Look at my phone, it looks totally normal… but wait!
and then you surprise them by pulling a tablet out of your hat.
TheGoogle Pixel 9 Pro Foldis the first foldable that nails the trick.
Talking to Gemini Live isn’t very … visual
It isnt close-but-a-bit-smaller, as on theOnePlus Open.
It definitely isnt slimmed to fit, as on theSamsung Galaxy Fold 6.
Its only 10.5mm thick when closed, which is less than two millimeters thicker than theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Talking to Gemini Live isn’t very … visual
So thats the pitch for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
Its a normal Pixel on the outside, and an iPad mini on the inside.
(“How much does it cost?
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Did I mention its the thinnest foldable you might buy?!")
Unfortunately, there just isnt much else to do with the unique screen options.
Dont get me wrong; everything looks great when you see it on the inner display.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
But… wheres the rest?
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is too expensive to just be a phone and a mini tablet.
It needs to be more than the sum of its parts.
There, thats one feature.
I can use the second screen to make faces at kids when I take their picture.
Im hoping to see a lot more from the Pixel 9 Pro Fold in the years to come.
Afterwards, I noticed the crystal display was leaking and a black splotch appeared on screen.
I reached out to Google for comment and I will update this review when I know more.
Still, this calls into question Google’s claims that this phone is more durable than ever before.
OnePlus Open, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 6 (left to right)
That phone was a disappointment, and Google was motivated to sell it cheaper.
you could no longer buy the Pixel Fold, which is highly unusual these days.
The materials feel very premium.
Neither does durability, and Google says this phone is much more durable than before.
It looks and feels exponentially nicer than the last Pixel Fold.
Still, is $1,799 / 1,749 / AU$2,699 too much?
Like I said, if Apple made this phone there would be no question that people would buy it.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 can do more a lot more.
The Galaxy has more productivity software, and frankly more software all around.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Google seems lost for ways to really take advantage of the big screen.
This is the foldable conundrum.
I havent yet seen anything that makes this concept unique and worth the high price tag.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Google lets you translate between languages using the front display and the inner screen.
What else can you do with both screens?
Ummm, you’re able to display funny faces for kid photos… ?
And thats about it.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold might be the best foldable phone Ive used.
Its definitely the best design.
Pixel 9 on the left, Pixel 9 Pro Fold on the right
Im still not sure it justifies the high price.
The inner display is top-notch.
Unfortunately, it has smaller sensors with fewer megapixels than any other Pixel 9 phone.
Making images in Pixel Studio on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Between the Tensor G4 and all that RAM, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold chugs along nicely.
So what if the Pro Fold takes a bit longer to make photo edits it’s making magic!
This is the thinnest foldable phone you’re free to buy* (* in certain markets).
The inside screen is the biggest display ever packed into a phone.
This is also the most durable foldable Pixel phone yet.
At least one of those claims seems highly suspect.
Spur of the Moment presents: Cantaloupe (misspelled by me, not the AI)
Its the first foldable that looks… normal, they all said.
It isnt just that the front is the exact same size and shape as the Pixel 9.
Its not quite the thinnest foldable, no matter what Google says.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Unfortunately, Honor doesnt sell its phones in every country, and they’re not available in the US.
The crease on the inner screen is still a crease, just as with every foldable phone Ive seen.
The crease gets less noticeable with every new foldable, but it’s still there.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
What can you do?
The Pro Fold does have the nicest hinge Ive seen, with the fewest bits poking through the mechanism.
Sorry Peony its the Pixel 9 or bust for you.
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This gives me serious pause about recommending this phone.
I hope this is a fluke.
On a foldable phone, it counts every time you dont feel like opening the phone.
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If the cover display is weird, the phone isnt as fun to use.
The inner display is like a dream.
Web pages are much easier to read and navigate.
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Maps are an entirely new world of navigation.
But photo editing is the star of the show.
In bright, outdoor light, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold excels.
Actually, this was the original, not the train tracks. Fooled ya!
Its the best foldable display Ive used, among the phones I can buy.
The coolest and most advanced new features are probably the image-making tools.
it’s possible for you to now create images from scratch with Pixel Studio.
There are limits on making images with humans, but anything else seems to be fair game.
I also made some violent images featuring Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse.
Well see if there are stronger guardrails eventually, but at press time this is still possible.
This Night Sight panorama would be impossible on any other phone
The possibilities are really endless for this tool, but I have a simple concept to highlight below.
I took a basic set of train tracks that I came across in Stamford, Connecticut.
you’ve got the option to see the results below.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Actually, thats not entirely true.
See, the original photo with the train tracks was also a fake.
The original is the plain, open field at Fort Stamford, as seen below.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
I added the train tracks with the Reimagine tool.
Theres even a random fenced-off area I didnt ask Google to make.
My point is that this software is very good at what it does.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
It does a much better job than I ever could have managed usingPhotoshop.
The images it creates are not labeled AI creations in any way.
The images are stored as simple JPEG files with a nondescript filename.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
There’s no easy way to know they’re fake, unless you know they’re fake.
Honestly, Im tired of litigating AI every time a new phone comes out.
you’ve got the option to decide for yourself if this is bad.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Unfortunately, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold wasnt invited to the party.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold gets a much smaller camera sensor than the Pixel 9.
Thats a massive step down.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 gets a sensor that’s somewhere in between.
This is important, because sensor size is the most important factor in smartphone camera quality.
Megapixels hardly matter at all; its the physical dimensions of the sensor that make all the difference.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a tiny main sensor.
That doesnt mean photos are bad.
I was very impressed with some of the macro photos I took.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The night panorama photos are head and shoulders above any other camera that isnt on a Pixel 9 phone.
Having a real 5x optical zoom lens is also terrific.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold has more reach, and that means more versatility with the cameras.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Sadly, my images dont look as good as the photos I shot with the Pixel 9.
It still takes good photos, including pleasing selfies and great4Kvideos, if you could figure out Video Boost.
The Tensor G4 chipset is just fine.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Still, theres nothing you cant do on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 scored around 2,200 on the same test.
The winner is clear, but the difference isnt so stark.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
In graphics performance, Samsung’s foldable pulls further ahead.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold managed a decent frame rate of 35.6fps on the Basemark test: The Expedition.
The OnePlus Open managed 38.7fps on the same test.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy Z Fold 6 dominated the pack with a frame rate of 55.9fps.
Those scores are like the difference between two generations of gaming consoles.
Google can also offload much of the work to its cloud servers.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Compared to other foldable phones, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold offers just a bit more battery life.
That makes me wish the Pixel 9 Pro Fold had much faster charging.
After 30 minutes of charging, the battery wasnt quite charged to 50%.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Should you buy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold?
Its all of both worlds.
I used it as my only equipment as much as possible, for both work and personal use.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
I also played games, listened to music, and played more games.
I streamed video to my Google Chromecast connected to my TV.
Future Labs tests phones using a mix of third-party benchmarking software and proprietary, real-world tests.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
We use Geekbench, CrossMark, JetStream, WebXPRT and Mobile XPRT, and 3DMark for performance testing.
We test a phone’s performance on tasks usingAdobePremiere Rush.
We also measure display color output and brightness.
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
100s of smartphonesreviewed15 yearsof product testing Over16,000 productsreviewed in total Nearly200,000 hourstesting tech
First reviewed September 2024
(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
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OnePlus Open, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 6
