What happens to things that don’t bend?
After years of watching foldable phones struggle to justify their existence, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold finally answers the question: “Why would I want a phone that bends?”. Samsung has been trying to answer that question for years now, and Apple is only starting to ask it. Google’s answer is confident, assured and insightful.
Having spent a few months with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as my primary device, I can confidently say this is the first foldable that feels essential rather than experimental. It’s not perfect, but it represents a maturation of the concept that makes the $2,699 price tag feel less absurd and more like an investment in productivity.
It is pretty absurd to see a phone cost that much, though. But this is a phablet, of course, and it’s much, much more than a phone.
Design
The most striking aspect of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold isn’t what you see. At just 5.1mm thick when unfolded, this is engineering restraint at its finest. The phone disappears into jacket pockets without the bulk that plagued earlier foldables, and the refined hinge mechanism operates with satisfying precision.
Google has solved the fundamental design challenge that kept foldables in enthusiast territory: making them feel like premium devices rather than slow experiments that feel more like a risk. The aluminium frame is sleek and premium, while the matte glass back resists fingerprints better than most flagships. When closed, the phone feels remarkably similar to a standard Pixel 9 Pro, which speaks to how successfully Google has normalised the folding form factor.
The hinge deserves special mention. Google’s approach feels effortless and refined. Opening and closing the device becomes second nature within hours, and the satisfying snap when fully opened is that beautiful, tactile experience that tech enthusiasts live for.
Display
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold features two distinct display experiences, each optimised for different use cases. The 6.3-inch outer display maintains the same aspect ratio as the Pixel 9 Pro, ensuring familiar one-handed operation when you need quick interactions.
Unfold the device, and you’re greeted with an expansive 8-inch inner display that transforms the entire experience. The nearly square aspect ratio proves ideal for productivity tasks, reading, and content consumption. Unlike traditional phone screens that force awkward scrolling for documents or websites, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s inner display accommodates full pages naturally.
The inner display’s LTPO technology enables variable refresh rates from 1Hz to 120Hz, contributing to both smooth animations and impressive battery efficiency. Brightness levels reach 2,700 nits, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. The inevitable crease remains visible, particularly with dark backgrounds. But it’s less intrusive than previous generations and rarely impacts usability.
Performance
The Tensor G4 chipset paired with 16GB of RAM provides the computational power necessary for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s dual-display ambitions. Multitasking between applications feels fluid, and the generous RAM allocation ensures apps remain active in memory when switching between the inner and outer displays.
Google’s software shines in how seamlessly applications transition between displays. Start reading an article on the outer screen, unfold the phone, and the content automatically adapts to the larger canvas. This continuity creates a cohesive user experience that feels natural rather than forced.
Gaming on the 8-inch display transforms mobile gaming into something approaching tablet-quality entertainment. Racing games benefit from the wider field of view, while strategy games finally have adequate screen real estate for complex interfaces. The phone does warm during extended gaming sessions, but thermal management keeps temperatures reasonable.
Where the Pixel 9 Pro Fold truly justifies its existence is in productivity scenarios. Split-screen multitasking feels natural and useful rather than cramped and awkward. Having email on one side while referencing documents on the other, or taking notes while researching, transforms the phone into a legitimate work tool.
The square aspect ratio proves particularly valuable for reading and document work. PDF files, spreadsheets, and web articles display with less scrolling required, creating a more desktop-like reading experience. For professionals who frequently work mobile, this represents a genuine workflow improvement.
Google’s software enhancements include a persistent taskbar that provides quick access to favourite applications, universal search functionality, and intelligent app pairing suggestions. These features feel purpose-built rather than afterthoughts, contributing to the overall impression that Google has thoughtfully considered how people actually use foldable devices.
Camera
The triple rear camera system (48MP wide, 10.5MP ultrawide, and 10.8MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom) represents a different approach than the megapixel arms race dominating smartphone photography. Google relies on computational photography expertise to extract exceptional image quality from more modest sensors. Its upscaling software has been superior for years, and so these specs are fine on paper.
The real innovation comes from how the foldable design enhances photography workflows. The rear camera selfie mode uses the outer display as a preview screen, allowing you to frame shots perfectly while using the superior main cameras. For group photos, this eliminates the guesswork typically associated with front-facing cameras.
Tabletop mode transforms the phone into a hands-free camera stand, ideal for video calls, time-lapse photography, or group shots. The phone props itself at the perfect angle, with camera controls appearing on the lower half of the folded display while the upper half shows your composition.
Low-light performance impresses consistently, with Night Sight mode capturing detail that often surpasses what your eyes perceive. The computational photography improvements extend to video, where stabilisation and colour accuracy represent significant advances over previous Pixel generations.
Battery
The 4,650mAh battery represents the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s most significant compromise. With two displays to power and intensive multitasking capabilities encouraging heavier usage, battery life requires more active management than typical flagships.
During moderate usage, the phone comfortably lasts a full day. However, heavy use of the inner display, particularly for gaming, video streaming, or intensive multitasking, can drain the battery by mid-afternoon.
The 45W fast charging provides reasonable recovery times, reaching approximately 70% in 30 minutes. Wireless charging support adds convenience, though you’ll likely rely more heavily on wired charging given the power demands.
Verdict & Value
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold represents the maturation of foldable technology. It’s the first device in this category that feels like a refined product rather than an ambitious experiment. Google has successfully addressed the fundamental challenges that kept foldables in niche territory: build quality, software integration, and practical utility.
This isn’t a phone for everyone, nor should it be. It’s a specialised tool for users whose needs align with its unique capabilities. For those users, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold delivers an experience that’s genuinely impressive with great longevity, rather than merely novel. That’s what you want out of a device that costs you a return flight to Rome.
There’s no question by now that Google is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition when it comes to software. As it turns out, the foldable category needed Google’s know-how to really push through. What a phone. What a tablet.
