Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review in Progress: A New Design Goes a Long Way

Google’s foldable phone has had a glow up. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the successor to last year’s Pixel Fold, Google’s first foray into the increasingly crowded foldable phone market, but you wouldn’t know just by looking at it. 

While Google’s second-gen foldable has all the upgrades you’d expect from a new phone in 2024 — including a new processor and fancy AI features — it’s the fresh design that makes it feel different. With its narrower yet larger cover screen, Google is straying from the Pixel Fold’s passport-like shape and opting for a design that more closely resembles a regular phone when closed. That shift makes the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feel much more practical than its predecessor. 

With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google smartly takes cues from its generally well-received line of standard Pixel phones in terms of design and features, resulting in a device that truly feels like a competitor to those made by Samsung and more seasoned foldable phone makers. 

But at $1,799 (£1,749, AU$2,699), the Pixel 9 Pro Fold still doesn’t solve the biggest problem plaguing today’s foldable phones: high prices. While the hardware has come a long way, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s software still doesn’t feel as tailored to foldable screens as Samsung’s. And for a phone that costs nearly $2,000, the bar is set high for both the hardware and software experience. 

I’ve only been using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for a few days, so I’ll have more to say about it after spending more time with it. So far, it feels like a big step in the right direction for Google’s foldable phone, although I’m still hoping to see more compelling software. 

Read more: Don’t Buy a New Phone Just for AI — at Least Not Yet

Watch this: First Look: The Pixel 9 Pro Fold Gets Significant Upgrades

06:09

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets a major design upgrade

Instead of calling it the Pixel Fold 2, Google is calling this phone the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and it’s easy to see why. Compared to the Pixel Fold, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold looks and feels like an entirely different phone, almost as if Google started from scratch.

The cover screen measures 6.3 inches just like the regular Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro, compared to the Pixel Fold’s smaller yet wider 5.8-inch display. Considering I tend to use foldable phones closed most of the time, this size boost is a welcome improvement. Even though the massive inner screen is what makes phones like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold stand out from traditional bar-shaped phones, it’s the external screen that I rely on the most for everyday tasks like snapping photos and answering text messages. At 9.1 ounces (257 grams), the Pixel 9 Pro Fold also feels much lighter than the 10-ounce Pixel Fold.

The internal screen also got a much-needed upgrade. It’s now brighter and measures 8 inches instead of 7.6, providing more space for playing games, scrolling through social media and watching movies or shows. The change I appreciate the most, however, isn’t the screen itself, but the borders surrounding the display. Google significantly slimmed down the bezels, which goes a long way in making the screen feel more immersive. The crease feels less noticeable compared to the Pixel Fold, too. 

There’s no question that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a cut above the Pixel Fold when it comes to design. But how does it stack up to phones from Samsung and Xiaomi? The 8.4-ounce Galaxy Z Fold 6 is less wide and noticeably lighter than Google’s phone, which can make it feel more compact. Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 4 is less than 0.2 inches thick when unfolded, making it even slimmer than both Google and Samsung’s devices.

Design isn’t usually the most important element of a smartphone, but foldable phones are the exception. It’s the physical traits and attributes of phones like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold that command such high prices, and I’m glad to see Google is moving in the right direction in that regard.

Google Pixel 9 Pro’s cameras are great for a foldable

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s cameras aren’t quite as advanced as the Pixel 9 Pro’s. But they’re good enough to convince me that I’m not making any major sacrifices by opting for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold over Google’s top-tier standard phone.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a 48-megapixel main camera, a 10.5-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 10.8-megapixel telephoto camera, while the Pixel 9 Pro has a 50-megapixel main camera, 48-megapixel ultrawide camera and 48-megapixel telephoto camera. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s front selfie camera has a 10-megapixel sensor, while the Pixel 9 Pro’s has 42 megapixels.

So far, the biggest difference I’m seeing in image quality between the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the regular Pro is, unsurprisingly, in the ultrawide and selfie cameras. Ultrawide shots taken on the regular Pixel 9 Pro looked more vibrant and colorful than those taken on Google’s foldable phone, while the selfie I took on the 9 Pro Fold came out much softer and less detailed than the Pro’s. (The photos below may look similar in this article, but I noticed the differences when viewing them on a 27-inch monitor.)

Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Pixel 9 Pro

But the Pixel 9 Pro Fold performs favorably against its biggest rival, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, in some circumstances. While both phones are capable of taking bright and colorful photos, the pictures I’ve taken with the main camera in sunlight and low light on Google’s phone looked a bit more colorful. 

Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Galaxy Z Fold 6

Even though Samsung can take closer zoomed-in shots (30x compared to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s 20x, though both phones rely primarily on digital zoom), photos taken at 20x zoom on Google’s phone looked much crisper and cleaner than those taken with Samsung’s. However, I was surprised to see that Samsung’s ultrawide photos look sharper than Google’s.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold

Galaxy Z Fold 6

Mobile photography can be subjective, and each phone has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to camera performance. But based on what I’ve seen so far, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s camera seems comparable to what you’d get from a high-end, nonfoldable phone — as it should be, given its high price. 

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold also comes with the same AI photography and image generation features as the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup. These include Add Me (which uses augmented reality to help you take a group photo with everyone in the picture), the generative AI-based Reimagine (for manipulating and adding objects in photos) and the Pixel Studio, which you can learn more about in our other reviews. 

But there is a feature that’s unique to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold: Made You Look. This camera mode, which is designed for foldable phones, makes it easier to take photos of kids who refuse to look at the camera by putting fun animations on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s front display. I haven’t been able to test this out for its intended purpose just yet, but I look forward to seeing how it works next time I visit my toddler nephew. 

Split screen is useful, but Google could do more with the software

The Pixel 9 Pro works well as a miniature tablet when opened. Videos and images look vibrant on the 8-inch screen, and you can view two apps in split screen mode alongside one another. Dragging and dropping pictures from Google Photos to the messages app also works smoothly. So does dragging files from Google Drive to Gmail.

I prefer to dedicate the entire screen to one app, but there are some instances in which I appreciated the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s split-screen capabilities. For example, being able to view Spotify and Slack on screen at the same time definitely came in handy for squeezing in a workout on my lunch break during the work day without missing important messages. 

If you have YouTube TV, you’ll also be able to watch multiple streams of certain programs, like sporting events and some news programs, at once. But this feature isn’t exclusive to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold; it’s also available on other Android phones, iPhones, iPads, smart TVs and streaming media players. And when you’re viewing multiple streams, they don’t occupy the entire screen.

Google could also be doing more with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s software in other ways, particularly when the phone is folded halfway. While some apps such as video streaming apps and the camera can shift to the top portion of the screen when the phone is folded in an L shape, most don’t. Instead, the majority of apps run across the display like a waterfall, making it hard to navigate and view them when the phone is sitting halfway open. On the Galaxy Z Fold 6, apps conform to the top half of the display accordingly when the device is propped open halfway, almost resembling a miniature laptop.

It’s a shame that Google hasn’t embraced a similar approach, because one of my favorite aspects of using book-shaped foldable phones is having the option to prop them open and use them as a sort of miniature display. When I’m cleaning or putting away laundry, I like having the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 propped open on my desk or dresser while Spotify is running so that I can scroll through playlists and switch songs easily without having to physically pick up my phone. You can sort of recreate that experience by opening the Pixel 9 Pro Fold like a tent and using the cover display, but Samsung’s decision to position controls on the bottom half of the screen makes navigating the device much easier. 

That said, a handful of games are optimized for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s display, showing its potential as a gaming device. Some games, like Asphalt Legends Unite, display gameplay on the top portion of the screen, while the controls and a map are shown on the bottom half. Others, such as NBA Infinite, are capable of taking up the entire screen. While these optimizations are a good example of how foldable phones can stand out from regular phones, I don’t see it as being a reason to buy a foldable like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold until the majority of Android games are capable of running in this way. 

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold launches with Android 14, marking a departure from Google’s usual habit of releasing new Pixel phones with the version of Android that came out during that year. I imagine that’s because Google launched its flagship phones earlier than usual, so it arrived before the public release of Android 15 is ready. Regardless, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will get seven years of Android and security updates, meaning it’ll get new features — and remain safe to use — through August 2031, like the rest of Google’s new Pixel devices.  

Aside from foldable-specific features, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has the same new AI features as the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup, including the Pixel Studio image generator, the Screenshots app for essentially turning your screen grabs into a visual search engine, AI-generated weather summaries and more. You can learn more about those features in our full reviews of the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro XL. 

Battery life and performance impressions so far

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s 4,650-mAh battery is capable of lasting more than a day on a single charge in my experience so far. After about 14 hours of use on a day that involved visiting friends and using my phone sparingly for things like web browsing, taking photos and playing music, the battery was down to 53%. 

But keep in mind battery life will always vary depending on how you use your device. If you’re using the Pixel 9 Pro Fold for watching movies, taking lengthy video calls, recording video or audio or playing games for an extended period of time, the battery is going to drain much more quickly.

I’ll have more thoughts on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s battery life, including results from CNET’s battery tests, once I’ve had more time with the phone.

Google’s Tensor chips aren’t necessarily known for being powerhouses, but the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s performance is fast enough for everything I’ve been using the phone for, such as playing games, running multiple apps side-by side and watching videos. The interface also feels slick and smooth, likely thanks to both the processor and the display’s 120Hz refresh rate.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold early thoughts

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is yet another sign that perhaps buying a first-gen product, especially from Google, isn’t the wisest choice. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with its more polished and practical design, feels like a big leap over the original. 

For a device like a foldable phone that’s already inherently clunkier than a regular mobile device, design improvements are more than just superficial aesthetic changes. Making foldable phones thinner and lighter, while expanding the sizes of their screens, makes them feel more natural and enjoyable to use. And for a device that you’re buying mostly for the screen, that’s important.

Combine that with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s capable cameras, and there’s plenty to love about Google’s second-gen foldable. It reminds me of how I felt about the Pixel Watch 2 last year. The first Pixel Watch showed plenty of promise but also had some key shortcomings like the Pixel Fold, which Google then improved upon with its second watch. 

With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google has clearly figured out the hardware. Now, I just want more from the software.

I’ll have more detailed thoughts and impressions on the Pixel Fold 9 Pro in my full review once I’ve had more time with it.

How we test phones

Every phone tested by CNET’s reviews team was actually used in the real world. We test a phone’s features, play games and take photos. We examine the display to see if it’s bright, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and build to see how it is to hold and whether it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s performance to the extremes using standardized benchmark tools like GeekBench and 3DMark, along with our own anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution videos and playing graphically intense games at high refresh rates.

All the cameras are tested in a variety of conditions from bright sunlight to dark indoor scenes. We try out special features like night mode and portrait mode and compare our findings against similarly priced competing phones. We also check out the battery life by using it daily as well as running a series of battery drain tests.

We take into account additional features like support for 5G, satellite connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus support, fast charging speeds and foldable displays, among others that can be useful. We balance all of this against the price to give you the verdict on whether that phone, whatever price it is, actually represents good value. While these tests may not always be reflected in CNET’s initial review, we conduct follow-up and long-term testing in most circumstances.