I want to love the Pixel 9 Pro Fold but the Pixel 9 Pro is better
Google has been releasing its own Pixel-branded smartphones since 2016, and they have been a mixed bag. The promise of the ultimate version of Android from the company that owns Android has been a rollercoaster ride, with some dodgy handsets along the way.
In 2023, the firm released its first foldable phone, the Pixel Fold. Many device manufacturers are hoping folding screens will reinvigorate excitement in smartphones, which are now seen as a utility rather than something to constantly upgrade. Unfortunately for Google, the Pixel Fold was a bit of a mess that felt unfinished and was far too expensive.
Now it has released the Pixel 9 Pro Fold alongside the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL. That's a confusing line up. Pixel 9 is the entry-level model, the pricier Pixel 9 Pro and 9 Pro XL are the same apart from the screen sizes, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the folding one.
But despite the 9 Pro Fold's name, it doesn't feel like a 'Pro' phone, and in fact has worse specs than the Pixel 9 Pro, which I have also been testing. I was convinced I would love the 9 Pro Fold, but after several days of use, it's the £999 Pixel 9 Pro I want to keep my SIM card in.
If that sounds like a lot to spend on a phone, bear in mind the 9 Pro Fold is £1,749. I really need to love a piece of tech to recommend you buy it at that price, and while Google's second foldable is miles better than its first, it's not better than a normal phone.
The Pixel 9 Pro is wonderfully sized. It's a more compact phone that doesn't compromise on any flagship features, and aside from a smaller screen and battery it is identical to the Pixel 9 Pro XL. As someone with small hands, using the 6.3-inch 9 Pro has been a joy, and far more comfortable than last year's Pixel 8 Pro.
Interestingly, the Pixel 9 Pro is the exact same dimensions as the regular Pixel 9 this year. The cheaper £799 Pixel 9 has a lower resolution screen, less RAM, less premium build and no optical telephoto lens, but otherwise is very similar. I really like using a telephoto lens to take photos on phones, but if you aren't fussed then you could save some cash and get the cheapest Pixel of the lot.
In comparison, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold feels a little unfinished. It has 'Pro' in the name but doesn't have the shiny metal rails of the other Pro phones, instead opting for matt. This helps with fingerprints, though the hinge is a glossy silver on my white review sample.
The outer screen is the same 6.3-inches as the Pixel 9 Pro's but looks a little like it has been awkwardly glued onto the front of the device. This is down to the prominent hinge, more on show than on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 as the corners of the Pixel Fold's screen are curved.
Open it up though and there's a splendid 8-inch inner screen that has excellent brightness and colours, with curved corners and a camera in the top right. The crease is quite noticeable, and you can feel bumps of components under there - it's not as well made as the OnePlus Open, whose inner screen better hides the unsightly crease and has a nicer anti-fingerprint display.
Design quirks aside, the Fold is very well made. It folds completely flat (not a given with folding phones, alas) and the matt glass on the back feels great. But the flexible plastic and glass of the large screen makes an audible squashy, almost wet sort of sound when you fold it. That's not the case on Samsung's foldables.
You don't get any of these problems on the Pixel 9 Pro. It's a normal phone! I like the unusual camera bump on the back - it's a bit of a chonk but the cameras are three of the best you can get on a phone. The main lens is a 50MP shooter and thanks to Google's excellent processing takes my favourite mobile images, with more accurate colours than the iPhone and less saturated than Samsung.
A 48MP ultrawide lens is much improved from older Pixels with greater detail, and the 48MP 5x telephoto is a real treat. Images have better clarity and detail than the 5x lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The night mode is also incredibly impressive.
You'd think the 9 Pro Fold would have the same cameras with the Pro name and price. Unfortunately you would be wrong. The foldable's cameras are still very good, but Google uses three inferior sensors - not even the 50MP main sensor makes it onto the pricier phone. Maybe you don't care, but for the price you should be getting the best the Pixel has to offer.
Both phones run Android 14 and will get seven years of software updates, including this October to Android 15. The 9 Pro charges at 27W speeds and the 9 Pro Fold slower at 21W but there's no charger in either box, while wireless charging is slower on both. Weirdly you can reverse wireless charger other phones or earbuds on the back of the 9 Pro but only when it's unplugged - and there's no reverse wireless charging on the 9 Pro Fold. No so pro.
Battery life is stellar on both devices, but won't last more than a day and a half at a push. Performance is also identical thanks to the Google Tensor G4 chipset, which while powerful is not the zippiest silicon you'll find in a phone - both the Apple A17 Pro and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra are much better choices if you want to game on your phone. Otherwise, the Pixel will cope with anything you throw at it.
Annoyingly, neither Pixels have dual-SIM but you get one SIM slot and eSIM functionality. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the 9 Pro is excellent, but the one embedded on the power button of the Fold is just as good. Google is also one of the few Android phone makers to have face unlock that also securely works in banking apps and for other safe authentication.
I've got this far without talking about artificial intelligence (AI) or Gemini, Google's new AI assistant. That is on purpose - you only need to use these features if you want to, and frankly, I don't want to. They're not intrinsic with how you use either phone, but be warned that all the Pixel 9 phones are stuffed with AI tools.
Gemini seems to be slowly replacing Google Assistant, and it's a bit annoying. Sure, Gemini can do technically cleverer things such as give a grammatically sound response to a query, but it also doesn't always respond when you want to see the weather at home or set a timer. Google Assistant is still accessible, but it's confusing having both.
Both phones also have new apps called Screenshots and Pixel Studio. The former is a useful app that stores all your screenshots and lets you categorise them. I used it to save things I saw online that I wanted to buy, as well as event reminders. AI scans each screenshot and summarises it for you in text. It's a very useful application of AI.
Pixel Studio on the other hand is a mess. Using text prompts you can get AI to create anything from a cute picture of a cat to party invitations. It's harmless enough if your intentions are pure, but it can also create some awful images as Google's guardrails aren't very watertight. I got it to make a picture of Pikachu drink driving (it can't do humans yet) as well as a disturbing image of hell. Other reviewers have managed much worse.
The camera app has a new tool called Add Me where one person can take a photo of one or more people and then have someone take the phone as they add themselves to the scene to create a group photo that never technically happened. Come on. Just ask someone to take the photo. When I tested it, Add Me failed more often than it worked. No one needs this.
Moral opposition to AI aside, the Pixel 9 Pro is my pick of the Pixels this year. The most disappointing thing about the Pixel 9 Pro is the cheapest model only comes with 128GB. You might well fill that up in a couple of years, whereas the 9 Pro Fold starts at 256GB. But I still recommend paying more for a higher storage version of the 9 Pro before considering the Fold.
I really wanted to love the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but I can't fully recommend it at the current price of £1,749. It's great to have a big screen in your pocket but the substantial crease and wayward formatting of many apps is enough to make the phone feel unfinished. The apps aren't always Google's, but the inconsistency means I had a much smoother and enjoyable time with the £999 Pixel 9 Pro, with its better build, better cameras, and better size.
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