The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold makes a strong claim to being the best foldable phone on the planet right now, and at the same time is also arguably the best phone Google has ever made—perhaps better than the Pixel 9 Pro, even. Whether it's the best phone for you, though, depends on what you're going to use it for, and how deep your pockets are.
With Samsung now up to its sixth foldable series, and alternatives like the OnePlus Open impressing reviewers as well, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold arrives as the successor to the 2023 Google Pixel Fold, and as part of the Pixel 9 series (hence the rather awkward name).
I've been testing the handset for four weeks now, and there's a lot to talk about here. If you just want the headlines: It's a foldable that works great as a standard phone when closed, and opens out to a square-ish 8-inch tablet-style display that really shines for certain apps. Oh, and you're going to need to have at least $1,799 spare to buy one.
What's new for 2024
One of the trickier aspects of writing a review like this is trying to cater to all kinds of readers: those who already have a foldable and those who don't; those who are familiar with Pixel phones and those who aren't; those who are using an iPhone and think they might not want to wait until Apple gets around to making a foldable... the list goes on. Depending on where you're coming from, you'll have different questions about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
If you're in the small bracket of people who own a Google Pixel Fold and are wondering if this is a substantial upgrade, the answer is an unequivocal yes. It's faster, thinner, and lighter, with a bigger and brighter main screen. The cameras are largely unchanged, but otherwise, it's a much better phone, and that's before you get to the Pixel 9 software exclusives like Pixel Screenshots.
It also offers a much better experience as a standard phone when it's closed than its predecessor did. That's thanks both to the thinner and lighter form factor, but also to the switch to the more standard 20:9 aspect ratio for the outer 6.3-inch display. Most of the time I was using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold it was folded shut and masquerading as just another smartphone, and you're able to do that in public without drawing attention to yourself (something I was pleased about).
The redesign continues with the rear camera module shrinking down into the corner of the back casing, which I'm not against, and I liked the overall finish and feel of the phone (even if it's not ideal for lying flat): It feels like a premium device. As with the original Pixel Fold, your color choices are obsidian (black) or porcelain (a pale cream shade), though at the time of writing the latter option doesn't seem to be widely available.
Camera, performance, and battery life
You get a 48 MP wide + 10.8 MP telephoto + 10.5 MP ultrawide rear camera here, with 5x optical zoom, plus 10 MP selfie cameras on both the cover screen and main screen—that beats the Pixel 9, but isn't quite up to the standard of the Pixel 9 Pro. Comparisons aside, it's capable of capturing some excellent photos and videos, with well-defined details and natural-looking colors across the board.
As is now expected from the Pixels, low light performance is great too (courtesy of the Night Sight feature), and the same goes for zoom and macro photography as well. There's certainly no compromise here in terms of images and videos, and that's before I get on to all the AI enhancement features included as well (of which more in a moment).
The combination of a Google Tensor G4 and 16GB isn't going to break any GeekBench 6 records: 1,939 for single-core and 4,307 for multi-core by the way, in my testing. However, the phone deals with just about every task very speedily indeed, with no noticeable lag or slowing down. Even demanding games such as Genshin Impact didn't cause any problems, so I'm safe to say this is more than enough power for most people.
When it comes to battery life, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold matches pretty much every phone out there (or at least that's how it feels): A good full day of use and probably a bit more, depending on how you use it, but you're going to want to charge it overnight. It's perfectly ordinary in that regard, based on what I've seen, though if you're going to be gaming on that big screen a lot of the time, your results may of course vary. (our sister site PCMag calls its battery life "only average.")
Camera samples
Two screens for (double) the price of one
Assuming all the basics and key specs are fine—and they are more than fine, really—we get to the question of whether or not the Pixel 9 Pro Fold justifies the high price of entry for a foldable phone. While the phone costs a similar amount to a Galaxy Z Fold 6, it costs a lot more than a Pixel 9 Pro (or an iPhone 16 Pro Max), so you need to be very sure you'll make full use of that form factor before spending your hard-earned dollars.
The folding screen does at least feel well constructed and durable—as far as I can tell from four weeks of use—though the crease in the middle remains very much visible (no phone maker has really solved this problem yet). In terms of brightness, color, and clarity, the main 8-inch display is a real star, if you can forgive the little inverse bump in the middle.
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