The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold fixes almost all the problems we had with the original – here’s why it could be the best foldable yet
Google improves the design of its folding phone and squeezes more AI in, but it’s still very expensive
Google has unveiled its latest Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold and it’s a far more impressive-looking smartphone than last year’s model. Not only is it thinner, lighter and more robust than before, it also has the largest display on any folding phone, at a huge 8in across the diagonal.
In fact, it could be the best foldable yet, especially since Google has somehow kept the price the same, while other manufacturers like Samsung have been steadily increasing the prices of their folding phones.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold preview: Specifications
- Internal folding display: 8in, 2,076 x 2,152, 120Hz 1,600 nit OLED display
- External cover display: 6.24in, 1,080 x 2,424, 120Hz 1800 nit OLED with Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Google Tensor G4 SoC
- 16GB RAM
- 256GB or 512GB storage
- External rear cameras – Main: 48MP f/1.7; Telephoto: 5x 10.8MP, f/3.1; Ultrawide: 127-degree FOV 10.5MP f/2.2
- External selfie camera: 10MP f/2.2
- Internal camera: 10MP f/2.2
- Obsidian or porcelain colourways
- Android 14
- 7yrs of OS, security and “Pixel Drop” updates
- Price: From £1,749 inc VAT
- Availability: Pre-order from Google from 13 August 2024
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold preview: What’s great?
The major improvements mainly surround the phone’s physical properties. Last year’s Pixel Fold was nice, but nothing particularly special. This year’s phone, however, looks to be right up there with the very best.
It may not be quite as svelte as the remarkable Honor Magic V3 but it comes close, measuring just 5.1mm thin when unfolded and 10.5mm when folded. That’s slimmer than all of its other major rivals, despite it having the largest internal display.
The cover screen measures 6.24in across the diagonal with a resolution of 1,080 x 2,424. The internal OLED screen is a huge 8in, with a resolution of 2,076 x 2,152 and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Both are bigger than the original Pixel Fold (5.8in and 7.6in), while the internal display is larger than the OnePlus Open (7.8in) and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (7.6in). Google has slimmed down the bezels for the inner screen, too, so it looks far less awkward than the original.
Not only that, but the phone ought to be tougher than before as well, with an IPX8 rating meaning the phone can be submerged in 1.5m in water for up to 30 minutes, while Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the outer display should keep scratches and cracking to a minimum.
The only thing I’m slightly concerned about is the weight, which at 257g makes it heavier than the OnePlus Open and Galaxy Z Fold 6, but that’s not a huge deal breaker – if you’re considering buying a book-style folder, you’ll probably have made your peace with the fact that it’s going to be a bit chunky.
Largely, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold has caught up with the competition from a design perspective, although the feel of the hinge and the appearance of the crease will prove decisive factors and, since I haven’t seen one in the flesh just yet, I can’t pass comment on that just yet. But I’d be surprised if Google’s phone was significantly worse than its rivals on this count.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold preview: What’s not so great?
You’ll notice I haven’t yet mentioned the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s cameras, and that’s mainly because they’re not really anything to write home about this year. Overall, you’re getting five cameras: three external rear cameras – a 48MP, f/1.7 main camera, 10.5MP 5x f/2.3 telephoto and 10.8MP f/2.3 ultrawide – one external 10MP f/2.2 camera for taking selfies when folded and an inner camera with the same specifications for doing the same with the phone unfolded.
Of these, only the ultrawide and inner/outer selfie cameras are changed. The two cameras you’ll use the most haven’t changed one jot.
Disappointingly, the battery is smaller this time around, at 4,650mAh, and although the design is a little cleaner than before – I quite like the double stack, floating camera housing on the rear – there aren’t any exciting new colours. The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is still only available in Porcelain or Obsidian, with nothing like the OnePlus Open’s lovely red and green styles or the pink or blue you can get the Z Fold 6 in.
Finally, the new Tensor G4 chip – as usual – is likely to be behind the rest of the pack when it comes to raw performance, as previous iterations have been. Google does point to some performance improvements over the previous Fold, though, notably 20% faster web browsing, 17% faster app launching and improved power efficiency.
The main performance improvement, however, surrounds AI and here Google says the chip has been optimised to provide “industry-leading output” of up to 45 tokens per second in Gemini Nano. It’s difficult to gauge how much of a point of difference this will be compared with other Android phones, however, until we get the phone in for testing.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold preview: What else is new?
Of course, the hardware is only part of the appeal of Google’s Pixel phones – it’s the software that makes them special, and on this front there are plenty of changes coming down the pipe. The first thing Google was keen to talk about was its Gemini AI system. As with the other Pixel 9 Pro phones, the 9 Pro Fold will come with a full year of the Google One AI Premium plan, which includes Gemini Advanced and 2TB of cloud storage.
You’ll be able to press and hold the power button to call up Gemini Nano and ask it to help you with tasks but that’s not the only place Google’s AI system makes its presence felt. There’s a new Pixel Weather app with AI summaries, the new Pixel Screenshots feature apparently understands and organises screengrabs automatically, and lets you search quickly through things you’ve snapped in the past.
And, as usual, there’s a host of new camera features. Google says it has rebuilt the HDR imaging pipeline from the ground up. Panorama with Night Sight will now let you capture panoramas in low light. And there’s a boost to Google’s clever Best Take feature, with “Add me” allowing the person behind the camera to insert themselves into group photos after the fact.
Google’s Magic Editor has been expanded with a couple of new features: auto frame can re-crop images using generative AI to fill in any gaps; and reimagine, which uses the same tech to give photos a new look.
Further new features include improvements to the Call assist and Video boost features, plus the addition of a new Pixel Studio AI image generator and satellite connectivity via the Satellite SOS feature. The latter helps you get emergency help when you’re out of cellular range just like the iPhone feature, and it’s free for the first two years, but it’s only available in the US initially.
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold preview: Early thoughts
There are certainly reasons to be concerned about Google’s second-generation folding phone, not least the lack of hardware upgrade when it comes to the cameras. However, Google appears to have improved the Fold where it needed to be improved.
It’s tougher and slimmer than before with a larger inner display. It’s packed with new AI features, including improvements to the HDR capture, which should boost image quality even if the hardware can’t. If these can combine with the new Tensor G4 chip to boost performance and battery life, Google might have a contender on its hands. If only the price was a little lower.
