Our Honest Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review

Currently worth $13.5 billion, the foldable phone market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 26.2%, reaching a value of $112.4 billion by 2035. 

Many major innovators in the smartphone world have already made their contributions, including Samsung’s Z Fold and the Motorola Razr. There are even rumors of a foldable iPhone coming in the not-so-distant future! Another key player is Google with its Pro Fold range. 

The series started from the Google Pixel Fold in 2023, with a new addition launched in September 2024. However, this isn’t a direct follow-up to the original foldable — instead, Google has introduced a fourth device to the Pixel 9 lineup.

At $1,799, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the most expensive Pixel phone to date. Is it worth purchasing over other foldable phone devices? Or should you wait until the announcement of the Pixel 10 Pro Fold later this year? Keep reading to see our thoughts.

Durability

One of the biggest drawbacks of owning a foldable phone is its lack of durability. Their large dual screens and delicate hinge mechanisms are more prone to damage compared to a normal phone, especially if dropped. 

What’s great about the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is that it's designed to withstand an average of 100,000 folds, lasting up to 2.5 years with 100 folds per day. Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 also covers the front and back, a tough material that survives drops from up to 1 meter on hard surfaces like concrete. 

However, the inner display only features an ultra-thin glass, so you’ll need a shockproof phone case and screen protector to stop it from smashing.

An area that could be improved is dust resistance. While other folding phones have an IP48 rating, the Pro 9 Fold is IPX8. It can survive submersion in depths of water up to 1 meter, but won’t stop foreign objects like dust and sand from causing damage.

Design

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold may be more durable, but this doesn’t make it bulkier. In fact, this is Google’s thinnest foldable yet, designed to slot straight into your pocket. It also comes with a metal frame and silky matte glass, which provides a sleek, premium finish.

This device is, however, a bigger book-style foldable, compared with the slightly shorter, more compact Pixel Fold. It’s still pretty heavy too, at 257g vs 199g for the Pixel 9 Pro, which is something to keep in mind if you’re not a fan of bigger devices. 

A redesigned camera bar brings the 9 Pro Fold more in line with the rest of the Pixel 9 range. Interestingly, it takes inspiration from the Google search bar and adds the signature Pixel finish to this new foldable phone.

Cameras

Unfortunately, some sacrifices had to be made to keep the Fold sleek and slim. So while the 9 Pro Fold may come with a new horizontal camera bump, it doesn’t offer too many other upgrades. In fact, it swaps the large camera modules of the Pixel Pro devices for smaller ones, including a:

• 48 MP Main camera

• 10.5 MP Ultra-Wide camera

• 10.8 MP Telephoto camera

The Pro’s lenses offer higher resolutions, at 50 MP, 48 MP, and 48 MP respectively — but we were still able to capture great portraits, landscapes, close-ups, and low-light shots.

Something we do love, however, is utilizing the cover screen as a viewfinder. This means that your rear camera selfie shots benefit from Main camera quality!

Displays

Google has taken a phone-first, tablet-second approach with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which is great if you’re sceptical about folding phones. This is particularly evident with the external screen, as part of the foldable display.

At 6.3 inches, the OLED cover display is the exact same size as the regular Pixel 9 Pro. It’s also bigger than the original Pixel Fold’s 5.8 inches, providing more room to enjoy the great new AI features. The inner screen is a huge 8 inches, with a wide variable refresh rate from 1 to 120Hz.

A big benefit of both displays is their peak 2700-nit brightness, making them easy to see in bright conditions. This doesn’t quite beat the Pixel 9 Pro XL’s 3000 nits, however!

Performance & Battery

Like the rest of the Pixel 9 series, the Fold features the new Tensor G4 chip, Google’s most powerful and efficient processor yet. 

This chipset is designed to run the most advanced AI models, including Gemini, and delivers 20% faster web browsing than the Tensor G3. It also loads apps 17% faster and has 16 GB of RAM, which combines to offer an overall solid performance.

One area we’re slightly disappointed in is the 4650 mAh battery, reduced from 4821 mAh in the first Pixel Fold. However, with the Tensor G4’s power efficiency gains, you can enjoy the device’s photography, videography, and streaming capabilities for longer with a 24-hour battery life.

Software

Whether you go with the original Pixel 9 Pro or the Fold, you’ll still get the same great software experience. Google doesn’t alter the features too much to fit the foldable phone, including its artificial intelligence platform. Here’s some of the new AI capabilities we enjoyed most:

• Pixel Screenshots: Organizes and makes it easier to find screenshots from the Camera app

• Add Me: Adds friends into group photos

• Pixel Studio: Generates AI images

New to the 9 Pro Fold is Gemini Live, which facilitates real-life conversations, answers questions, and provides more information about what’s on your screen.

Like the Pro range, the Fold also comes with a one-year Gemini Advanced subscription and seven years of security and operating system updates.

Conclusion

For a phone that’s only in its 2nd generation, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is pretty impressive. The device has seen plenty of changes compared to the original Pixel Fold, from improved durability to a more powerful performance.

It also offers a seamless phone-to-tablet experience, with the apps and features matching up perfectly on the inner and external displays. This is ideal if you’re looking for an 8-inch mini tablet but want a normal-sized phone to take on the go, too.

The Pro Fold isn’t one of the best phones for photography, so you’re better off sticking with Google’s flagship Pixel Pro range if this is what you’re looking for. It does, however, offer a decent battery life, regular software updates, and Google AI features that rival the rest of the Pixel phone range.

So, if you’re in the market for a foldable phone, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is certainly one to consider, and will continue delivering value for years to come.