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Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold Review: Jack of All Trades

DA Gadgets October 6, 2024 mobiles

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Foldables
have
indeed
come
a
long
way,
especially
in
India.
While
earlier
limited
to
Samsung’s
Galaxy
Z
Fold
range,
2024
has
provided
enough
variety
from
a
number
of
manufacturers
across
foldable
segments.
You
can
now
get
one
for
as
low
as
Rs.
64,999
in
a
flippable
clamshell
form
factor
or
pony
up
Rs.
1,59,999
for
a
top-of-the-line
book-style
foldable
that
literally
competes
with
premium
slab-style
smartphones.
With
the
emergence
of
tri-fold
devices,
foldables
even
make
those
bloated
iPhone
price
tags
in
India
appear
palatable
for
Android
users.

And
for
those
curious
iPhone
Pro
users
wanting
to
try
out
something
new,
a
foldable
offers
a
new
form
factor
and
is
a
value-for-money
offering
given
that
they
are
already
paying
well
over
Rs.
1,00,000
for
a
“Pro”
iPhone.
And
what
better
Android
device
to
begin
with
than
Google’s
own
Pixel
foldable!
It
has
an
almost
iPhone-like
philosophy,
with
both
the
software
and
chip
design
controlled
by
the
brand.

Indeed,
this
is
something
we
are
witnessing
for
the
first
time
in
the
foldable
segment
(at
least
in
India).
With
a
long
moniker
that
makes
sense
given
the
numerous
features
it
brings
to
the
table,
is
Google’s
first
Pro-branded
Pixel
worthy
of
its
“Pro”
branding
and
its
price
tag?

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
Review
Design:
Beauty
and
the
beast

• Dimensions
  (Folded)
  –
  155.2mm
  x
  77.1mm
  x
  10.5mm
• Dimensions
  (Unfolded)
  –
  155.2mm
  x
  150.2mm
  x
  5.1mm
• Weight
  –
  257
  grams
• Durability
  –
  IPX8
  water
  resistance

The
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
sure
looks
cool.
It
has
a
slimmer,
leaner
and
minimalist
avatar,
but
it’s
also
the
heaviest
foldable
in
the
segment

The
Google
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
currently
has
the
slimmest
design
of
any
foldable
in
India.
When
placed
on
a
table
next
to
the
OnePlus
Open,
it
literally
feels
half
as
thick
when
folded
(because
of
its
thinner
camera
bump)
and
abnormally
slim
when
opened.
It
looks
very
“Swedish”
(read
minimalist)
in
terms
of
overall
design,
and
I
would
have
loved
holding
it
if
it
had
not
weighed
over
a
quarter
of
a
kilo.

Vivo’s
X
Fold
3
Pro is
taller
and
thicker
(by
about
a
millimetre)
and
is
surprisingly
more
comfortable
to
hold
than
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold.
This
is
partially
due
to
its
slightly
narrow
design
(accompanied
by
thin
bezels),
but
it
is
also
lighter
by
21
grams
and
has
bevelled
corners
and
curved
edges.

The
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
(left)
is
slimmer
and
flatter,
while
the
Vivo
X
Fold
3
Pro
(right)
is
easier
to
hold
thanks
to
its
curved
edges
and
bevelled
corners

I
wish
that
Google
had
stuck
to
its
smaller
passport-sized
design
(like
the
old
Pixel
Fold),
which
was
unique
and
special.
The
original
Fold’s
design
also
meant
that
the
device
always
opened
directly
in
a
tablet
state
(horizontal
versus
vertical)
and
so
did
not
need
to
be
reoriented
when
watching
movies.
It
was
the
perfect
design
for
a
foldable
(which
most
people
expect
to
turn
into
a
tablets
when
opened),
but
Google’s
designers
took
a
smartphone-first
design
approach
and
kind
of
ruined
its
USP.

How
slim
is
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold?
Here,
it
is
pictured
next
to
Google’s
own
slab-style
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
flagship

This
new
approach
results
in
a
narrower
cover
display,
which
I
agree
is
more
comfortable
to
hold,
but
this
also
means
you
will
have
to
reorient
the
phone
when
watching
a
movie,
as
explained
in
the
display
section
below.

Google
uses
aluminium
alloy
for
the
metal
parts
and
has
the
slimmest
profile
thanks
to
its
use
of
flat
front
and
rear
panels.
However,
I’m
not
confident
about
its
durability
because
the
frame
is
thin.
It’s
barely
1mm
thick
near
the
hinge,
and
while
it
looks
sleek,
it
also
feels
quite
delicate.

With
such
skinny
margins
for
its
front
and
rear
frames,
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
does
feel
quite
delicate
around
the
hinge
area

Another
area
where
Google
manages
to
chisel
down
its
foldable
to
beat
the
competition
is
the
bezel
surrounding
the
main
folding
display,
which
literally
looks
like
a
glossy
sticker.

Lastly,
the
overall
finish
of
the
Fold
is
a
bit
lacking
when
compared
to
the

Pixel
9
Pro
XL’s
design.
While
the
buttons
and
port
cutouts
are
a
bit
sharp,
there
are
minor
gaps
where
the
glass
panel
meets
the
metal
frame.
The
phone
is
IPX8-rated,
meaning
that
it
can
withstand
splashes
of
water
from
any
direction,
but
do
keep
in
mind
that
the
warranty
will
not
cover
any
damage
caused
by
the
same.

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
Review
Display:
Actually
good

• Cover
  display
  –
  6.2-inch,
  1080
  x
  2424
  pixels,
  full-HD+,
  120Hz
• Main
  display
  –
  8.03-inch,
  2076
  x
  2152
  pixels,
  120Hz
• Display
  Type
  –
  Cover:
  OLED,
  Main:
  LTPO
  OLED
• Display
  protection
  –
  Cover:
  Gorilla
  Glass
  Victus
  2,
  Main:
  UTG

As
you
can
tell
from
the
specifications
listed
above,
only
the
folding
display
of
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
offers
the
battery-saving
LTPO
technology.
Both
displays
show
slightly
punchy
colours
at
the
Adaptive
setting,
with
the
same
getting
toned
down
at
the
Natural
setting.
If
you
prefer
the
Natural
setting
for
true-to-life
colours,
be
sure
to
switch
to
the
Adaptive
setting
when
watching
movies
on
OTT
apps,
as
the
displays
tend
to
lose
contrast
in
this
mode.

The
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
has
an
attractive
overall
design,
but
it’s
hard
to
ignore
those
thick
borders
around
its
cover
display.

I
liked
how
broad
the
cover
display
is,
which
also
reduces
the
need
to
open
the
phone
all
the
time.
Like
with
the

Pixel
9
Pro
XL’s
display,
The
well-rounded
corner
cutouts
of
the
Fold’s
design
also
eat
into
the
viewable
display
area.
It
only
makes
things
worse
on
a
foldable
as
those
corners
make
the
rectangular
display
appear
squarish.

Given
the
main
folding
display’s
size,
you
get
a
more
usable
video
viewing
area
when
holding
the
device
horizontally,
and
that’s
the
reason
why
you
have
to
reorient
it
when
viewing
video
on
full
screen
(non-cropped
view).
And
even
then,
there’s
tons
of
wasted
space
above
and
below
(letterboxing),
so
the
squarish
aspect
ratio
is
better
suited
to
run
two
apps
side-by-side
than
for
entertainment.

While
its
bezel
is
now
thinner
than
before,
the
main
display
on
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
has
a
very
noticeable
crease

In
fact,
if
you
are
just
looking
for
a
bigger
display
for
watching
movies
on,
the
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
is
a
better
choice
because
it
will
last
longer
than
the
9
Pro
Fold
with
a
single
charge
as
well.

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
Review
Software:
AI-tastic

• Software
  –
  Pixel
  UI
• Version
  –
  Android
  14
• Software
  commitment
  –
  7
  years
  of
  OS,
  security
  and
  Pixel
  Drop
  updates

The
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
is
the
only
foldable
to
offer
a
proper
tablet-style
split
notification
tray
with
toggles
on
the
left
and
notifications
on
the
right

There
is
a
lot
of
detail
and
attention
given
to
the
folding
experience.
There’s
a
subtle
closing
animation
with
the
home
screen
icons
and
widgets
moving
inwards
when
closing
the
main
display.
The
lock
screen
clock
also
glides
to
the
left
when
unlocking
the
device
directly
from
the
main
display,
which
is
a
nice
touch.
My
favourite
is
the
split
layout
for
the
notifications
tray
with
toggles
on
the
left
and
the
notifications
on
the
right,
which
is
commonly
found
on
Android
tablets
that
run
near-stock
Android
software.

However,
the
Pixel
9
Pro’s
multi-tasking
capabilities
are
far
from
what
the
competition
offers.
Currently,
it’s
just
limited
to
running
two
apps
(displayed
in
full)
in
Split
Screen
mode,
and
that’s
about
it.
The
OnePlus
Open,
despite
being
the
oldest
foldable
currently
available,
still
seems
to
offer
the
best
productivity
setup
with
the
ability
to
run
three
apps
in
full
and
another
app
in
a
small
floating
window,
for
those
who
need
it.

The
Pixel
9
Pro’s
multi-tasking
capabilities
are
limited
to
running
two
apps
at
a
time

While
you
can
read
about
all
the
AI
features
in
my

review
of
the
Pixel
9
Pro
XL,
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
does
come
with
a
few
fun
extras.
This
would
include
the
adorable
Made
You
Look
feature,
which
plays
funny
animations
on
the
cover
display
to
make
kids
laugh
and
smile
when
on
camera.
Dual
Screen
on
Meet
also
lets
users
show
the
output
from
both
front
and
rear
cameras
together
when
on
a
Meet
video
call.
Dual-Screen
mode
for
Live
Transcribe
is
also
very
useful
when
on
a
holiday
and
can
instantly
translate
120+
languages.
It
also
comes
in
use
for
those
with
hearing
and
speech
disabilities.

Just
like
the
Pixel
9
Pro
XL,
Car
Crash
Detection
is
now
available,
with
the
satellite-based
Emergency
SOS
coming
at
a
later
date.

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
Review
Performance:
Pretty
average

• Processor
  –
  Google
  Tensor
  G4
• RAM
  –
  16GB
• Storage
  –
  256GB

Despite
the
many
foldable-friendly
software
refinements,
it
is
a
bit
disappointing
to
see
the
UI
stuttering
with
random
apps
(including
the
Google
Discover
feed).
I
understand
that
the
Fold’s
cover
display
is
not
an
LTPO
unit,
but
I
noticed
this
very
obvious
lack
of
scrolling
fluidity
with
both
displays
when
browsing
any
app.
This
became
more
obvious
when
I
compared
it
with
the
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
side
by
side.
I
believe
the
culprit
here
is
the
stricter
battery
optimisations.
Either
way,
Google
desperately
needs
to
fix
the
jitter
and
stuttering,
as
Vivo’s
X
Fold
3
Pro
offers
a
much
smoother
software
experience
at
a
lower
price.

Google
also
skimps
on
storage,
given
that
most
foldables
at
this
price
point
easily
offer
512GB
of
storage.
In
a
way,
they
do
back
it
up
with
a
free
2TB
Gemini
Advanced
plan
(for
a
year),
but
again,
we
would
have
loved
to
see
more
storage
on
a
phone
that’s
this
expensive.

I
was
not
able
to
try
out
Google’s
in-game
split-view,
which
is
available
for
certain
titles
as
a
Beta
tester,
because
of
some
access-related
issues.
However,
I
tried
Call
of
Duty:
Mobile
(at
Max
and
Ultra
frame
rate)
on
the
cover
and
main
display
and
found
its
performance
quite
satisfactory.
Genshin
Impact
stuttered
a
lot
when
the
settings
were
maxed
out.
Touch
sampling
or
sensitivity
is
not
as
accurate,
and
it
felt
a
bit
weird
to
play
FPS
games
on
a
square
display,
even
though
it
provides
you
with
a
much
bigger
display
compared
to
the
cover
screen.

The
phone
gets
hot
while
using
the
camera
app
outdoors,
but
it
does
not
seem
to
affect
camera
performance
(like
on
previous
Pixel
models)
thanks
to
the
vapour
chamber
cooling
system.

It
sure
is
impressive
how
Google
managed
to
pack
in
wireless
charging
and
VC
cooling
into
a
phone
that’s
as
thin
as
a
USB-C
port
when
unfolded

For
some
reason,
volume
levels
like
those
on
the
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
do
not
seem
sufficient,
especially
while
watching
movies.
I
often
found
myself
maxing
it
out
most
of
the
time
and
still
did
not
find
it
sufficient
in
terms
of
sheer
loudness.
It
also
lacks
a
sufficient
bass
(even
for
a
foldable).

While
the
side-mounted
fingerprint
reader
worked
just
fine,
I
only
needed
to
use
it
in
dimly
lit
settings,
or
those
with
no
light
at
all,
as
the
secure
face
unlock
system
did
the
job
quite
well.

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
Review
Cameras:
Not
what
we
expected

• Main
  camera
  –
  48-megapixel
  (OIS),
  f/1.7
  aperture,
  AF
• Telephoto
  camera
  –
  10.8-megapixel
  (OIS),
  5X
  optical,
  f/3.1
  aperture,
  AF
• Ultra-wide
  camera
  –
  10.5-megapixel,
  0.5X,
  f/2.2
  aperture,
  AF
• Selfie
  cameras
  –
  10-megapixel,
  f/2.2
  aperture,
  AF
  (cover/main)

Google’s
camera
system
on
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
remains
similar
to
the
older
Pixel
Fold

Indeed,
there’s
nothing
“Pro”
about
the
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold’s
cameras,
as
they
don’t
hold
a
candle
to
the

Pixel
9
Pro
XL’s
cameras.
Regardless,
things
only
get
worse
when
compared
with
the
Vivo
X
Fold
3
Pro,
as
can
be
seen
from
the
camera
sample
comparison
below.

Google’s
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold
loses
to
the
sharper
and
more
detailed
photos
produced
by
Vivo’s
X
Fold
3
Pro.
Also,
notice
the
better
dynamic
range
in
low
light
(tap
images
to
expand)

Unlike
most
manufacturers
trying
to
squeeze
high-resolution
camera
sensors
into
their
foldables.
It
remains
to
be
seen
whether
Google
wants
to
copy
Samsung’s
camera
hardware
strategy
and
stick
with
the
same
set
of
cameras
for
three
generations,
as
the
only
real
upgrades
we
have
seen
this
year
are
with
its
selfie
cameras.

Photos
from
the
primary
camera
are
decent
and
come
out
a
bit
soft
when
shooting
indoors
or
against
any
outdoor
lighting.
When
shooting
outdoors,
colours
appear
natural,
with
resolved
detail
on
the
lower
side
and
some
minor
purple
fringing.
In
low
light,
photos
have
decent
detail
but
tend
to
crush
the
blacks
as
the
older
Pixel
cameras
did.

Edge
detection
in
Portrait
mode
really
needs
a
lot
of
work…
even
for
a
foldable
(tap
image
to
expand)

As
with
the
Pixel
9
Pro
XL,
Portrait
shooting
is
limited
to
1.5X
and
2X.
However,
unlike
the
XL,
the
Fold
has
to
handle
it
all
with
a
rather
dated
camera
sensor,
so
these
digitally
scaled
crops
don’t
look
great.
Portrait
mode
photos
from
the
rear
camera
not
only
lack
detail
and
contrast
but
also
have
horrible
edge
detection
that
can
cut
out
hair,
ears
and
glasses.
So,
I
recommend
using
it
only
in
daylight
(if
you
really
have
to).
In
fact,
I
preferred
shooting
regular
photos
at
1X
and
adding
an
AI
blur
effect
to
them
in
the
post,
which
also
provided
better
detail.

Photos
captured
at
5X
(optical
zoom)
appear
a
bit
flat
and
soft
(tap
image
to
expand)

Photos
from
its
primary
camera
(1X)
come
out
alright
(tap
image
to
expand)

The
5X
telephoto
camera,
while
managing
quality
photos
in
daylight,
shoots
soft
images
in
low
light
even
when
resorting
to
the
Night
Sight
mode.
The
ultra-wide
camera
really
feels
like
it’s
been
added
to
complete
the
spec
sheet.
Video
performance
is
passable
in
daylight
but
comes
out
very
noisy
in
low
light;
even
Google’s
Video
Boost
tool
cannot
seem
to
turn
water
into
wine
here.

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
Review
Battery:
A
bit
below
expectations

• Battery
  capacity
  –
  4,650
  mAh
• Wired
  charging
  –
  21W
• Wireless
  Charging
  –
  7.5W
  wireless
  (Qi)

The
Pixel
9
Pro
Fold’s
battery
life
lasts
a
full
day
on
a
single
charge
with
moderate
use.
This
would
include
some
calls,
camera
usage,
gaming,
and
frequently
switching
to
the
main
display.
In
our
video
loop
battery
test,
the
phone
managed
to
last
12
hours
and
50
minutes
when
using
the
cover
display
and
8
hours
and
8
minutes
when
using
the
larger
main
display.
These
numbers
are
below
average
for
a
foldable
device,
as
I
have
seen
better
battery
performance
on
foldables
like
the
Vivo
X
Fold
3
Pro
or
even
the
OnePlus
Open
(which
is
now
a
bit
dated).

Google
does
not
provide
the
Pixel
45W
charger
in
the
box

Charging
speeds
are
relatively
slow,
with
the
phone
managing
a
full
charge
in
1
hour
and
45
minutes
when
connected
to
a
61W
PD
charger.
They
are
on
par
with
Samsung’s
Galaxy
Z
Fold
6
but
nowhere
close
to
what
the
current
Chinese
foldables
offer
both
in
terms
of
wired
and
wireless
charging.

Google
Pixel
9
Pro
XL
Verdict

Google’s
neatly
laid
out
software
and
segment-leading
AI
tricks
may
come
to
the
9
Pro
Fold’s
rescue,
which
finds
itself
in
the
hands
of
Pixel
fans
who
have
been
desperately
waiting
for
the
foldable
to
reach
Indian
shores.
But
its
dated
camera
system
desperately
needs
an
upgrade
and
does
not
fit
the
“Pro”
moniker
that
Google’s
chasing
for
its
foldable.

When
it
comes
to
practical
features
that
matter
to
most
consumers,
like
smooth
software,
good
battery
life,
fast
charging
and
quality
cameras,
it
comes
up
horribly
short
of

Vivo’s
X
Fold
3
Pro
(Review),
making
it
an
antithesis
to
this
year’s

Pixel
9
Pro
XL
(Review),
which
was
a
big
step
in
the
right
direction
for
Google’s
slab-style
smartphones.

If
you
are
looking
for
your
first
foldable,

Samsung’s
Galaxy
Z
Fold
6
(Review)
and

OnePlus’s
Open
(Review)
offer
extended
repair
warranties
to
give
you
better
peace
of
mind
and
both
of
these,
like
the
Vivo,
are
priced
lower
than
Google’s
foldable
Pixel.