next month, Apple is expected to enter the market with a foldable iPhone that, rumor has it, includes all of the above and adds iOS too. In the face of all that flux, Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold has hardly changed a thing. Like the other Pixel 11 phones, this is an iterative hardware upgrade, but unlike the others its design feels dated already. It’s a little thinner and lighter than last year’s phone, the main camera is a bit better, the screens a touch brighter. But it’s mostly the same hardware, boosted by software updates like Camera Looks, multitasking Bubbles, and Creator Suite tools. This isn’t a bad phone at all. The IP68 rating makes it tougher than Samsung’s latest, and the triple camera and solid software are both big draws. Perhaps not changing the design will even work in Google’s favor:…