Last year, Google introduced its first-ever foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold. While foldables had been around for a while — the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold was already on its fifth generation at the time — we didn’t necessarily like Google’s first attempt. Now we have the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (not the Pixel Fold 2) on the way, and leaks have given us a good idea of what to expect from the upcoming foldable.
It appears Google will bring much-needed upgrades, such as improved internal hardware and a full redesign, as shown by the company’s official promo, and plenty of AI features to compete with the OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. Here’s why I’m already excited about the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold ahead of its official release.
1 The Pixel Fold redesign isn’t a bad thing
There are many positives to look forward to
With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google is moving away from the OG Pixel Fold’s design language. According to the latest leaks, the phone is taller than its predecessor, resulting in a slightly narrower cover display and a more square inner display. This will make the Pixel 9 Pro Fold look more like the best foldable smartphones, and while not everyone is happy with this change, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
First off, the cover display is increasing from 5.8 inches to 6.24 inches, and more screen real estate is always better. Moreover, the cover display will offer the same aspect ratio and dimensions as the Pixel 9, making it feel like a traditional slab phone when using the outer display. The previous Pixel Fold had a wider cover display, which made it harder to carry in pockets, but the Pixel 9 Pro Fold should have an easier time.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold will also feature significantly smaller bezels on the inner display than the previous generation. One of the main drawbacks of the Pixel Fold was the bulky bezels around the inner display, but with the foldable adopting a traditional hinge mechanism, the inner display will have slimmer bezels, making it more appealing.
Finally, by adopting a design similar to the competing foldables on the market, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will make it easier for app developers to scale their apps not only for the new Pixel Fold, but for all foldable devices in general.
2 The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold will be available in more markets
Availability in more regions is always a good thing
When Google launched the first-gen Pixel Fold, it was only available in a few markets, like the US, UK, Japan, and Germany. Contrary to expectations, it wasn’t launched in all the countries where Pixel smartphones were sold officially.
Thankfully, with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Google is expanding its availability to 11 countries, including India, Australia, Canada, France, Singapore, and more. While it won’t be available in all 24 countries where Pixel smartphones are officially sold, it’s still a positive step forward, especially since it’s launching in my home country as well!
3 Google’s AI features
The teaser highlights AI, and I’m excited
Gen AI has played a significant role in boosting smartphone sales this year, and while Samsung has taken the lead with its Galaxy AI features, Google has long been at the forefront of AI features for smartphones. Thanks to its camera system, based on computational photography (or AI), Pixel smartphones are considered some of the best camera phones.
And not only the camera, but Google continues to add new AI features with each Pixel release, such as Magic Editor with Pixel 7 and Circle to Search with Pixel 8. The Pixel 9 series is no exception, and the teaser from Google hints at AI features specifically designed for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. While Samsung has already announced new AI features for its foldables, I’m excited to see what AI innovations Google has in store.
4 Pixel 9 Pro Fold will bring a much-needed spec bump
Better displays, faster processor, increased RAM, and more
Source: Google
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold will bring much-needed spec upgrades to the Google foldable. Despite launching only two months ahead of the Pixel 8 series and carrying a hefty price tag of $1,799, the original Pixel Fold debuted with the older Tensor G2 chipset. With the Pixel 9 Pro Fold set to release alongside the other Pixel 9 devices, it’ll come with the latest Tensor G4 chipset.
While the Tensor G4 isn’t the TSMC-manufactured chipset we’ve been waiting for, it’s expected to be a substantial upgrade over the Tensor G2, promising faster and more efficient performance compared to the two-year-old chipset. Additionally, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will reportedly pack in 16GB of RAM, which will come in handy for multitasking and smoothly handling Gen AI tasks.
In addition to internal upgrades, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will receive significant external hardware changes. As stated above, the cover display will be 6.24 inches with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,800 nits. The larger inner display will also have a peak brightness of 1,600 nits (up from 1,000 nits) and support a 120Hz refresh rate, too. These are some small but meaningful upgrades I’m looking forward to.
The Goolgle Pixel 9 Pro Fold will provide some competition in the foldable market
Pixel 9 Pro Fold could bring improved multitasking, along with a new screen resolution
It might arrive as early as next month
Unlike the European and Asian markets, which have foldables from brands like OPPO, vivo, HONOR, and Xiaomi, the North American market lacks significant competition.
Even though the Pixel 9 Pro Fold may not be the best foldable when it launches, it will bring much-needed competition to the space, forcing current players to make their foldables better and other brands to bring their foldables to this market. After all, more competition is always better for consumers.