JerryRigEverything says Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first phone to “go up in smoke during bend testing”

Google may have another Pixel phone with a battery issue, this time, affecting the new Pixel 10 Pro Fold. In a Video posted todayYouTuber JerryRigEverything, aka Zack Nelson, put the foldable device through the usual durability tests, but as he films his bend test — after he’s already broken the phone — the battery expands, appears to overheat, emits enough smoke to set off a nearby fire alarm, and eventually ends up as charred wreckage on a table. own test.

To be fair, Nelson puts an unusual amount of stress on the phone. He originally unlocked the phone by bending it back while the phone was fully open, and the battery didn’t swell until he exerted a lot of force on the broken part of the phone in such a way that it folded the screen behind it.

This is not a scenario that any normal person would face day in and day out. But it’s still unusual even under extreme conditions, according to Nelson. He says he hasn’t seen anything like it during previous tests.

“Surprisingly, in my decade of durability testing phones, I’ve never had a smartphone explode before,” Nelson says. “Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first phone to go up in smoke.” While he notes that this is an “extreme test,” he adds: “I’ve also subjected every mainstream smartphone made in the last 10 years to these exact same tests. This is the first time I’ve failed one of these tests so spectacularly to the point where a fire alarm went off.”

“While the battery fire is dramatic, we don’t think this is necessarily a sign that there’s something wrong with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s design,” says iFixit’s Elizabeth Chamberlain. Edge. “The possibility of thermal runaway is just a reality in Li-ion batteries. It appears that Zack may not have discharged the battery before opening the phone (most new phones have more than 60% charge out of the box). We normally recommend less than 25% battery discharge, but with the extreme stresses Zack puts on devices, that may be too high.”

“Thermal runaway is essentially a local short circuit, and is most likely to occur when you penetrate the insulating layers of a jelly roll-style battery,” Chamberlain adds. As indicated by A mail And a video From iFixit About batteries catching fire.

Nelson put the Pixel 10 Pro Fold’s IP68 dust resistance to the test, too. While Google named the phone “The most durable and foldable yet” And highlighted Benefits of the gearless hinge for the phoneNelson pours some dust directly onto the hinge and the phone opens and closes, causing some gross convulsions as the dust gets stuck inside. “It’s kind of embarrassing,” Nelson says.