Last year’sPixel Foldwas a great start for Google.
The foldable featured a solid design and decent camera performance, but it lagged behind theSamsung Galaxy Fold 6in a few key areas, including durability and, most importantly, hinge design. And remember those bezels? They’re massive. In some ways, the Pixel Fold taking a backseat to the Fold on its first outing makes sense. After all, Samsung had a several-year head start on Google in the foldable space.
With the awkwardly named Pixel 9 Pro Fold (just Pixel Fold 2 would have been far better), Google is back with a second-generation foldable. After briefly going hands-on with the device at a recent preview event, it seems like the tech giant is on the right track this year.
In fact, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold might be this year’s top foldable if its software issues are resolved.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold aims to solve the original Pixel Fold’s key issues thanks to its thinner and lighter design, Tensor G4 chip and more fluid hinge.
How we test and review products at Pocket-lint
We don’t do arm-chair research. We buy and test our own products, and we only publish buyer’s guides with products we’ve actually reviewed.
Fixing last year’s mistakes
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s hinge feels solid
While I didn’t spend a lot of time with the original Pixel Fold, its hinge felt lackluster to me. It always gave me the impression it might snap if you pushed it slightly too far. That issue is gone with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and its new ‘Friction Hinge,’ which feels like a slightly firmer version of the Galaxy Z Fold 6’s high-quality hinge. Thankfully, this year, the expansive folding screen can also sit entirely flat. I don’t see myself doing this often, but it brings the Pixel 9 Pro Fold up to par with what the competition is capable of.
Though I’ve only spent a few minutes playing with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, I’m impressed with what I experienced.
The first thing that struck me about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is how thin it feels when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 andOnePlus Open. It’s only a few points of an inch thinner as far as I can tell, but it’s noticeable, especially when you’re looking at the devices side-by-side and holding them in your hand. This is also likely why its battery is slightly smaller at 4,650 mAh compared to 4,821 mAh. It’s unclear how much this change will affect battery life, but hopefully, the downturn isn’t that bad, given that the original Pixel Fold already didn’t offer great up-time.
Google has shaved the bezels surrounding the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s screen substantially, giving the foldable a sleek, modern look. Adding to this vibe are the rounded-off corners and slightly squarer sides, which make Google’s new foldable easier to hold, particularly when closed. I’m still a big fan of the cover screen’s 20:9 aspect ratio because it feels more like a normal smartphone. I struggle to use the Z Fold 6’s Cover Display because it’s too thin to type comfortably with, and it’s also top-heavy. By contrast, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s front screen feels far easier to type with and its weight is more evenly distributed.
The display remains stunning
And I appreciate the slightly larger cover screen
Speaking of screens, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s OLED 120Hz displays, including the cover and interior screens, look and feel great, coming in at 6.3 inches and 2,076 x 2,152-pixel resolution (373 PPI) for the external display and 8 inches and 1,080 x 2,424 pixel resolution (422 PPI) for the internal screen, with 1800 nits (HDR) and 2700 nits of peak brightness. The foldable display crease is still visible, unfortunately, but that’s in line with my experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 6. This means you can see it if you’re looking for it, but generally, it doesn’t detract from the folding screen experience. Still, it would be great if a foldable smartphone maker figured out how to make the crease less visible.
Sticking with specs, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold features Google’s new Tensor G4 chip. The phone also comes with 16GB of RAM and 256GB or 512GB storage options. In my brief time with Google’s latest foldable, it performed great, and I’m looking forward to testing it under a heavier load once I get my hands on a review unit.
On the camera front, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold appears to feature a nearly identical array to the Pixel Fold. The wide shooter features an f/1.7 lens and 48-megapixel sensor, the ultrawide shooter is equipped with an f/2.2 lens and a 10.5-megapixel sensor, and the telephoto shooter features a f/3.1 lens and 10.8-megapixel sensor. That said, across the board the image sensors are bigger, which should improve low-light performance. The front and inner cameras have also been upgraded to sport f/2.2 lenses and 10-megapixel sensors. I’m looking forward to testing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s camera more thoroughly when I get my hands on a review unit.
Like every tech company, Google wants its foldable to be all about AI
How useful these new AI features are remains unclear
Of course, alongside minor hardware updates, Google is also pushing its Gemini AI platform with the Pixel 9 Fold 2. Magic Editor now offers features like a new re-frame photo option, the ability to easily remove objects from images, and unique to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a new feature called ‘Made You Look’ that shows an animation on the cover screen to get kids to look at the camera. These features seem useful, but I didn’t get the chance to properly try them out at the busy hands-on event. On that note, while I was impressed withSamsung’s Galaxy AI offerings, they don’t always work perfectly, and I don’t find myself using them very often. I’m interested to see if that will be the case for Google’s Gemini-powered mobile efforts.
Though I’ve only spent a few minutes playing with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, I’m impressed with what I’ve experienced. Google seems to have learned from the missteps it made with its first-generation foldable. However, it’s unclear if its software will be up to par with Samsung and OnePlus' foldable offerings, especially regarding big-screen app support, which has been a key issue with the original Pixel Fold.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold releases on September 4thstarting at $1799in Obsidian and Porcelain colors, with pre-orders now available. Alongside its foldable, Google also recently revealed thePixel 9,Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL,Pixel Buds Pro 2, and more.
