The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the second generation of Google’s foldable smartphone series, launched alongside the Google Pixel Fold in 2023.
The flexibility and fun of folding caught my eye, but I decided not to buy one for a few reasons.
Google Pixel Folding
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
First, they have inferior camera systems compared to their mono-display counterparts and are overpriced, second, they’re prone to breaking (it’s still unclear whether the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will last), and third, dual-display devices generally don’t have great battery life.
As it turns out, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s long battery life proved me wrong on that last point.
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL: The longest battery life ever
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold battery life
In our testing, which involved setting the display brightness to 50% and starting to play a TikTok video, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold managed to get over 16 hours of battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
That’s significantly better than the battery life of the Pixel 9 Pro’s Samsung competitor, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which lasts about 13 hours on a single charge.
Let’s take a look at battery life among the foldables we’ve tested this year.
Mashable Lightspeed
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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold – 16 hours 6 minutes
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – 12 hours 44 minutes
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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 – 12 hours 13 minutes
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold may be more energy efficient than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, but according to our internal testing, it’s less powerful than its Samsung competitor.
In Geekbench 6, a benchmark that tests processor performance, the Google Tensor G4 chip installed in the Pixel 9 Pro Fold achieved a multi-core score of 4,706Compared to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip found in the Galaxy Z Fold 6, 6,638 In the same test.
With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google appears to have sacrificed performance and power in favor of battery life.
Mashable’s Alex Perry reviewed the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and while he wasn’t a fan of the AI ​​bloat, boring color choices, and less-than-impressive camera array (compared to the Pixel 9 Pro model), he did praise the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s “splendid” 6.3-inch internal display.
“The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s internal screen has grown from 7.6 inches to 8 inches, so it’s really big, perfect for reading and watching because everything is so crisp and smooth and colorful. It’s really stunning,” Perry said.
Moving on to how the Pixel 9 Pro Fold differs from its rivals, its closest rival appears to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. In terms of battery performance, the Pixel trumps the Samsung. The Google foldable smartphone lasted surprisingly long on a charge. 3 hours and 22 minutes.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is slightly heavier than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 by just 0.64 ounces, but it boasts a slimmer, sleeker profile than its Samsung counterpart (0.20 inches vs. 0.22 inches in height).
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is $100 more expensive at $1,899.
