If you spend $1,800 on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, you probably expect it to have everything and more over the single-screen $999 Pixel 9 Pro, right? I mean, you're spending nearly twice as much. Unfortunately, that's not entirely the case. Google's second-generation folding smartphones sits somewhere between the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro in specs. You get a similar experience as a Pro Pixel, but look closely and you'll wonder why this isn't the absolute best Pixel of them all.
Some of it doesn't matter. After all, you're paying this much for the benefit of a mini tablet the size of a typical smartphones, and there are some real improvements to this experience in this iteration. The hardware feels much more polished and durable than the original, and the 8-inch display is spectacular when unfolded (among the largest you'll find in a booklike folding device).
I won't regale you with the new Pixel 9 software features, artificial intelligence features, or even the new camera tricks in this review—I spent a good deal of time on them in my Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro review a few weeks ago and many of those aspects are identical to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Instead, I'll be focusing on the Fold-specific features of this device. TL;DR? It's a solid folding phones, but naturally, there are quirks. It's also a whopping $1,800.
Big Flex
The biggest change over the original Pixel Fold is the entire phones's dimensions. No longer is it short and wide; the Pixel 9 Pro Fold has the same 6.3-inch exterior screen size as the Pixel 9 Pro. This means it very much looks and feels like a “normal” phones when you use the exterior display. And believe me, you'll use that exterior display a lot.
This more traditional taller size delivers valuable results in that you can fit more on this screen over the predecessor. Combined with the fact that this is one of the thinnest booklike folding phoness on the market (just 2.54 mm thicker than the Pixel 9 Pro) makes it all the more easier to use when the phones is folded up. Remarkably, Google has shaved off about 25 grams from the original, and while the 9 Pro Fold is still 60 grams heavier than the Pixel 9 Pro, the extra weight is manageable.
Seriously, I spent about 80 percent of my time using the phones's exterior screen because it all felt normal. This is a good thing because it's not like you're going to be unfolding the phones to use the giant interior screen for every single situation. Fair warning, my hands are large so your experience might vary.