Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: the ideal foldable phone design | Pixel

Google cracks the foldable formula in its second attempt, creating a slightly chunkier product Pixel 9 Pro There’s a large 8-inch tablet screen inside, which beats Samsung at its own game.

Compared to previous efforts, from a chunky passport-shaped Pixel folding There are many thin and long ones from Samsung. Galaxy Z foldable phoneThe new Pixel’s simple shape looks so familiar and easy to use, you wonder why it took so long for someone to try it.

While it may seem odd to praise a cutting-edge £1,749 (€1,899 / $1,799 / AU$2,699) device that most closely resembles a “regular” phone at half the price, the shapes and sizes of the screens inside various foldable phones have Never a problem. Instead, the closed format has so far felt like a huge compromise.

Smaller competitors, e.g. OnePlus Open The Honor Magic V series is also close, but the Pixel is far ahead. You can forget that it’s just a slightly heavier, regular 6.3-inch phone and carry on with your day until you need the beautiful 8-inch tablet screen inside.

The square shape of the tablet screen makes it ideal for using two apps side-by-side, but less suitable for widescreen video, which requires large black bars at the top and bottom. The crease required to fold the screen toward the center is less pronounced than on previous versions, but it’s still a compromise common to all folding displays and their softer, less durable materials. Beyond that, the display is clear and smooth, rivaling the best on the market, and has a very high brightness, making using it outdoors easier than previous versions.

Fold is equipped with a Tensor G4 chip and 16GB of memory Pixel 9 Probehave similarly. It’s fast and can handle two apps on the screen at the same time, but it can’t match the raw performance of Android rivals running Qualcomm’s top chips.

Battery life varies more than a regular phone due to its two screens, but the Fold can last about 40 hours on a charge every other day. that is Not up to Samsung’s best level But it was eight hours longer than the actual time Original pixel folding. A full charge takes approximately 97 minutes using a 45W USB-C charger (not included).

Specification

• External screen: 6.3-inch FHD+ 120Hz OLED (422ppi)

• Inner screen: 8-inch 120Hz OLED (373ppi)

• processor: Google Tensor G4

• Memory: 16 GB

• Storage: 256 or 512GB

• operating system: Android 14

• camera: 48MP wide angle, 10.5MP ultra wide angle, 10.8MP 5x telephoto; two 10MP selfie cameras

• Connectivity: 5G, e-sim, USB-C, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, UWB, GNSS

• Water resistance: IPX8 (1.5 meters 30 minutes)

• Folded size: 155.2×77.1×10.5mm

• Expanded size: 155.2×150.2×5.1 mm

• weight: 257 grams

Artificial Intelligence Multitasking

The Fold comes pre-installed with Android 14 and seven years of software support, including an upgrade to Android 15 in the fall, matching rival Samsung’s.

The major new features on Pixel phones this year are all based on artificial intelligence. new Gemini live experience is the highlight of a completely conversational experience, allowing for back-and-forth discussions such as stage name suggestions or the best personal best running routes near you. Required monthly fee is £19 Gemini Premium Subscription One year is included with the phone.

Fold can run Gemini apps side-by-side with another app, allowing you to have a full discussion with Google while doing other things, such as pixel studio App or search for tickets in artificial intelligence Screenshot app.

Google Photos’ Magic Editor can “reimagine” or completely recast a photo or insert objects using text prompts, and is easy to use on the large internal screen.

Google has taken a simpler approach to multitasking on tablet screens than its competitors, limiting it to running two apps on the screen at the same time.

A new option that lets you continue what you were doing in an app on the internal screen when closing the phone by swiping up on the external screen works really well. Paired split-screen apps can be saved as icons on the home screen for instant access, and the apps can be resized to better fit the tablet screen. More apps have also been optimized for the larger screen, including some games.

But there are still many apps that open in basic stretched phone versions that don’t look or work well on large, square screens. Others will also have to rotate the screen for them to see the tablet version. This is a common problem that Android has yet to resolve.

camera

The new Fold’s camera setup is similar to its predecessor: three lenses on the back, a 10MP selfie camera on the outer screen and another on the inner screen. Both selfie cameras are pretty good but are mainly used for video calls as the main camera can be used for selfies and is much superior.

The 48MP main camera takes great photos in a variety of lighting conditions, the 10.5MP ultra-wide camera performs solidly, and the 10.8MP 5x telephoto camera remains unrivaled on a foldable phone. All three cameras are similar, but not as good as Google’s non-folding camera 9 professional mobile phonesfor example, the 5x camera has softer details, especially in low light conditions. But the Fold still performs best in difficult shots and beats all other foldables.

It also has a variety of modes to use, including macro photography for close-up images and the ability to shoot with it on or off. This year’s new feature is the “Add me” group photography function Standard 9 Proas well as many artificial intelligence-assisted functions.

The most interesting addition is the “Made You Look” feature, which displays various animated characters on the external screen when you take a photo to attract the attention of children or pets. It’s a clever and useful feature that solves a real problem, but it uses the selfie camera in the external screen, so it’s best deployed in bright light.

Sustainable development

Google didn’t provide a life expectancy for the battery, but it should last more than 500 full charge cycles and reach at least 80% of its original capacity. Cell phones can be repaired Via Google and third party storeproviding genuine replacement parts from iFixit. Internal screen repairs will cost more than £550.

Pixel 9 Pro Fold is made from at least 18% recycled materials, including recycled aluminum, plastic, rare earth elements and tin. The company broke down The impact of mobile phones on the environment in its report. Google will Recycle old equipment free.

price

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is priced at £1,749 (€1,899/$1,799/AUD 2,699).

For comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro cost £999this Pixel 9 Pro XL cost £1,099this Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 cost £1,799this OnePlus Open cost £1,499 and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max cost £1,199.

judgment

Google Pixel The 9 Pro Fold is the best folding phone-tablet hybrid design yet, a huge leap forward from its predecessor.

It’s very similar in size and shape to a regular phone, so using it to send messages and perform other normal operations when closed feels so natural that you can easily forget that the Pixel is open, which isn’t the case with all other competitors.

Opening it up reveals a beautiful inner screen that’s super bright and more convenient for outdoor use. Its square shape makes it ideal for using two apps side-by-side, which is especially convenient when using AI apps alongside a web browser or messaging app.

The fingerprint scanner in the power button and 2D face unlock are fast and accurate. Battery life is great and operation feels snappy. The cameras are top-notch, although they’re not as good as Google’s top-tier regular phones.

The Pixel is still a little heavier than ideal and suffers from the compromises inherent to all folding devices, such as a lack of dust resistance and a delicate internal screen whose long-term durability hangs in the balance. It may be prudent to purchase accidental damage insurance.

It’s also very expensive. But if you can stomach the price, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the book-style foldable phone worth buying.

advantage: Phone and tablet in one, like a large regular phone when closed, great tablet screen, good performance, solid battery life, top notch camera with 5x zoom, waterproof, equipped with AI and Gemini Advanced includes one and seven years of software updates.

shortcoming: Extremely expensive, more fragile and more expensive to repair than regular devices, not dustproof, heavier than regular phones, 2D face unlock is not as secure as Face ID, and has fewer power user features than the competition.