Google has revealed new engineering details about its foldable phone, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

The company explained that the new gearless hinge was the key that allowed the device to achieve an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, making it the world’s first foldable phone to reach this level of protection.

While the phone looks similar to its predecessor externally, Google made radical changes to the internal design, most notably replacing the gears inside the hinge with a mechanism based on mechanical components known as CAMs, according to a report published by androidheadlines and reviewed by Al Arabiya Business.

These components convert rotational motion into balanced linear motion, ensuring the phone opens and closes smoothly.

Google loads the CAMs with precise springs that automatically move the other half of the phone when the opposite side is opened, enhancing hinge cohesion and providing a harmonious movement free of excessive mechanical friction.

Why is this step important?

Gears tend to accumulate dust over time in most foldable phones, which weakens the folding mechanism and prevents the device from opening fully to a 180-degree angle after a short period of use.

In the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the new hinge prevents fine particles from entering and maintains long-term mechanical performance, giving the phone a significant edge over competitors from Samsung and Huawei, whose phones still carry the lower IP48 rating.

New Hinge… More Space for Innovation

Google’s decision to abandon gears increased the phone’s resistance to external factors and also freed up internal space, enabling the company to:

• Expand the screen size and reduce bezels.
• Install a massive 5015mAh battery, the largest so far in foldable phones within the United States.

Bolder Engineering from Google

Google said it adopted a bolder and less conservative approach in developing the hinge to provide a better user experience without compromising the quality of its premium phones.

This boldness seems to have paid off, as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold is now considered one of the most mechanically advanced foldable phones, thanks to its new hinge that combines durability and flexibility simultaneously.