Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: a great foldable

The original Google Pixel Fold was a bit of a strange one. Sure, it had devoted fans, but a few things stopped it from being as popular as the competition. Fortunately, the tech giant went back to the drawing board with the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. After all, it’s not the Fold 2. It’s now part of the main Pixel 9 family. This means the specs are completely up to date, and it benefits from a complete redesign with a much more familiar form factor.

At a glance, it seems Google has delivered everything you could want from a modern foldable. It’s slimmer, lighter, bigger, and brighter. But the competition has been working hard, too. In our Honor Magic V3 review, we saw a device pushing the boundaries of foldable hardware, while our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review showed a phone polished to near perfection over the years. I wanted to find out if Google’s latest foldable has what it takes to compete with the big hitters from our guide to the best foldable phones. After using it as my main phone for a couple of weeks, here’s what I found out.

Price and availability

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is available to order in most regions across the globe. The 256GB model retails for $1,799 / £1,749, and the 512GB version goes for $,1919 / £1,869. You can buy the phone directly from Google or third-party retailers like Amazon. There’s also the option to spread the cost with a contract deal from most major networks, including Verizon.

Specs

Here are the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold specs:

Features and software

Google chose to launch the Pixel 9 series a little earlier this year, which means the whole lineup ships running Android 14, rather than the fresh new Android 15 that lands in October. It’s not something that matters much in reality; the Pixel UI is already jam-packed with exclusive features and AI tricks, but it is unusual for Google.

This means the experience of using it is very familiar, and as always, the OS is about as clean and bloat-free as it gets. It’s exactly what you want on a premium handset like this, and Google’s friendly-looking Pixel UI adds to the charm.

Of course, being a large-format foldable, multitasking is more important than with your typical bar phone, and I have mixed feelings about Google’s approach. On one hand, it’s extremely intuitive, and you can quickly open apps side by side whenever you like. It’s easy to save pairs of apps you frequently use together, too.

On the other hand, it’s a little too simplistic for power users. There’s no floating window support, so you only ever get two apps at once, unless you’re using the pop-out player of the YouTube app. Other brands offer much more in this regard, especially OnePlus; the Open Canvas feature is light-years ahead of what Google is doing. There’s also no way to move multiple apps around simultaneously, as with all Pixel phones. It’s nothing new, but it still annoys me.

That’s all basic stuff, but since it’s 2024, no flagship phone launch is complete without mention of AI. With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you get all the same AI features as the other Pixel phones, including tools to help you write, edit images, and summarize notifications and emails, plus Google’s new Gemini assistant.

I don’t use most of these AI features often, but there are two exceptions. The first is Gemini. I was already a frequent user of Google Assistant, and for the most part, Gemini is the same thing with better contextual awareness and more natural responses. Gemini Live is ridiculously impressive; it feels so much like speaking to a human that it’s almost spooky.

The other feature I use a lot is Circle to Search. It’s the same feature that debuted on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series at the start of the year, and it’s just as useful here. You can quickly circle anything on your screen, and it’ll reverse image search for results and information about the object or place in question.

The problem is that neither of these features are exclusive to Pixel, and I’ve happily used them on other Android devices. Circle to Search is still somewhat exclusive, but the latest Xiaomi 14T models support it too, and I can only imagine that becoming more common.

The exclusive features are far less exciting. There’s the newly redesigned weather app, and it looks lovely, but it’s just a weather app. Then there’s the new screenshots app, which uses AI to make your screenshots more organized and searchable. It’s handy, but Google could have built the function into Photos instead.

Design

Immediately after getting the Pixel 9 Pro Fold out of the box, I was struck by how premium and well-made it feels. Of course, this is an expensive phone, but something about the Pixel makes it feel fancier and more durable than the competition. It’s much slimmer than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and has relatively traditional dimensions on its cover display, which is almost the same size as the non-folding Pixel 9 Pro. This means it feels very natural in the hand when it’s folded down.

Despite being the slimmest foldable in the US market, that’s not the case internationally. I moved into this phone directly after testing Honor’s exceptionally slim and light Magic V3, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold felt like a chunky beast by comparison. It’s not a pain to live with, but despite best efforts, you’ll feel it weighing down your pocket.

The aesthetics match the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup; it has a boxy iPhone-like shape and a matte glass rear with a contrasting metallic camera island. However, unlike the other Pixels, the camera island is off to one side and doesn’t span the phone’s width. I don’t think it looks quite as impressive, but crucially, it’s wide enough to prevent the phone from rocking about on the table.

Another difference is that the Fold has a matte finish on its side rails, and I much prefer this. It means the phone picks up fewer smudges and fingerprints than the mainline Pixel 9 models. However, the hinge is still a high-gloss smudge magnet.

Speaking of the hinge, it’s among the best on any foldable, able to hold its position without springing open or closed at almost any angle. Thankfully, this model isn’t prone to sitting at a slight V-shape like its predecessor was, and it unfolds completely flat every time.

The phone has sweeping curved edges on the right, which makes it more comfortable to grip than the angular Z Fold 6. However, it doesn’t match the left-hand side, which has a squared-off section for the hinge. Overall, it still looks quite nice, but the symmetry of devices like the Fold 6 and Magic V3 does feel a little more modern.

One thing that bugged me throughout my testing was the positioning of the volume rocker. It’s very low down on the right-hand side of this phone, so much so that it felt like a strain to turn the volume down when holding it one-handed. If you have smaller hands or grip your phone differently, you might not have as much trouble, but for me, it was a constant annoyance.

Displays and speakers

Since this is a foldable phone, we’ve got two screens to talk about, so let’s start with the cover display. As I’ve already mentioned, it’s almost the same size as the standard Pixel 9 Pro. It’s also completely flat, and using it feels nice and natural, but there are some differences.

Firstly, you get some very chunky bezels on this screen, and quite a sizable camera cutout, too. In use, it didn’t bother me at all, but it looks a little retro compared to modern flagship slab phones. It’s a 120Hz OLED panel, but it’s not LTPO, so it can only switch between 60-120Hz. This isn’t something you’ll notice, but it’s a peculiar omission on the screen you’ll use most often and could cost some battery life.

Otherwise, it’s a lovely display to live with. It’s nice and spacious, with a peak brightness of 2700 nits making it visible on the sunniest days, and the fully flat design eliminates the odd reflections and phantom touches that can happen with curved displays.

Opening the phone, you’ll find a massive 8-inch foldable panel that dwarfs Samsung’s efforts. This one is slightly less bright, maxing out at 1800 nits, but I never had trouble seeing it. It’s also a true LTPO panel, so it’ll shift the refresh rate down as low as 1Hz to conserve battery life.

The crease is still fairly sizable on this model. It’s less noticeable than the Z Fold 6, but it doesn’t come close to matching the shallow groove offered by Chinese brands like Honor, Vivo, and Xiaomi. The screen has a high-gloss protector applied, like Samsung’s, making the crease even more obvious. On the plus side, there’s less friction on your fingertips, and this shiny coating is much less of a fingerprint magnet.

Google’s marketing hails this as the largest display ever on a foldable, and while that’s true in the US, that’s not the case everywhere. Huawei’s gargantuan tri-fold Mate XT is larger, but I also found I had more usable real estate on my Honor Magic V3 and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro. This is mainly due to the curvy corners of the Pixel, which eat into the display space.

That said, it’s still a massive panel. Full-screen content looks wonderful, and there’s loads of room for multitasking with side-by-side apps. I was glad to see that Google has tucked the selfie camera cutout away in the corner, and now it rarely interrupts letterboxed content. That’s something that I wish was true of the Honor Magic V3.

Interestingly, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is one of the only foldables I’ve tried that feels like it’s not forcing you to rotate the display sideways. The speaker positioning means that the one is almost always muffled by my palm in landscape mode, and the almost-square aspect ratio means that your content doesn’t get much larger when you rotate it. It’s not an issue; on the contrary, I enjoyed not having to switch orientation all the time.

The speakers are very impressive, easily among the best of the current foldables. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a slightly better bass response, but you can expect comparable clarity, loud output, and a solid amount of low-end weight.

Google Pixel 9 Pro camera

Disappointingly, the camera hardware is completely unchanged from the original Fold. This phone is still capable of taking some brilliant photos, but a lot of the magic comes from Google’s image processing rather than the hardware.

The main camera has a respectable 48MP resolution, but the ultrawide, 5x telephoto, and selfie cameras are all around 10MP. The auxiliary cameras all have very small sensors, too, especially compared to phones like the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro. This means they’re heavily reliant on night mode when the light gets low.

Hardware woes aside, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold can take some excellent shots, especially in the daylight. Photos have that signature Pixel look with sharp detail, vibrant colors, and a wide dynamic range. The main lens is a great point-and-shoot snapper that hits more often than it misses.

I was less impressed with the 5x telephoto. It’s nice to have, but in less-than-perfect lighting conditions, my photos often came out looking blurry or grainy. It can’t focus very close either, so you don’t get to take telemacro shots, which is one of my favorite ways to use telephoto cameras on other phones.

The selfie cameras failed to wow me as well. Two identical units pierce through each display, and photos tend to look washed out and dull on either one. They’re fine for video calls, but if you’re looking to take an impressive selfie, it’s well worth flipping the phone around and using the rear cameras. Thankfully, on this phone, that’s super easy to do.

Of course, much of the Pixel photography allure comes from its image editing tools and features, and you benefit from all the usual perks on this handset, too. The list includes Best Take, Photo Unblur, Super Res Zoom, and the unique new Add Me feature fresh for the Pixel 9 series.

There’s a new feature exclusive to the Fold called Made You Look. It uses the cover display to show dancing animated characters, and it’s designed to make babies and toddlers look towards the camera. It’s a nice idea, but honestly, I thought at first it was just a gimmick. However, when I tried it with my friend’s kid, it was amazing. They were immediately transfixed by the cover display, making it incredibly easy to snap some photos.

The downside, though, is that this feature uses the selfie camera rather than the rear cameras. I understand the decision, as that’s exactly where the child will be looking, but it means it’s pretty useless in low-light conditions. I wish there was a toggle to choose which camera to use.

Performance

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold features the Tensor G4 chip, just like its non-folding siblings. It comes with a generous 16GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. Thankfully, there’s no 128GB option. That would feel very out of place on a device this pricey.

It’s no secret that the latest Tensor chip is a few steps behind Qualcomm’s best in benchmarks, but I was pleasantly surprised by the day-to-day performance. The phone feels snappy, quick, and responsive, more so than many of its Snapdragon-powered rivals. Whether it’s some kind of optimization or just a very speedy animation style, whatever Google is doing to make the most of the G4 is working well.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold can run challenging games like Zenless Zone Zero without issue, too. I found that the experience was smooth and reliable on maximum graphics settings at 30 fps. However, 60 fps proved too much, and there were quite a few frame drops and stutters that made the game less enjoyable. In this department, there’s still no competition for the picks on our list of the best gaming phones, such as the Asus ROG Phone 8 and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

The haptics are strong and precise, among the best I have felt from any folding phone. This adds to the gaming experience when titles utilize it, and it also makes typing feel much more natural. I was also impressed by the thermal performance. The phone does heat up when playing a challenging title, but it never gets to a concerning level, and it always remains comfortable to grip. It’s an impressive feat given the slim dimensions of this foldable.

Battery

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 4,650mAh battery pack, a respectable size, larger than Samsung’s Z Fold 6. However, it’s not as big as some of the Chinese foldable competition, and it’s a little smaller than the original Pixel Fold, too. In the real world, the Fold never failed to see me to the end of the day, and I’m a fairly heavy user. You’ll certainly be charging it every night, though, as I often only had 10-20% capacity remaining at bedtime. It lasts a little longer than the Samsung, but not by a huge degree.

When it comes to charging, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is woefully slow. I didn’t get on with the Samsung Z Fold 6’s lethargic speeds, but somehow, the Pro Fold is slower even still. It maxes out at just 21W with a wire and 7.5W wirelessly. If you drain the phone fully flat, this means a full charge will take about an hour and 40 minutes. It’s not terrible, but it does mean you have to give charging some forethought. With brands like Vivo and Xiaomi offering 100W+ charging on their foldables, it’s hard to understand why mainstream manufacturers aren’t pushing the boat out a little more.

On the plus side, there are plenty of battery health features built into the Pixel UI. So you can happily charge all night, every night, without fear of nuking your battery.

Should you buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold?

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a huge improvement on the original design and is one of the most polished and premium-feeling foldable devices on the market today. It’s not a perfect phone, but despite some shortcomings, the overall experience is excellent and a delight to live with.

I would have loved a faster processor for gaming, but the Tensor G4 still gets the job done surprisingly well, and while I crave more advanced multitasking, there’s no denying the allure of the Pixel’s bloat-free software. If we limit the discussion to phones available in the US market, it’s probably my favorite foldable.

When we talk about phones that are available internationally, things get a lot more complicated. The Honor Magic V3 has a more impressive design, an almost imperceptible crease, better cameras, faster charging, and a bigger battery. It does all of this while being significantly cheaper, too.

However, hardware is only part of the story, and if you want the clean, bloat-free pixel experience, the Honor doesn’t come close. It can’t match the lengthy seven-year support window of the Pixel, either. So, while it’s far from perfect, as a total package, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is still one of the best foldables you can buy.

Alternatives

If you’re not sure that the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is right for you, here are a couple of other excellent foldables to check out.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

Samsung’s latest foldable is its most refined model yet, and of course, it’s packed with AI smarts. Samsung’s One UI is one of the most customizable skins around, and it’s the only other book-style foldable to match Google’s seven years of updates and support. For more details, check out our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review.

Honor Magic V3

The Honor Magic V3 has the most impressive hardware of all the current foldables. It’s incredibly slim and lightweight, but despite its size, it still packs top-of-the-line specs and a very big battery. The downside is it lacks some of the more advanced AI features, you don’t get the same length of software support, and the only way to get it in the US is by importing it from Europe or China. If you want the full lowdown, see our Honor Magic V3 review.