Google introduced its first foldable device in the Pixel series this year, while also expanding availability to several new regions, including India. Named the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, this book-style foldable is not unique in form factor but introduces freshness through its design and enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) features. But does it stand as the best foldable available in the market? Let us find out:
Design
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold balances the typical challenges of foldable devices, offering a design that is both novel and functional. While it might appear thick and heavy compared to bar-shaped smartphones, within the foldable category, it maintains a relatively compact profile.
- Weight: At 257g, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels heavy in hand, which is not uncommon for foldables, but it may take some getting used to for those transitioning from lighter smartphones.
- Materials: The phone is constructed using aluminium, which contributes to its durability.
- Hinge: The hinge design is particularly noteworthy, as it offers flexibility and ensures a smooth folding and unfolding experience. The two halves of the phone close completely without leaving any gaps.
- Protection: It is IPX8 rated, providing water resistance, although dust resistance is absent. This could be a concern for those looking for outdoor usage.
- Rear camera design: The rear camera module has a polarising design, which some users may find aesthetically pleasing, while others may not.
Display
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold comes with two displays – a cover display and a larger inward-bending display:
- Cover Display: A 6.3-inch fullHD AMOLED panel with adaptive refresh rates (60Hz-120Hz). It offers a traditional smartphone experience, maintaining similar size and aspect ratio to bar-shaped smartphones.
- Main Display: The foldable 8-inch AMOLED LTPO panel (fullHD) offers adaptive refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz. Its near-square aspect ratio allows for a more consistent experience, whether in portrait or landscape orientation.
Both displays are bright and deliver excellent colour accuracy. The foldable screen elevates multitasking capabilities, as Google has optimised the interface to handle multiple windows and apps. However, despite these efforts, the foldable experience remains behind Samsung and Chinese foldable devices.
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App Experience: Google has made efforts to optimise apps, such as Gmail, LinkedIn, and WhatsApp, for the larger foldable screen. These apps present different interfaces for the cover and main display, enabling smooth multitasking, app switching, and drag-and-drop functions.
However, Samsung and other foldable manufacturers provide a more refined multitasking experience, particularly with their user interfaces designed specifically for foldables.
Camera
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is equipped with a versatile camera system:
- Rear Camera Setup: 48MP primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 10.5MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 10.8MP 5x telephoto lens with OIS.
- Cover Display Camera: 10MP sensor.
- Main Display Camera: 10MP sensor.
While the primary sensor excels in various lighting conditions and offers excellent natural depth-of-field, the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses are not without compromises. The ultra-wide lens softens edges and struggles in low-light environments, while the telephoto lens performs well in daylight but falters under dim lighting.
The camera performance is solid for a foldable device, but does not match the photography experience of premium bar-shaped smartphones, including Google's own Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Software
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold runs on Android 14 and will receive seven years of software support, including operating system updates and security patches. The user interface is similar to the Pixel 9 series, with a significant emphasis on AI, which you can read in detail about in the Pixel 9 Pro XL review here. However, there are no foldable-specific AI features, leaving the experience mostly akin to traditional smartphones.
App Optimisation: Google’s attempt to manually set app aspect ratios through the display settings falls short, as it is not a native solution and can cause inconsistencies across apps.
This is a significant area where Google lags behind its competitors, who have been refining their foldable-specific software for years. Samsung’s One UI and foldable optimisations far exceed Google's efforts in this regard.
Performance
Powered by Google’s Tensor G4 chip, paired with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold handles multitasking, AI functionalities, and day-to-day operations smoothly. The device remains cool under most conditions, though power-intensive tasks can lead to slight warming around the hinge and display areas.
Battery
The battery performance is where the Pixel 9 Pro Fold truly shines. With a screen-on time of approximately seven hours in mixed usage, it can comfortably last through a full day. It supports fast charging through both wired and wireless methods, and is compatible with any Qi-based wireless charger. However, the charging speed is not exactly worthy calling fast.
Verdict
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold offers a unique foldable experience with its thin, lightweight design, premium build, excellent display quality, and long-lasting battery. However, while it excels in hardware design, it falters in software and camera performance compared to other foldables in the market, especially those from Samsung and other Chinese manufacturers.
At a price of Rs 1,72,999, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is among the most expensive foldables in India. For this price, there are better options in terms of both features and foldable-specific software experience, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series or devices from Vivo and OnePlus.