Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: the best foldable phone yet
Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: the best foldable phone yet
Google earns this year's most improved player award for reshaping its foldable phone that turns into a mini tablet. It's awesome
🏆 Review score: 4.5 out of 5
Pros
✅ 📐 The 6.3-inch front screen size feels like the Pixel 9 Pro
✅ 📱 8-inch tablet inner screen is the largest on a phone
✅ 🪄 Good cameras with AI magic tricks like ‘Add Me’
✅ 👀 Made You Look: a cute way to get kids to look at the camera
✅ 💡 Brighter display and slightly thinner bezels than 8 Pro
✅ 🤖 Gemini Advanced is free for a year with Pixel Pro phones
✅ 🔋 Lasts 24+ hours despite smaller battery capacity
Cons
❌ 💰 Starts at $1,799 – almost 2x the price of Pixel 9 Pro
❌ 📸 Google’s 2nd best cameras (cheaper Pros have it better)
❌ ⚙️ Other minor specs favor the Pixel 9 Pro XL
❌ ⚡ Slower wired and wireless charging
❌ 🧲 No magnetic Qi2 wireless charging
Pricing & where to buy
💰 Price: $1,799
📆 Release date: September 4
Update: Our Google Pixel Fold 9 Pro review has been updated now that we’ve seen the iPhone 16 series, and, as expected, Apple doesn’t have a foldable smartphone to compete with this Android masterclass. We’ve also included more ‘Add Me’ photos.
If the world of smartphones handed out a ‘Most Improved Player Award’, I’d give this year’s prize to Google for its meteoric worst-to-first foldable phone comeback. I’ll be blunt: I bought the Pixel Fold 1 last year and immediately took it back. This year, I’m scoring the new Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold ahead of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Google nails the dimensions for a foldable, taking more cues from the OnePlus Open than Samsung. It also throws in the actually useful AI camera features I loved in my Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review, like “Add Me” to create composite group pictures so photo takers can jump in the frame. Last year’s “Best Take” returns to swap heads among a series of pics in group photos, eliminating closed and half-closed eyes.
“Made You Look,” while not AI, is a clever Fold-exclusive: it’s a way to get kids to smile on camera by placing an animated cartoon (with optional sound effects) on the cover display just underneath the front camera.
The cameras are very good, and for me, Google brings more than just extra megapixels – it brings new ideas to the table. That said, you won’t find the same level of quality as the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL cameras. You’ll have to bend your mind around the fact that you’re paying $1,799 for Google’s second-best cameras. This, along with slower charging, demonstrates the nagging compromises of foldables. But unless the iPhone 16 Pro Max wows me, my eSIM will stay in this impressive Android.
Design
📐 It comes down to the design. Google completely reshaped its book-style foldable to create a truer smartphone feel when the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is closed. That 6.3-inch cover screen is the same size as the Google Pixel 9 Pro, so, to me, using the keyboard and navigating the menus feels natural, not cramped.
📱📱 Large 8-inch tablet screen. I love using the 8-inch internal display when my Pixel is unfolded. It’s a giant canvas to watch YouTube or create my version of art: whip up spreadsheets on the subway or airplane. It feels like I’m using a mini tablet that can collapse and fit into my pocket. No backpack with a laptop sleeve is required.
📏 Thinner than you think. It’s the world’s thinnest foldable phone: 13% thinner than Samsung’s Fold 6. Yes, thickness remains a compromise – it’s still 27% thicker than my iPhone 15 Pro Max – but having just completed the Pixel 9 Pro XL review, I sometimes forgot I switched to the Pixel Pro 9 Fold during my testing.
🪨 Durability tests. The fluid-friction hinge and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 upgrade feel strong for a foldable, even if I can hear minor creaking sounds as I bend the phone.
💦⏳ IPX8 rating for water & dust. This means you can get it wet, but there’s no dust resistance, something Samsung offers with its Galaxy Z Fold 6 (IP48). Most flagship phones have an IP68 rating.
AI camera tricks & software
Google’s new Fold has the same AI camera features I raved about in my Pixel 9 Pro XL review – AI features that consumers actually care about.
🤗 ‘Add Me’ inserts you in pics with AI. I’m typically the one behind the camera, and I know I'm not alone. So, being able to jump into a second group pic so that this phone AI can stitch together two photos is more important to me than extra megapixels. I much prefer my $1,799 phone to remain in my hands (and the hands of a friend). No strangers are needed.
🔆 Add Me needs good lighting. Add Me works as intended with good lighting and still poses, but it can clip certain elements of subjects, especially at nighttime. It’s still impressive and better than selfies, where you can’t get full-body shots.
🪄 Reimagine in Magic Editor. I prompted changes to a photo with “Reimagine as… in outer space,” and sure enough, Kevin Lee was transported from Berlin to among the stars. I find this AI to be a gimmick, but a fun party trick.
🖼️ ‘Auto Frame’ in Magic Editor. Ever wish you could zoom out of a photo? This AI editing tool lets you simulate that by recomposing the shot with a new border that’s “based on known photo techniques.” I found it works OK but fails if you’re trying to expand upon buildings or copyrighted iconography.
😈 AI photos are fun – in the right hands. There are zero guardrails for Google’s AI photo tricks. Add Me is probably fine (though I did have a little fun taking advantage of being in my own photo twice), but Google’s Reimagine tool, when in the wrong hands, can add nefarious elements to photos with no AI watermark.
🤪😃🙄 Best Take returns. This AI head-swapping feature premiered in the Pixel 8 series, even the Pixel 8a. No one else has copied this feature, and it remains priceless for friends and families trying to get the perfect group photo.
👀 Made You Look. Google’s determined to fix family photos. Exclusive to the Fold is “Made You Look,” which uses the front display to show silly cartoons (with optional sound effects) right below the front display’s camera. It’s a feature I first saw at MWC 2023 in the Moto Rizr prototype. I’m glad Google is taking advantage of the idea.
🚫 📹 8K video boost is MIA. These Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL features aren’t in the Fold, so Google cloud-based video optimizer won’t smooth out your video or let you pull 30MP stills from AI-upscaled 8K video.
Google’s 2nd best cameras
🥈 2nd place cameras. Photos and video are very good with improved auto-focus on the rear cameras, but you’re still paying $1,799 for Google’s second-best cameras.
Main camera: 48MP f/1.7
Ultrawide camera: 10.5MP (can macrofocus)
Telephoto camera: 10.8MP (5x optical, 20x digital zoom)
Front cameras: 10MP
🆚 Pixel 9 camera comparison. You can spend far less to get the 50MP main and 48MP ultrawide cameras on all three cheaper Pixel 9 phones. Google’s top-of-the-line 48MP telephoto and 42MP selfie cameras are in the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL. This a problem for foldable phones from every major brand.
🤳 Get wide selfies. The 10MP front cameras (both on the inside and cover display) offer negligibly wider selfies over the Fold 1. The trick to getting much wider 127º selfies is to turn on the helpful dual-screen preview or rear camera selfie modes to use the rear camera in conjunction with the cover display offering a live preview.
📸 Bring on weird camera bumps. The stacked triple-lens rear camera isn’t as flush as Samsung’s, but I favor better photos and video over reduced camera bumps.
Battery
🔋 24+ hour battery. Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a smaller battery than the Fold 1, but I averaged more than 24 hours with this in my week of review testing. It comes down to a more efficient processor and Battery Saver mode doing its job, but also how often you open up the 8-inch screen vs using the 6.3-inch cover screen.
🪫 72-hour Extreme Battery Saver. It’s not quite the 100-hour battery saver of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, but this core-app-limited mode gets you extra juice in a pinch. Apps will be inaccessible in grayscale except for phone, camera, text messages, and clock.
⚡ Slower wired and wireless. Google and Samsung both offer 45W wired charging speeds, which is an awesome trend for US phones, except Google’s 9 Pro Fold didn’t get the perk, stuck at 21W wired charging, and its wireless charging is just 7.5W.
Pixel 9 Pro Fold: 40% in 30 mins
Pixel 9 Pro XL: 70% in 30 mins
Pixel 9 Pro: 55% in 30 mins
Pixel 9: 55% in 30 mins
🧲 No magnetic Qi2 charging. Just like the other Pixel 9 phones, the new Fold isn’t taking advantage of the MagSafe-like specification. Wireless charging did work with my Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger, but lining up the charging pad isn’t as effortless. Most 2025-bound Android phones will likely get Qi2 for magnetic charging and using magnetic accessories long enjoyed by iPhone users.
Specs and AI
🎮 8-inch gaming delight. That 8-inch display makes it a fantastic gaming phone, and a few developers like Gameloft have begun to utilize the foldable’s tabletop mode. I dig the Nintendo DS-like experience with controls or a mini-map on the bottom part of the open display bent to 90º – even if it’s only supported by a few games.
Disney Speedstorm
Asphalt Unite
Dungeon Hunter 5
Modern Combat 5
NBA Infinite
League of Legends: Wild Rift
⚙️ Performance anxiety. Tensor chips have struggled to keep up with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phones when gaming (not to mention Apple iPhones). I was able to hit a fairly steady 120fps on Call of Duty Mobile with fewer dropped frames than last year, but I got better, more consistent performance with both Samsung and iPhone when trying more intense open-world 3D games like Genshin Impact.
🥶 Vapor chamber. Google redesigned the cooling of the Pixel 9 Pro phones, so multi-tasking, AI, and gaming while charging don’t overheat this foldable. So far, the only Pixel not getting this cooling system is the $799 Pixel 9.
📡 Satelite SOS. Catching up with Apple’s iPhone SOS feature, Google finally offers a way to make a connection in an emergency. Both Qualcomm and MediaTek unveiled plans for this, but this is the first time we’ve seen it in a Google-owned smartphone. So far, this feature is limited to the United States.
🎨 Only two colors. You won’t find jazzy colors on the 9 Pro Fold. Just the standard colors Obsidian (black) and Porcelain (white). The other Pros get additional colors like Hazel (gray) and Rose Quartz (light pink).
Pricing
💸 Nearly the price of two Pixel 9 Pros. It’s $100 cheaper than the Z Fold 6 launch price, but you’re still going to pay a premium for owning a foldable. It’s $200 shy of buying two Pixel 9 Pros and gluing them together with a makeshift hinge (I don’t recommend doing this).
🆓 🤖 Gemini AI for free. A full year of Gemini Advanced, Google’s AI answer to ChatGPT-4o, comes with all three Pixel 9 Pro phones. That’s a $20-a-month value ($240 a year).
Should I buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold?
Yes, if…
✅ You want a smartphone and a mini tablet with the perfect dimensions
✅ You were on the fence about the Pixel Fold 1 and waited (congrats!)
✅ You value inventive camera ideas like ‘Add Me’ or ‘Made You Look’
✅ You’re already paying for AI like Gemini Advanced (a $240 value)
✅ You want 24+ hour battery life and fast charging (best on the XL)
No, if…
❌ You want Google’s best cameras (get the Pixel 9 Pro or 9 Pro XL)
❌ You’re accustomed to Samsung’s menus and ecosystem (get Z Fold 6)
❌ You’re a gamer who desires optimal performance (get Z Fold 6)
❌ You’ll get shamed for leaving iMessage (stick with an iPhone 15)
❌ You’re bummed about slower charging and no MagSafe-like Qi2 (wait a year)