Google has completed its Pixel 9 lineup with its most eccentric member: the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It’s the priciest variant available and marks a significant departure from the first Pixel Fold. The end result is Google chasing conformity rather than breaking new ground.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the most expensive phone Google has to offer. The official price list puts the 256GB variant at 1,899 euros; 512GB of storage can be obtained for an additional 100 euros. However, street pricing appears far kinder to consumers. Anyhow, it is an emphatically premium model. The finish is refined, and so is the choice of materials. The screens have a thicker bezel than the Pixel 9 Pro, but the giant 8-inch internal display in particular offers a luxurious amount of space. It’s a major visual departure from the first Pixel Fold and brings the device in line with the design language of the Pixel 9 series. The chip running the show, the Tensor G4, is also a consistent pick with the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup.
The original Pixel Fold only came out in a select few countries. We were at least able to discern that it was a quirky device. Even in the foldable world full of unorthodox deigns, no other phone maker chose the same “passport” shape, which appealed to many reviewers. However, the thick screen bezel, dull display and clearly visible crease were signs that Google had perhaps introduced its Fold with some haste. On top of that, the device ran on the Tensor G2 SoC, a processor that doubled as a space heater. Five months later, it would be replaced by the Tensor G3 in the Pixel 8 series.
Trend follower
Regardless of its positioning in the Pixel domain, the Pro 9 Fold mainly comes across as a trend follower rather than a trendsetter. Gone is the unique aspect ratio of the Pixel Fold. Instead, Google is taking the same approach as OnePlus with its Open foldable. When folded, the device comes across as a slightly thicker “normal” phone with familiar proportions; when unfolded, it is extremely thin and gives off the impression of two slender smartphones glued together. Many other platforms have already drawn comparisons to the Microsoft Surface Duo or LG’s Dual Screen module, highlighting the 2-in-1-ness of the design.
However, the implementation is a lot more mature than these experimental (and unsuccessful) smartphones of yesteryear. The 8-inch display is a huge amount of screen real estate. It is bright and sharp, as is the front display. Despite the fact that an additional anti-reflective coating would have been most welcome, it is quite conceivable that this is a technical impossibility given the “ultra-thin” glass used here as well as other space constraints. The peak brightness of 2,700 nits allows users to actually see something on the screen even in the light of a bright sunny day.
Many times, interactions on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold are uncompromisingly solid. Being able to glance at a full month’s worth of appointments within Google Calendar, for example, is appealing. Apps like Gmail and Google Photos also integrate easily with the extra area offered by the inner screen. They utilize the extra space with purpose. It can even be hard to go back to the regular slab-like phones that 98.5% of people use.
Having said that, there are minor niggles whenever one uses the inner display, partly owing to an ever-present crease that distracts easily when any reflections flare up.
Google’s intention behind the inner display design seems to be to have it excel especially when running two apps simultaneously. Chrome on one side and Maps on the other, for instance, is a useful combination, with the styling of both apps meeting with a gentle curve upon meeting in the middle of the screen. Stay within the multitude of well-behaving apps (often those from Google itself) and one may get the sense that foldables are finally coming of age. Unfortunately, they are not.
Gemini
We have already briefly covered Gemini, the suite of AI features in Google’s phone range, in our hands-on of the other Pixel models. Despite the fact that we got to work with the functionality extensively, there is extremely little to report about it. Still, Gemini Live is a friendly yet not overly useful AI conversation partner. Things like Add Me in Photos, Circle to Search and AI-powered weather forecasts are additional software tools in the already extensive Pixel arsenal. Yet they do not deserve the same attention as the perpetually relevant criteria (battery life, screen quality, finish) that make a phone great. The treasure trove of AI capabilities are impressive when you consider that nearly all of them run locally, but otherwise, we can’t really find the excitement to describe it as the headline feature Google’s PR has turned it into.
Fighting with itself
Speaking of Maps and other Google apps, its developer teams don’t seem to have had the time required to make their apps work as they really should on foldables. Google Maps always positions itself either on the left (for the next navigation instruction, for example) or on the right (the GPS location), almost as if it isn’t all that sure of the kind of screen it’s running on. One may also wonder why YouTube often has no idea what to do with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It keeps coming up with different sizes to play videos when you switch between the inner and outer screen. This would have been something we’d dismiss as a pre-release bug, but this is exactly the same issue Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line suffers from with certain apps.
A big plus about foldables is that they can easily accommodate two apps at once. Combos of a browser with navigation or notes next to it or a media app along with a calendar or game are all pretty obvious. This also works properly on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, in a largely similar way to a Galaxy Z Fold. The latter, however, makes it a bit easier to open a second app after the first is already running. On the Pixel, the original app sometimes forgets where you left off, while this is not a problem that the Z Fold suffers from.
The maximum number of apps at once is two; on the Z Fold, it’s three. It’s a niche scenario to desire three apps on one screen, but this is already a niche phone with unique features. As it happens, when moving the boundary between apps, everything remains visible on the Z Fold, whereas it is shielded on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The result is that otherwise jumpy-looking scaling takes place invisibly, whereas on the Samsung device, you may see this very clearly. This may help with a sense of continuity, but is not really a major downside for Google.
Fickle
As mentioned earlier, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is thin. Ignoring the significant camera hump for a moment (we’ll get to that later), the phone is 5.1 mm when unfolded. The gradual sloping from display to edge and from edge to side makes the sleek design even sleeker. There’s barely any room to slim down further, owing to the fact a USB-C port still has to fit.
Miraculously, Google has found room for a 4,650 mAh battery. As a result, the phone has the endurance required to last a full day even when truly put to the test. Heat can however be a problem. When folded, this problem gets worse. This makes sense as the phone’s unfolded position allows for much more surface area to dissipate heat. This is the logical consequence of a hard choice that smartphone makers have to make. Indeed, every brnad gets to pick two out of three from the following list: good battery life, a slim chassis and/or strong heat management. Google has opted for choices 1 and 2.
In interviews elsewhere, Google has explained that battery life was a priority for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Said priority delivered stringent space constraints for the cameras, which have been shoved to the side and forego the typical Pixel “visor” that Google has been using since the Pixel 6. Instead, there’s a substantial camera island on display. These cameras betray the true compromises Google had to make.
Cameras
The Apple-like camera island houses three sensors and a flash. The primary sensor offers 48 megapixels and optical image stabilization. Meanwhile, the wide-angle lens can deliver 10.5 MP outputs, while the 5x telephoto lens has 10.8 MP on offer. On every front, said specs represent some sacrifices compared to the (cheaper, but not foldable) Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL. That was a conscious choice. That choice is also easily visible: each lens is respectively smaller than those found on the Pro line. Still, the specifications are more impressive han what Samsung manages on the Galaxy Z Fold line. On those phones, users have to make do with sensors that are spec’ed closer to the much cheaper S24 rather than the S24 Ultra.
We’re comparing the camera systems of the Pixel 9 Pro and the 9 Pro Fold below. Even in a diminished form, the telelens is a value-add for any zoomed-in picture at 5x and beyond, making us prefer the Fold cameras over what’s on the standard Pixel 9. Still, it can’t match the 9 Pro, which takes better photos in every conceivable scenario. Pro users also get to shoot 50 MP photos, versus the 12 MP set by default on all Pixel 9 models. Going for the Fold thus requires a compromise where extra usability, multitasking and a gigantic screen are major pros, but the (still decent) camera system isn’t quite up to the Pro level.
Conclusion: waiting for Android 15?
Unlike many previous Pixel releases, the launch of the Pixel 9 line hasn’t coincided with the release of Android 15, which makes the overall package feel like a work-in-progress that will get a major leg-up soon. After all, what if the multitasking issues are a lot smoother on the new OS, which will first appear on the Pixels in October? We can’t assume they will make a major difference as of yet. Currently, there are still some problems with the foldable version of Android, especially if it does not come with the extra guardrails Samsung has put in place within OneUI.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a logical choice for anyone desiring a sizable tablet and a phone in one package. In doing so, one must tolerate some compromises, such as apps that do not behave like full-fledged tablet applications. The Pixel software is the most accessible Android variant, making it pretty much the go-to gateway drug for ex-iPhone users. It offers less customizability than Samsung OneUI (there is no GoodLock equivalent for Pixels, critically), but also a friendlier interface with fewer unnecessary extra apps that all do the same thing.
In short, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold story is not yet complete. The promise of long-term support (seven years of OS updates) suggests that this phone will continuously improve. That promise will remain a future prospect of course, as will the build quality, which looks good for now but will have to stand the test of time. In any case, Google has become a trend follower after the somewhat experimental foldable debut with the original Pixel Fold. The competition was clearly an inspiration; now it is up to Google to prove that it can lead Android’s foldable maturation. If the AI features also end up improving significantly, that would be a neat addition too.
Also read: Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 – stagnation means decline