The foldable market is big these days and everybody wants to get their hands in that lucrative cookie jar, Google included. Well, after the relative success of the Google Pixel Fold, the company is taking another shot at the market with its second attempt, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
This device pretty strongly refines what the original Pixel Fold brought to the table and it’s hard to hate it right now. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is certainly a foldable that can go head-to-head with the others in the market right now, so let’s talk about it.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Is Sleeker And More Capable
There’s no sophomore slump for Google, as its second shot at making a foldable seems to be a major hit. Let’s dive into the finer details of the modern new phone.
The Design
The first thing you’ll notice when comparing the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold to its predecessor is that it almost looks like there’s three or four years of difference between them. That’s how much the newer device aligns with modern smartphone standards.
The aspect ratio changes up as the device gets taller for a more square shape when unfolded. It has matte aluminum sides with a matte glass back and a rounded rectangular camera module in the top left corner. The device is also slimmer (10.5mm when folded) and lighter (257 grams) than its predecessor and unfolds entirely flat. Plus, it adds IPX8 water resistance to the mix.
There are only two color options for the smartphone, which are Obsidian and Porcelain.
The Screens
On the front, the screen is very similar to what you get with the vanilla Pixel 9. It is a 6.3-inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh. On the inside, you get a massive 8-inch display with similar specifications — that’s the biggest display on any smartphone. Both screens get as bright as 2,700 nits, which is plenty for using the device in the sun.
The Hardware
The Google Tensor G4 makes an appearance as the chip running the show for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. This is a 4nm chip with a top clock speed of 3.1GHz on its primary core. With the new chip, you get a new Exynos modem that should be more power-efficient. The device comes with 16GB of RAM and is available in a 256GB and a 512GB configuration.
The battery is 4,650 mAh and will be able to charge at only 21W, which isn’t great for such a high-end device. Google claims you’ll get 24 hours of normal battery use from this though.
The Cameras
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s cameras are very different from what you get with the other Pixel devices that were launched today. The main camera is a 48MP shooter which is paired with a new 12MP ultrawide and a 10.5MP 5x telephoto. That’s a little disappointing if you wanted the same camera performance as the other phones. The selfie cameras are identical, with a 10MP unit with a cutout in each of the screens.
The Software
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold will come running on Android 14, which is a bit different from how Google usually does things. Its new Pixels tend to release with the newest version of Android, but it seems you’ll need to wait for a little bit before Android 15 comes their way.
You’re going to be getting 7 years of major OS updates, though that might include Android 15, would be a rather sneaky move. There are a bunch of new AI-powered features on the table though, like Gemini Nano, Add Me, Pixel Screenshots, Call Notes, and more.
The Pricing
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is going to start at $1,799 for the 256GB model while you’ll need to bring forth $1,919 (strange pricing there). It’ll be fully available starting on September 4th. And you can pre-order it from the Google Store.
