TheGoogle Pixel 9 Pro Foldis an of import phone for Google — perhaps the most important one the fellowship has released this year . After a good , but flawed entry into the foldable market last year with the firstPixel Fold , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold marks a gargantuan year - over - twelvemonth upgrade — including an all - new aim , much dear specification , and a drastically different name .
All of that bet good on paper , but how does it come together in the actual world ? I recently had the chance to pass about 48 hours with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold , and while that ’s sure as shooting not enough sentence for a full limited review , it has reveal a few key things you should make out about Google ’s newest foldable .
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s hardware is lovely
We already mention this during our initialhands - on time with the Pixel 9 Pro flock , but it ’s worth repeating here : Google ’s hardware is top - mountain pass .
The first Pixel Fold feltvery muchlike a first - generation foldable . That was n’t surprising , but it also put the phone in a baffling spot as it was competing with much better - made foldables like theSamsung Galaxy izzard Fold 5and theOnePlus Open . However , just one class after , Google surrender some of the nice fold phone hardware I ’ve ever used .
Perhaps the bighearted hardware raise is the flexible joint . The first Pixel Fold ’s hinge is … not good . It ’s plastered , does n’t open / close very smoothly , and command a worrying amount of force to open fully flat . The Pixel 9 Pro Fold , by comparability , feels 10 sentence better . The hinge is smooth , can be shore up loose at almost any angle , and it opens all the way up without you want to pressure it . I ’d go as far as to say that it ’s a nicer hinge than the one on theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 .
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The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is also ridiculously lean . Unfolded , the phone measures just 5.1 mm thick — thinner than the Z Fold 6 , which is already impressively thin . You acknowledge it most when the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is opened up , and it ’s pretty fantastic .
Finally , Google nailed the humble detail , too . The speakers are loud , the haptics sense fantastic , and the unexampled photographic camera pattern — while not my favorite — is n’t nearly as bad as early leaks made it look . The small feeling weigh , and I ’m beaming Google paid attention to them .
It’s a very heavy phone
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has outstanding hardware , that ’s without interrogation . But there ’s one cock-a-hoop caveat : it ’s aheavyphone . At 257 grams , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is well lighter than the first Pixel Fold , which weighed in at 283 grams . But liken to other foldables , it ’s still a tank . For some linguistic context :
halt side by side with the OnePlus Open and Z Fold 6 , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is noticeably heavier . It ’s not unusable , but it ’s the first thing that pose out to me when I started using the phone — and I ’m still think about it a couple of days later .
I do n’t think this isa peck breaker for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold , but it ’s surely something you ’ll need to strain for yourself before pass your hard - earned $ 1,799 . I do n’t mind the weighting so much when the headphone is opened up , but when it ’s shut down shut , youreallyfeel how chunky itis .
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
The inner display is amazing
The interior display on the first Pixel Fold was n’t great . It was extremely reflective , flanked by large bezel , and had a very deep creese . base on my brief time with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold , it depend like Google has address all of that .
The 8 - inch display inside the Pixel 9 Pro Fold ishuge — one of the largest you’re able to get on a foldaway today . More so than some other close up phone , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold really does experience like a small lozenge . pair with a less noticeable crimp and drastically small bezels , it ’s a stunning canvas to surf the internet , doom - coil Reddit , or dally a few rounds ofMarvel Snap .
The technical aspects of the screen are groovy , too . The 120Hz refresh rate is liquid , the Super Actua OLED panel looks terrific , and the 2700 nits of peak brightness make the screen well readable outside . I ’ve been trying to think of something negative to say about this interior display , but after 48 hour with the Pixel 9 Pro plica , I honestly ca n’t . ground on my metre with the phone , it really is that good .
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
I’m worried about the cover screen
What I ’m less thrilled with , however , is the cover covert . Where the first Pixel Fold ’s covert screen had a short and blanket 17.4:9 aspect ratio , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a much more traditional 20:9 one . In fact , it ’s the exact same concealment from theGoogle Pixel 9 . That mean it ’s a 6.3 - inch OLED panel with a 60 - 120Hz refresh pace , a 1080 x 2424 resolution , and up to 2700 nit of peak brightness .
The quality of the exhibit is excellent ; it ’s piercing , coloured , and shiny . Unfortunately , I ’m not convert the change to a more traditional aspect ratio was the best move .
Yes , it ensures all of your apps look normal , but it ’s also a bit awkward to use with this ironware . Because the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is so clayey and because of the large bezels surrounding the display , it is n’t comfortable to mesh the cover screen one - handed . I often find myself having to use the Pixel 9 Pro Fold with two paw or needing to swap hands because ofhow darn heavythe phone is . Also , unlike theOnePlus Openand its perfectly position rear tv camera you could rest your digit under , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has no such convenience .
Maybe this is something I ’ll get used to after more time with the Pixel 9 Pro crimp , but right off the bat , I do n’t love it .
Good (and bad) software impressions
That ’s a fate about the hardware . What about the software ? A mass of it is good ! I ’m quite fond to Google ’s Pixel Android user interface , and everything I liked about it on thePixel 9 Pro XLis just as good here . The new Pixel Weather app is adorable , thePixel Screenshotsapp is a pipe dream fare true , andlittle feature article like Now Playingare so unbelievably helpful .
However , I would have loved to see more accent on foldable - specific software optimizations — especially when it comes to multitasking . you could run two apps side by side and line up the size for each one . And … that ’s it ! You ca n’t run apps in float windows , run three or more apps simultaneously , or trap the taskbar to always display at the bottom of the screen .
run just two apps at once is fine for most the great unwashed . However , it would be gracious to have the option to do more in those position where we desire to . Samsung gives youmuchmore flexibility in this section , andthe undetermined Canvas system OnePlus designed for the OnePlus Openis one of the sound multitasking interfaces I ’ve ever used . The Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets the line of work done , but only just , and I would have liked to have see Google offer more here .
We’ll have more to say soon
After a mates of days with the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold , I ’m very frantic to see how the phone transportation upon further examination for our full review . Some thing , like the hardware and interior display , stand out as immediate highlights . Meanwhile , the speech sound ’s cumbersome weight and awkward cover screen leave me with slightly tempered expectations .
Regardless , it want to be repeat just how big of a leap frontwards the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is compare to its harbinger . Where the first Pixel Fold almost felt like a prototype , the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels like a high - quality foldable made by a company that knows what it ’s doing .
Will that be enough to make the Pixel 9 Pro Foldthefoldable to get in 2024 ? That ’s what we ’re go to find out in our full brushup . Stay tuned .
