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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review: This Folding Phone Is A Winner

It wasn’t very long ago – back in May 2023 – that the only book-style folding phone available in the US was Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold4. That’s when Google introduced its passport-sized Pixel Fold, a solid first attempt, but not one that would unseat Samsung’s dominant position in the US folding phone market. And indeed, the Galaxy Z Fold5 that followed in July 2023, while mostly iterative, further cemented Samsung’s lead.

Then, in October 2023 came the amazing OnePlus Open ($1699, currently $1299), which some would argue stole the book-style folding phone torch from Samsung, and gave the US market a glimpse into the superior folding hardware and software widely available in China. We expected Samsung to step up its game, but when the Galaxy Z Fold6 ($1899) arrived in July 2024, it was somewhat disappointing with only minor revisions to the same ol' Samsung formula.

Needless to say, when Google announced the Pixel 9 Pro Fold ($1799, currently $1499), we had high hopes. We’ve been using the second generation Pixel Fold for a couple of months now. So, how does this new book-style folding phone stack up against the mighty OnePlus Open? Is it better than Samsung’s Z Fold6? Is Google’s new Tensor G4 chip a handicap? Are the cameras still Pixel worthy? Let’s find out in our full review.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Hardware And Design...Instead of retaining last year’s passport-like form factor – or copying the Galaxy Z Fold6’s tall and narrow design – Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold adopts the OnePlus Open’s excellent form factor, with a 6.3-inch outer display and standard 20:9 aspect ratio. While the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is 3.8mm wider and 1.8mm taller than the OnePlus Open, it's also thinner, both when closed (10.5 vs. 11.7mm) and when open (5.1 vs. 5.8mm).

Camera pod aside, the design of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is very similar to the OnePlus Open’s, and just as refined. We like how the outer screen and glass back are inlaid into the metal frame with perfectly matching corner radii. But, unlike the OnePlus Open, the symmetry is disrupted by the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s metal frame, which is thicker near the hinge than around the edges. This accounts for the phone’s additional width, and likely some added durability.

As such, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold looks and feels premium and durable, unlike the original Pixel Fold, which, in our opinion felt, more like a prototype device. And while it’s heavier than the OnePlus Open (257 vs. 239g), it offers better water resistance (IPX8 vs. IPX4). The inner display is also slightly larger at 8 inches (vs. 7.82-inch). Pixel 9 Pro Fold colorways include Obsidian (black, like our review unit) and Porcelain (off-white), both with a matte glass back.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s camera bump is interesting. Instead of being circular like the OnePlus Open’s, or pill-shaped like the rest of the Pixel 9 family’s “visor”, it’s basically two horizontally stacked “visors” melded together into a rounded rectangle. On the top row you’ll find the laser AF sensor, 48MP main shooter, and an LED flash, while the bottom row is home to the 10.5MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x periscope telephoto, and a couple mics.

Open the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and you’ll find the volume rocker and power / lock key (which doubles as a capacitive fingerprint sensor) on the right side. The USB Type-C port, nano SIM tray, a speaker, and a pair of mics are located along the bottom edge, while the mmWave antenna window, another speaker, and a third mic are mounted on top. Interestingly, there are no buttons or openings on the left side, just antenna bands.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Display Quality...Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s packs two beautiful displays. Both deliver vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent viewing angles. On the inside, there’s a 8-inch 2k folding LTPO OLED panel (2152 x 2076 pixels, 373ppi, HDR10+) with an almost square 1:1 aspect ratio and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. Thankfully, the crease on this new screen is significantly less pronounced than it was on last year’s Pixel Fold. It’s also less reflective.

The outer display is a 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED panel (2424 x 1080 pixels, 422ppi, HDR10+) with a standard 20:9 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh rate. But, instead of using an LTPO outer screen like the OnePlus Open and Galaxy Z Fold6, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold shares its LTPS cover panel with the base Pixel 9. Despite the spec differences, both displays are pleasantly very bright (2700 nits peak), making them easy to read in direct sunlight. Both screens have thin, uniform bezels all around, along with punch holes for the two 10MP selfie cameras, which are positioned top center for the outer panel, and top right for the inner display, like on the OnePlus Open.

Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Camera Performance And Image Quality...The difference between the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL shooters is similar to the difference between the Pixel 8a and the Pixel 9 cameras – slightly downgraded hardware that delivers 90% of the imaging quality and experience, thanks to outstanding software. In fact, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold camera specs are almost identical to its predecessor, and are the result of similar packaging compromises.

Around the back, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold packs a 48MP f/1.7 0.8-micron main shooter with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS, a 10.5MP f/2.2 1.22-micron 127-degree ultrawide with PDAF, and a 10.8MP f/3.1 1.22-micron 5x telephoto with PDAF and OIS. The inner and outer selfie cameras are identical, and consist of a 10MP sensor with a f/2.2 lens. So, compared to the Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL, the 9 Pro Fold gets smaller sensors with smaller pixels.

Obviously, the 48MP main shooter benefits from pixel binning, which outputs 12MP images by combining groups of four pixels into one larger pixel. This improves dynamic range, low-light performance, and helps with magnification up to 5x. But unlike the Pixel 9 Pro/Pro XL, binning isn’t possible with the Fold’s 10.5MP ultrawide and 10.8MP telephoto, resulting in slightly lower quality photos in reduced light and when zooming beyond 10x.

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