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I’ll probably never have the combination of deep pockets and genuine interest that would motivate me to buy a foldable phone, but if I ever did, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold would be at the top of my list.
Google’s first foldable device, last year PixelfoldIt was a respectable enough effort, but its heavy form factor left it in a bad position, especially when compared to competing products (i.e. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5).
But this year, Google may have taken the top spot with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, a renamed successor to the Pixel Fold that boasts an improved display both inside and out, plus a stunning redesign that makes it the most comfortable foldable smartphone I’ve ever used.
Sure, I’m not a huge fan of Google’s recent AI efforts, but if you ignore that, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold could be the winner in the Pixel 9 family, as long as you can pay $1,799 and don’t mind missing out on some premium features. Pixel 9 Pro Features.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold price and specs
Like the Pixel Fold, pricing for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $1,799.
From behind.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
This gives you:
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8-inch interior display
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6.3 inch external screen
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Tensor G4 processor
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16GB RAM
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256GB storage
If you buy the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you’ll only get the 512GB storage option, which will bump up the price to $1,919. a bit It’s odd that there isn’t a 1TB option, when the Pixel 9 Pro XL does have one. One key trend you’ll notice with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is that despite being the most expensive phone with “Pixel 9” in its name, it’s missing some key premium perks that you get with the Pixel 9 Pro.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Folding Design
While the other three Pixel 9 phones feel iterative in terms of hardware redesign (they have new flat edges and a different camera visor on the back, but little else has changed), the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a pretty significant change from its predecessor.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
The exact dimensions are as follows:
When folded, the new foldable phone is taller and narrower than its predecessor. Not only that, but Google has also managed to make it incredibly light and thin. The most notable difference is the weight, where Google has shaved almost an ounce off the phone each year, going from 9.98 ounces to 9.1 ounces.
Even when folded, it is thin and light.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
At just 0.2 inches thick when unfolded (and just 0.4 inches folded), and now even lighter, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the most comfortable foldable phone I’ve ever held. It feels great to use in either configuration, especially better than the Pixel Fold. Last year’s model was a bit too wide and heavy when folded to use as a regular phone, but Google has totally remedied that this year.
I used the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in its folded position most of the time, and I barely noticed I was holding a foldable phone.
Look how thin it is.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
One of the complaints about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s design is the color choices: Obsidian and Porcelain, i.e. black and white, are the only options. Boring!
Pixel 9 Pro Fold display
Like other foldable devices of this form factor, the Pixel 9 Pro XL has two displays.
Credit: Kimberly Geddeom
The exact specifications for each are as follows:
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6.3-inch internal display, 20:9 aspect ratio, 1080 x 2424 resolution, adaptive refresh rate 60-120Hz
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8-inch external display with 2076 x 2152 resolution and adaptive refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz
Both displays have a peak brightness of 2,700 nits, the same as the Pixel 9, and are very viewable outdoors in direct sunlight. There’s really nothing bad to say about either screen. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s internal screen has grown from 7.6 inches to 8 inches, making it very large and perfect for reading or watching. Everything looks sharp, smooth, and colorful. It’s simply amazing.
The outside screen is also great.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
The same can be said about the external display. To be honest, I prefer reading articles on an external display to reading articles on a regular iPhone. Google has increased the external display from 5.8 inches to 6.3 inches, making it the same screen size as the Pixel 9. This strengthens the impression that when you fold the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you feel like you’re using a regular flagship smartphone, rather than a weird, bulky one like the original Pixel Fold, which is a bit difficult to use both folded and unfolded.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold folding function
One of the great things about the Pixel Fold is its useful and intuitive set of foldable UI features, and as far as I can tell, Google hasn’t reinvented the wheel here or really changed anything.
I got to see it!
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon/Mashable
When the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is open, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal a customizable taskbar with your most used apps. You can tap an app to open it in the usual way, or drag two apps up from the taskbar to open multiple apps at once. The display is large enough for multitasking, just like the Pixel Fold. Essentially, what worked a year ago still works today.
The only unique new feature worth mentioning is “Made You Look,” which is frankly adorable and one of the most useful ways the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s outer display can be used for photography. Unfold the phone to launch the rear camera and choose one of several cute animations that play on the outer screen. When the subject of your photo (ideally a small child) sees the animation, it will do something fun at that point, making the child look straight into the camera and smile.
To be honest, I don’t have kids, so it’s hard to test this in the real world. I actually experienced it I tried this out at a Google event and it worked as advertised for adults, so I imagine it might work for kids too.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s AI features
The Pixel screenshots (shown here on a regular Pixel 9 phone) are a prime example of the best use of AI on these devices.
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Unfortunately, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold suffers from the same AI nonsense as the other Pixel 9 phones, which we’ve covered in detail here. Pixel 9 reviewSo I don’t want to repeat myself too much, I’ll just give a quick rundown.
Google continues to rely primarily on generative AI for photography, but it feels like it’s taking the fun out of life. Take a photo of a road and turn it into a river Cool, but not as cool as taking pictures of the river. “Add me” The ability to create group photos that didn’t actually happen – fake ones don’t have the same value as the real thing – and using AI to create text messages, emails, and more.
The Pixel 9 series does all of this with AI. Pixel Screenshot App This is a actually useful database where you can search every screenshot you’ve ever taken – all of these are just party tricks with little to no real-world use.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold performance
Performance-wise, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is pretty much on par with other Pixel 9 phones and feels fine in everyday use, but the metrics don’t perform exceptionally well.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold external display
Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable
Compared to other Pixel 9 phones, the Fold looks great. 4,706 The Geekbench multi-core scores were among the highest you’d expect from the most expensive smartphone in Google’s lineup this year. The only problem is that the 2023 Samsung Galaxy S23, which isn’t even the latest Samsung flagship, has a higher score. 4,977.
I’m not sure what to think about this, considering the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels great in practical use. I didn’t notice any slowdowns, apps loaded quickly, and the phone never got too hot, which was an issue with the Pixel Fold. I’m trusting my instincts on this one. I’d say the Pixel 9 Pro Fold performs well, but the numbers aren’t particularly stellar.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold Battery
On the surface, it may seem like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s battery life isn’t as good as the Pixel 9’s, but that’s not actually the case.
This is according to our testing, which involves repeatedly playing TikTok videos on the internal display at 50% brightness until the battery dies. 16 hr 6 minThat’s a few hours less than what the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL got in the same test. My only hypothesis here is that the larger internal display means better battery life.
Considering that this is a dual-display device and there’s much more screen real estate to render at any given time, 16 hours is actually quite impressive.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera
Another oddity with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is its camera array, which is essentially the same as last year’s, spec-wise.
It’s odd that the cheaper Pixel 9 Pro has a better camera array, at least in terms of megapixel count. The phone has a 50MP wide-angle lens and 48MP ultra-wide and telephoto lenses. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also only has 20x zoom, while the Pixel 9 Pro can do 30x zoom. At the very least, both phones have access to the same camera algorithms and AI features.
While the specs aren’t impressive for the price, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold takes good photos, and 20x zoom is better than no zoom at all.
left:
No zoom.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
right:
20x zoom.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
The ultra-wide angle lens is also really great.
Brooklyn at dusk is amazing.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
Once the sun goes down, Night Sight still takes quality photos in low light, but I haven’t noticed any notable improvements over last year.
Night Sight had a lot of work to do here.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
Night Sight also works in Portrait mode.
Portrait mode with night photography function.
Credit: Alex Perry/Mashable
Is the Pixel 9 Pro Fold worth buying?
I’ve never really been a fan of foldable phones, and I probably never will be, but if that ever changes, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold will take the top spot on the podium for now.
And it’s almost all down to how well it feels to hold: the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is so light and thin, you almost forget it’s a foldable device. Combine that with a bigger, better display inside and out, and you have a device that looks and feels amazing.
Sure, I’m not a huge fan of Google’s suite of AI features, but they’re easy to ignore on a phone with a giant internal display you can use to watch movies and read books. I wish the storage and camera capabilities were at least on par with the Pixel 9 Pro, but those few quibbles aside, Google has made some crazy leaps from year one to year two of its foldable phone experiment.
