For many, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the first look at one of the company’s foldable phones to see how it stacks up against the best in this emerging category. Indeed, it was my first chance to test a Google foldable since Canada wasn’t among the markets selling the original Pixel Fold.
This newer model comes when the Pixel brand is synonymous with mobile photography, whereas a folding one seems different. The tough sell here is this particular phone doesn’t have Google’s best camera, so can an 8-inch screen be enough to warrant taking a chance with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold?
Design and Build
I covered some of the details about the phone’s design in a previous hands-on. The gist is that you get a 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED panel on the outer screen and an 8-inch Super Actua Flex OLED screen when you fold it out. It’s an impressive 10.5mm thin when folded, making it feel closer to a typical bar slab. While I can appreciate a strong hinge, this one sometimes feels a little too stiff, particularly when unfolding it.
Both screens are very bright, useful indoors and outdoors, and for the multitasking possibilities that go with the inner display. At least the crease in the middle isn’t as noticeable; in most cases, you likely won’t tell when the screen is on. The fingerprint sensor built into the power button is also very responsive and reliable.
The camera module in the rear is also a cutout rather than the familiar bar running across the entire width of the back panel. With rounded corners and a matte finish, the device has an air of sophistication that may have been lacking in the previous Pixel Fold. IPX8 protection helps add some peace of mind in case the phone comes into contact with water. However, the lack of dust resistance is always something to consider with the crevices inherent in foldables.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s specs are also good enough to do most things you’d want on a phone, though battery life may make it challenging to feel confident you’ll get there by bedtime every night. It’s hard not to utilize the 120Hz refresh rate for either screen, especially when viewing video or playing a game. Plus, a larger display will always demand more juice than a standard single panel.
The choice between 256GB and 512GB of storage adds another $120 USD to the price but is an important consideration if you’re serious about using this phone for productivity. You’re currently limited to either obsidian or porcelain for color options, though I can see Google eventually offering a more colorful alternative sometime down the line.
Camera Features
It seemed like Google might try something different with the camera array, but it opted to leave most of it intact, changing only the two selfie cameras. I was given the impression that the 48-megapixel main wide camera (25mm equivalent) uses a different image sensor, but I haven’t received any confirmation that’s actually the case.
It is worth pointing out that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold runs on Google’s Tensor G4 processor, whereas the previous Pixel Fold runs on the older G2 chip. Skipping a generation in silicon makes a more considerable difference, but it’s also how Google can push its AI features, like Gemini, Magic Editor, and Pixel Studio.
That makes sense because, unlike its other Pixel phones, Google doesn’t tout camera performance on this one. It also shows how certain basic features are inexplicably missing. When propping up the phone on one side in Flex mode to shoot in landscape, there’s no option to switch the live preview to the bottom half, making it very difficult to frame a shot while tilting it to face up on a majestic angle.
Every other foldable I’ve tried makes that switch a simple tap, so leaving it out is just a bizarre design choice. I found a workaround that required unfolding the phone first, launching the camera app, then opening a second app and moving it to the left screen for a split-screen layout. From there, I could fold the phone at a 90-degree angle, pushing the camera app to the bottom screen. It works well but adds unnecessary steps to an otherwise straightforward process.
It’s also not possible to shoot in RAW at full resolution. Considering that it’s been available since the Pixel 8 Pro, this phone should be more than capable of handling that. The only way to capture full-res images is in JPEG after you turn that feature on in the settings.
Software Features
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is more of a showcase of what Google’s AI features can do. New ones like Add Me run across the Pixel 9 lineup, but it is a useful way to include the photographer in a group shot. I didn’t get to try it much because I wasn’t in group settings during my limited time with the device.
I spent far more time figuring out the AI and manual editing options. The editing suite is functional for several reasons, with Magic Eraser leading the charge among other tools. Magic Editor is the more considerable shift this time because it allows you to remove people or objects, isolate and change the sky, and stylistically alter the entire image. Moreover, you can dynamically reframe a photo based on where the subject is and fill in gaps through generative fill.
It’s early days, and there’s room for improvement, especially when it comes to using prompts to generate images. I focused on trying it with existing photos through options like Reimagine, be it adding something to a bricked-up doorway or reimagining the background behind a subject. In its efforts to roll back some of the controversial images people generated through the platform, some otherwise innocuous prompts couldn’t get through.
That also goes for Pixel Studio, which offers more leeway. I had fun generating logos for fictional sports teams but also recognized Google putting a leash on certain things. Obviously, nothing too risqué, nor much using protected IP, but it can be fun to play around with, even if you think of it as a way to conceptualize ideas.
It’s also possible to use Pixel Studio or Google Photos with other apps in split-screen. I liked it best with Lightroom, though it wouldn’t work with Photoshop. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s multitasking ability is excellent, even if it can’t do three apps like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6.
Image Quality
Main camera
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold won’t blow anyone away in image quality, but I can definitively say this phone performs better than the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It should, given it’s not using a two-year-old camera system, so I went in knowing not to expect flagship results either way. Based on what I’ve seen from the original Pixel Fold, I wouldn’t say there’s a big difference here, save for less noise in the darker portions of the image.
Google’s software computation bails the phone out more than once in how it renders results, which is why I can say the average user likely won’t complain much about how photos look. Still, there’s not a big leap. While good photos are possible, they’re more a consequence of a photographer’s eye than what the components inside deliver.
I know Top Shot is the only real way to shoot in a burst on a Pixel phone, but I would like to see Google integrate a separate way to do it. Top Shot doesn’t always work unless you tap the shutter as the action happens. If you’re anticipating action, it may take multiple taps to get it right. That can be problematic when capturing a moving subject while the Fold is set up at an angle.
Like any foldable, the most significant change mostly comes from how you deploy or set up the device to take a photo. Perspective is everything when you can angle the screen in various ways. Long exposure (using manual controls) or night and astrophotography shots are much easier to manage when you lay down the phone and let it capture the image from there. If only Google had the foresight to recognize that users might want to switch the preview from one screen to the other.
New features like Made You Look are nifty in how they can compel babies and toddlers to look at the camera and smile. Displaying colorful animated characters on the outer screen is enough to distract them and get them to at least look in the right direction.
Telephoto
This lens isn’t bad, though it is best in better lighting and doesn’t offer the kind of range you see in the telephoto lens on the other Pixel 9 Pro phones. The main lens offers a crop factor in between at 2x, but the 5x optical zoom is considerably better unless you shoot a nightscape.
I took a lot of full-resolution photos with the main camera to give myself some editing and cropping options afterward. Even so, the telephoto lens served a purpose. Hybrid zoom is a mixed bag, with 10x giving you decent results and 20x looking awful more often than not.
This is also the lens that comes into play with Portrait mode, and unlike other brands (Vivo, Honor), offers little in the form of distinct portrait features. Despite that, this lens (along with the ultra-wide) is ideal for Flex mode because it’s more sensitive to jittery hands in varying conditions.
Ultra-Wide
This is probably the weakest of the three rear lenses, and it shows when examining the edges, which can come out soft and muddy in some instances. However, for architecture and wider vistas, this is the best way to go despite the warped field of view.
Video Features
I tested the Pixel 9 Pro Fold primarily for its still photography, but also tried out video. It can record in 4K at 24, 30, or 60fps with any of the rear cameras. There’s not a whole lot that’s changed overall, though daytime footage will look much cleaner and sharper than nighttime clips. You get access to all the same modes as other Pixel phones, so at least Google doesn’t limit your choices. It’s just that results will be mixed depending on what and where you choose to film.
Better, But Far From the Best
It’s hard not to compare the Pixel 9 Pro Fold to other foldables, including those lacking the same availability in the North American market. For those that are, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a disappointment, while the OnePlus Open remains a better alternative for both camera performance and battery life — despite coming to market a year earlier. True, it lacks the AI features Google offers here, but something must be said about a foldable that feels light and responsive, takes better photos, and can easily last all day.
Then there are the likes of the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro and Honor’s Magic V3, both of which push the envelope much further in camera output and crush the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in battery life. They each charge faster, too.
Foldables are a unique category unto themselves. Is the real innovation coming from the AI features, or that Chinese brands are much closer to putting flagship cameras in their foldable phones? I’ve heard the argument that people don’t buy foldables for their cameras. It’s probably valid to some extent, but it’s also true that most don’t realize how big the gap is on the imaging side. Using all of these models convinces me the likes of Google and Samsung have been nothing less than complacent.
Are There Alternatives?
If you have the original Pixel Fold, you’re not going to upgrade because of the cameras. You might, however, if you want a very different design with bigger screens. You might also consider the move if you also had your eye on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which comes off as stagnant.
The OnePlus Open is cheaper and runs a solid mix of hardware and software. At least for foldables readily available in Canada and the U.S., it’s the best one thus far. If you’re willing to import either of the Vivo or Honor models, you’ll appreciate their viability. Where Google holds a strong advantage is that it runs stock Android and offers a longer commitment to system and security updates.
Should You Buy It?
Maybe. It really depends on what you want to prioritize. If you care about AI features and want the flexibility of years of updates, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold focuses a lot on those things. If you want the best camera array on a phone that folds, this $1,800 one isn’t it.