If you’ve seen that viral clip of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold going up in smoke — yes, it actually happened.
But before anyone panics, let’s clear things up.
During a YouTube durability test, the foldable was bent in the “wrong” direction — backward, against its hinge. The frame cracked near one of the antenna lines, slicing into the battery. Within seconds, smoke and flames erupted.
The phone didn’t spontaneously combust — it was a mechanical failure that short-circuited the battery, causing thermal runaway — when heat builds up faster than it can escape.
What actually caused it
A few key things lined up to create that fiery moment:
- Extreme stress: The bend was far beyond anything a normal user would do.
- Battery damage: When the frame snapped, it likely pierced the thin insulating layers inside the lithium-ion cell — the same kind of failure discussed in our explainer on solid-state batteries.
- High charge: The battery still had some power left in it, which made the reaction more intense.
If the phone had been discharged first or not bent so violently, the fire probably wouldn’t have happened at all.
Why this doesn’t mean your Pixel is unsafe
Let’s get this straight — your Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn’t going to suddenly catch fire on your nightstand.
This was a lab-style torture test, not a real-world hazard.
So far, there have been no reports of fires or overheating in everyday use.
For comparison, Apple’s upcoming design tweaks for its foldable iPhone — including a new hinge material — show how the entire industry is learning from these stress points. You can read more in our piece on Apple’s foldable hinge design.
What the test actually revealed
Even though the fire looked dramatic, it exposed a potential weak spot. The Pixel 10 Pro Fold snapped right along an antenna line — the same fragile zone found in previous foldables. That could mean there’s a recurring stress point in Google’s design.
Foldables are tricky — ultra-thin batteries sit beside moving parts. One wrong flex, and things can get ugly fast. Other brands are experimenting with creative solutions, like Samsung’s rumored tri-fold design that uses three separate batteries to spread out stress. We broke that down in our Galaxy Z Trifold analysis.
Expert insight
Battery engineers say this was a textbook case of mechanical puncture failure. Once the separator layers inside a lithium-ion cell are breached, the reaction is instant.
It’s not that the Pixel’s battery is unsafe — it’s that foldables need stronger internal shielding as designs get thinner. Some brands are turning to creative cooling tech to manage heat and pressure, like the liquid-cooling system we covered in RedMagic’s smartphone breakthrough.
The bottom line
- The Pixel 10 Pro Fold caught fire because of a battery puncture during an extreme bend test.
- It’s not a design defect in everyday use.
- The test did expose a possible weak point near the antenna line that Google may reinforce in future models.
So, no — your Pixel 10 Pro Fold won’t explode. But maybe don’t bend it backward just to see what happens.
Last Updated on October 15, 2025 by Lucy
