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Google has cracked the foldable formula on its second try by creating a slightly thicker Pixel 9 Pro that opens up to house a large 8-inch tablet display inside, beating Samsung at its own game.
Compared to previous efforts, from the squat, fat, passport-shaped Pixel Fold to Samsung’s many long, skinny Galaxy Z Folds, the new Pixel’s simple shape feels so familiar and easy to use that you wonder why it took anyone so long to try it out.
While it may seem odd to praise a cutting-edge device that costs £1,749 (€1,899/$1,799/AU$2,699) for being very similar to a “regular” phone that costs half as much, the shape and size of the various foldables’ internal displays has never been an issue. Instead, the closed form factor has always seemed like a big compromise until now.
Smaller rivals like the OnePlus Open and Honor’s Magic V series have come close, but the Pixel blows them all away. You can forget that it’s not a normal, slightly heavy 6.3-inch phone and go about your day – until you need the fantastic 8-inch tablet display inside.
The tablet’s square screen shape makes it great for using two apps side-by-side, but not so much for widescreen video, as it requires large black bars at the top and bottom. The crease required to allow the screen to fold in half is less noticeable than on previous versions, but it’s still a compromise common to all foldable displays, along with their softer, less durable materials. Otherwise, the screen is sharp and smooth, rivaling the best on the market, with very high brightness making it much easier to use outdoors than on previous versions.
The Fold has the Tensor G4 chip and 16GB of RAM found in the other Pixel 9 Pros, and its performance is similar. It’s fast and handles two apps onscreen simultaneously without a hitch, but it can’t match the raw performance of Android rivals that use Qualcomm’s best chips.
Battery life varies more than a regular phone because of the two screens, but the Fold lasts about 40 hours on a charge every other day. That’s less than Samsung’s best, but eight hours longer than the original Pixel Fold. A full charge takes about 97 minutes using a 45W USB-C charger (not included).
Budget
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Outer screen: 6.3-inch 120Hz FHD+ OLED display (422 ppi)
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Inner screen: 8-inch 120Hz OLED display (373 ppi)
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Processor: Google Tensor G4
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RAM: 16 GB
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Storage: 256 or 512 GB
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Operating system: Android 14
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Camera: 48MP Wide Angle, 10.5MP Ultra Wide Angle, 10.8MP 5x Telephoto; Dual 10MP Selfie Cameras
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Connectivity: 5G, electronic SIM, USB-C, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB, GNSS
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Water resistance: IPX8 (1.5 meters for 30 minutes)
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Folded dimensions: 155.2 x 77.1 x 10.5 mm
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Unfolded dimensions: 155.2 x 150.2 x 5.1 mm
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Weight: 257 grams
AI multitasking
The Fold ships with Android 14 and seven years of software support, including an update to Android 15 in the fall, matching rival Samsung.
The big new features in this year’s Pixel phones are all AI-powered. Gemini Live Experience is the pinnacle for fully conversational experiences, allowing for fluid back-and-forth discussions such as stage name suggestions or the best parkruns for personal bests near you. The required payment of £19 per month Gemini Advanced Subscription It is included for one year with the phone.
The Fold can run the Gemini app alongside another app, allowing you to have full conversations with Google while doing something else, like generating images on the Pixel Studio application or search for tickets in AI Screenshot app.
Google Photos’ Magic Editor, which can completely “reimagine” or reframe a photo or insert objects using text prompts, is also easy to use on the large inner screen.
Google takes a simpler approach to multitasking on the tablet screen than its rivals, limiting it to running just two apps on the screen at a time.
A new option that lets you continue what you were doing in an app on the inner screen when you close the phone by swiping up on the outer screen works well. Split-screen app pairs can be saved as an icon on the home screen for instant access, while apps can be resized to better fit the tablet screen. Many more apps are already optimized for the larger screen, including some games.
But there are still plenty of apps that open as basic, stretched-out phone versions, which don’t look or work well on the big square screen. Others require you to rotate the screen to get the tablet versions to appear as well. It’s a common problem that Android hasn’t yet fixed.
Camera
The camera setup on the new Fold is similar to its predecessor: three cameras on the back, a 10MP selfie camera on the outer display, and another on the inner display. Both selfie cameras are pretty good, but they are mostly used for video calls, as the main cameras can be used for selfies and are far superior.
The 48MP main camera takes great photos in a variety of lighting conditions, the 10.5MP ultra-wide is solid, and the 10.8MP 5x telephoto remains unmatched on a foldable phone. All three cameras are similar to, but not quite as good as, those on Google’s non-foldable 9 Pro phones, with the 5x camera being softer on detail, especially in low light. But the Fold still makes the best of tough photos and outperforms every other foldable phone.
It also has plenty of modes to play with, including macro photography for getting up-close images and the ability to shoot with the phone open or closed. New this year is the standard 9 Pro’s Add Me group photo feature, along with its numerous AI-assisted features.
The most interesting feature is the Made You Look feature, which displays a variety of animated characters on the outer screen while you take a photo to attract the attention of kids or pets. It’s a clever and useful feature that solves a real problem, but it uses the selfie camera on the outer screen, so it’s best used in bright light conditions.
Sustainability
Google doesn’t provide an estimated battery life, but it should last more than 500 full charge cycles at least 80% of its original capacity. The phone is serviceable. by Google and third party storeswith original spare parts available from iFixitRepair costs for the internal screen will exceed £550.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is made with at least 18% recycled materials, including recycled aluminum, plastic, rare earths, and tin. The company breaks down the The environmental impact of the phone In its report, Google recycle old devices free.
Price
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold costs from £1,749 (1.899 €/$1,799/2,699 Australian dollars).
For comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro costs £999the Pixel 9 Pro XL costs £1,099The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 costs £1,799, the OnePlus Open costs £1,499 and the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max costs £1,199.
Verdict
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the best foldable phone-tablet hybrid design yet and is a huge step up from its predecessor.
It’s so similar in size and shape to a regular phone that it makes using it to text and do other normal things when it’s closed feel so natural that you can easily forget the Pixel is even open, which is not the case with all other rivals.
Opening it reveals a great-looking internal display, which is super bright for easy outdoor use. Its square shape makes it ideal for using two apps side-by-side, which is particularly useful when using AI apps alongside a web browser or messaging app.
The fingerprint scanner on the power button and 2D face unlock are fast and accurate. Battery life is solid and operation is snappy. The cameras are class-leading, though not as good as those on Google’s best regular phone.
The Pixel is still a bit heavier than ideal and has the drawbacks inherent to all foldable devices, such as a lack of dust resistance and a delicate internal display with a big question mark over its long-term durability. It might be wise to purchase accidental damage insurance.
It’s also extremely expensive, but if you can stomach the price, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the flip phone to buy.
Advantages: a phone and tablet in one, like a regular full-size phone when closed, great tablet display, good performance, solid battery life, class-leading cameras with 5x zoom, water resistance, packed with AI and Gemini Advanced included for one year, seven years of software updates.
Cons: extremely expensive, much more fragile and expensive to repair than a regular device, no dust resistance, heavier than a regular phone, 2D face unlock is not as secure as Face ID, fewer features for power users than rivals.
