I cannot overstate how much nice It feels like I'm using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold's internal display. I've never felt so satisfied using all my little apps at the coffee shop on a big screen, folding it in half, and putting it in my pocket.
This time, Google has nailed the hardware. The front display feels like a normal phone. I can’t say the same about the front display on the previous Pixel Fold or the six generations of Samsung’s Z Fold. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also light enough that I can forget I’m using a foldable phone for long periods of time. Go figure!
Google has fixed many of the first Fold’s problems, but it hasn’t fixed all of them. Thankfully, the ones that remain are just foldable phone problems. The cameras aren’t as good as those on the regular Pixel 9 series. It’s still thicker and heavier than larger, slab-style phones. It won’t be as easy to repair, and it costs twice as much as a run-of-the-mill flagship phone. If you’re looking for reasons to convince yourself not to buy a $1,799 phone, you’re welcome.
But if you're adventurous and don't mind the inconveniences of life with a flip phone, I'm sorry to say you should probably spend $1800 on this phone. It's that good.
Google has followed exactly in OnePlus' footsteps and managed to differentiate the previous Pixel Fold from the Open. The front display feels like you're using a normal screen. It's not much heavier than a normal phone. The inner display is large. Everything is as it should be.
This Pixel Fold may be a “Pro” phone, but it shares display specs with the standard Pixel 9 rather than the Pixel 9 Pro. All three devices have 6.3-inch OLED displays, but the regular 9 and 9 Pro Fold both have 1080p resolutions and top out at 1,800 nits in maximum brightness mode. The 9 Pro’s display is a bit sharper and brighter, so it’s a compromise you’ll have to make if you want the Pixel that folds in half.
The exterior display isn't as “Pro” as it could be, but the interior display is the biggest bang for the buck, and it's much brighter this year. This is a major upgrade on a device that's supposed to be with you outdoors all the time. What's the point of having that big screen sitting outside the coffee shop if you have to squint to see it? The improved peak brightness of 2,700 nits makes it much more comfortable to use outdoors than the previous generation's display.
The camera hardware does have some downsides. The standard Pixel 9 phones all have a 50-megapixel main camera with a larger sensor compared to the 9 Pro Fold’s 48-megapixel camera. There’s not a huge difference, but you can get a bit more detail in low-light photos with the standard Pixel 9’s camera. The foldable Pixel’s telephoto lens also isn’t quite as good, and low-light photos compared to the standard Pixel 9’s 5x zoom are noticeably softer.
It's a minor feature, but “Made You Look,” which uses the outer screen to display an adorable animation to grab a child's attention, works. exactly As advertised, but it uses the outer display's selfie camera, which isn't great in low light. Don't get me wrong, this is a good camera system overall, but it's one area where basically all foldable phones fall behind flat-top phones, due to the internal space needed for moving parts. We can't have it all, at least not yet.
And I hate to continue to be a bummer, but if you’re going to buy a foldable phone instead of a flat one, you’re going to have to consider durability. Its IPX8 rating means the 9 Pro Fold can withstand immersion in water, but you’ll have to deal with issues if a grain of sand finds its way into the hinge. It’s best to factor in the extra $279 for Google’s extended support plan into the purchase price of this already pricey phone.
Enough of the less fun stuff! Let's talk about the best part of this phone: using the big screen. The phone's new taller form factor, along with improved rendering of some apps, makes for a much better internal display experience. You can see two apps on the screen at once, which is great for cross-referencing Google Maps and Eaterbut that's the limit.
I understand why Google does this, and you have to be a bit of a weirdo like me to want to run three or four apps at once in little tiles. But Samsung's foldable UI lets you do this, and I kind of regret not being able to have a little Spotify player in the corner of the screen while running two other apps like I can on the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Still! Using the big screen is a pleasure. I'm more inclined to use the 9 Pro Fold for complex tasks that would be annoying on a regular phone. Opening Chrome and seeing all my tabs lined up at the top of the screen fills my heart with joy. I can check a page on Frozen Veins As I organize my paragon points in Diablo IV, Instead of squinting at a small screen, those little things add up.
I’ve also been impressed with the 9 Pro Fold’s battery life. It’s not as robust as the standard Pixel 9 models, but it comfortably lasts a moderate day with lots of GPS navigation, hotspot use, and indoor screen time. Even on those days, I always had at least 40 percent battery left before I went to sleep.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold makes foldable phones make sense to me. It's more like a regular phone than ever, but it's also not completely It's just like using a regular phone. When opting for a foldable phone, there are still compromises to be made, especially in camera hardware. The long-term durability of the phone is also an unknown — literally no one has owned a Pixel foldable phone for more than a year at this point. Owning a foldable phone is not for the faint of heart.
But the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the most satisfying foldable phone I’ve ever used. Using the phone when it’s closed feels much less awkward and much more normal than the previous Pixel Fold or a Galaxy Z Fold. That makes using the big internal display much more rewarding — I don’t feel like I have to hold up a bulky phone the rest of the time to enjoy that experience.
This foldable phone has its downsides: the lower-quality camera hardware; durability issues; and, oh yeah, the $1,800 it costs. But I think Google made the right concessions here to optimize the internal display experience. It’s an experience I’ll miss when I go back to the next foldable phone I test — one that foldable phone fans and the foldable-curious will also find very rewarding. Because, damn, this is a good phone.
Photograph by Allison Johnson/The Verge
